President Joe Biden marked his first day in office by unveiling a redesigned whitehouse.gov powered by WordPress. The Biden administration chose to retain WordPress as the website’s CMS, a decision initially made in 2017 when the previous administration transitioned from Drupal. The relaunch showcases a blend of modern design, multilingual accessibility, and advanced analytics, underscoring the administration’s commitment to inclusivity and transparency.
The updated whitehouse.gov incorporates several accessibility features from the Biden-Harris transition team website. Visitors can now toggle options for contrast, font size, and language, with a dedicated Spanish language switcher. Additionally, the site includes an accessibility statement pledging to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, level AA standards—a crucial step toward creating a more inclusive digital presence.
Design Evolution with a Focus on Typography
The Biden administration retained much of the design and content from the transition website while implementing subtle yet impactful updates. A notable change is the shift in typography. Hoefler&Co, the design firm behind the fonts used during Biden’s 2020 campaign, highlighted the redesign’s emphasis on Mercury as the primary serif typeface, symbolizing “the voice of the institution.” Meanwhile, the sans-serif Decimal plays a supporting role, adding modernity and balance to the design.
Insights Beneath the Surface
Behind the scenes, the source code reveals a recruitment pitch from the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), the team responsible for managing federal digital services. This highlights the administration’s focus on attracting skilled technologists to enhance government websites and services.
Additionally, the website links to the U.S. government’s analytics platform at analytics.usa.gov. This public-facing initiative tracks aggregated web traffic across federal sites, providing anonymized data on devices, operating systems, and visitor locations. For the first time since 2017, this data—comprising over 2.5 billion pageviews monthly—is available to the public, offering valuable insights into user behavior.
A Step Toward a More Inclusive Digital Presence
The Biden administration’s decision to stick with WordPress underscores its scalability and adaptability for high-traffic sites like whitehouse.gov. The website’s relaunch reflects the administration’s priorities: inclusivity, transparency, and innovation in digital governance.
With a solid foundation on WordPress and a renewed focus on accessibility and design, the revamped whitehouse.gov sets a new benchmark for federal digital infrastructure. This forward-thinking approach demonstrates how technology can serve as a bridge to better connect governments with citizens worldwide.
