Govuk

Gov.uk is the United Kingdom government's public-facing web portal and branding for digital services, accessed via the gov.uk domain. It provides information and services delivered by central, devolved, and local government. It is managed by the Government Digital Service (GDS) within the Cabinet Office.

The site consolidates government content to provide a single point of access for citizens and businesses. It hosts service pages for applying for visas, renewing documents, paying taxes, reporting issues, and guidance on policies. It emphasizes consistency and accessibility, with content written in plain language.

GOV.UK was launched in 2012, consolidating Directgov and Business Link into a single platform as part of the government's digital transformation program to simplify user experience and standardize design. The GOV.UK Design System guides how the site looks and works, supporting a consistent user experience across government services.

Licensing and openness: GOV.UK content is generally published under the Open Government Licence, and the site promotes open standards, machine readability, and accessibility compliance (WCAG). It includes a search function and structured navigation to improve usability and findability.

Relation to broader government work: GOV.UK underpins both public-facing and back-end government services, and is used by many government departments. It is a centerpiece of the UK’s digital government strategy, aiming to improve public access to services and reduce bureaucracy through a unified online presence.