Xperience by Kentico for government teams

In state and local government, the communications team is usually responsible for the website. Yet many teams still have to lodge a ticket, wait for a developer or go through IT to make what should be a simple change.

That delay matters. When a service changes, a consultation opens or an emergency is unfolding, people need accurate information straight away. If they can't find it online, they call, email or turn to less reliable sources.

Having more control over your website doesn't mean your team has to take on technical work. It means you can get the right information live quickly and safely, with the right approvals in place.

This article looks at how Xperience by Kentico CMS gives government communications teams that control, and what it means for your team day to day.

Why communications teams often feel stuck with their website

If any of these sound familiar, your CMS may be working against you:

• Rigid templates. Any new layout or page type needs a development request.
• Duplicated content. The same opening hours, fees or contact details sit on several pages and gradually drift out of date.
• Approvals happen by email. Drafts go back and forth outside the CMS, and nobody is sure which version is final.
• Urgent updates are slow. Publishing quickly when something happens is harder than it should be.
• The website is treated as an IT asset. In practice, it's one of your most important communications channels.

A modern government CMS should remove these bottlenecks without giving up governance. Here's how Xperience by Kentico does that.

1. Build and change pages without a developer

Xperience by Kentico includes a visual Page Builder. Editors put pages together from pre-built widgets, sections and templates that were designed and developed when the website was built.

Why it matters: your team can create a campaign page, consultation page or project update without adding to the development backlog. A page that once took weeks can often be ready in hours.

The guardrails: the widgets are built around your design system, so pages stay on brand, consistent and accessible even with many editors creating content.

2. Write once, reuse everywhere

The Content hub in Xperience by Kentico lets you store content as reusable items, such as fees, opening hours, contact details, alerts or program information. You then use those items wherever they're needed across the website.

Why it matters: when a fee or opening time changes, you update it once and every page using that item updates automatically. There's no hunting through dozens of pages and no outdated information left behind.

The impact: people see accurate information, there are fewer "the website said…" enquiries, and your team does less manual work.

The City of Cockburn's recreation and aquatic centre, Cockburn ARC, uses Content hub to manage reusable content such as memberships, fees and promotions across its Xperience by Kentico website.

3. Publish quickly when it matters

Government communications teams often have to move fast: service disruptions, road closures, storm or bushfire updates, changes to legislation or a sudden media issue.

With Xperience by Kentico, editors can update content, preview it and publish directly from the CMS. You can also schedule content to go live, or come down, at a set time. That's useful for consultations, events, campaigns and planned service changes.

Why it matters: getting accurate information out quickly reduces confusion, takes pressure off customer service centres and helps people act on the right advice.

4. Keep approvals and governance inside the CMS

Government content often needs sign-off, and for good reason. Xperience by Kentico workflows let you set up approval steps between Draft and Published that match how your organisation works.

For example:

• A content officer drafts or updates a page.
• A communications advisor reviews it for accuracy, tone and accessibility.
• A communications manager approves and publishes it.

Workflows can apply to pages, reusable content items and emails. Team members can be notified when something is ready for their review, and they can leave comments as content moves between steps.

Role-based permissions control what each person can see, edit and publish. That means you can give more staff access to the website without losing control of what goes live.

Why it matters: approvals are clear and recorded in one place, content governance becomes part of everyday work instead of a separate process, and there's less risk of content being published before it's ready.

Related reading: Content governance: Why your website needs more than a good CMS.

5. Manage multiple websites and channels from one place

Many government organisations look after more than one website: a main site plus sites for libraries, leisure centres, tourism, events, specific programs or campaigns.

Xperience by Kentico can manage multiple website channels, as well as email and headless channels, from a single CMS.

Why it matters: your team works in one familiar system, content can be shared between sites, and governance stays consistent. You also avoid the cost and risk of maintaining several different platforms.

6. Organise content so people and AI search can find it

Xperience by Kentico gives editors control over the elements that help people and search engines understand content, including:

• Taxonomies and tags for organising content
• Page URLs
• Page titles and meta descriptions
• Image descriptions (alt text)

Why it matters: well-structured, clearly described content is easier to find in Google and AI search tools, and easier for people to navigate once they're on your website. For government websites, that means people find answers faster, without needing to call.

Related reading: 5 SEO checks every local government website should perform regularly and How local government websites can be found in AI search results.

7. Get AI help with everyday content tasks

Xperience by Kentico includes AIRA, an AI assistant built into the CMS. It's designed to help with the routine tasks that take up editors' time, such as:

• Generating image descriptions when images are uploaded
• Suggesting taxonomy tags for images
• Refining text, for example shortening it, improving grammar or adjusting tone
• Drafting content from context or a prompt
• Creating draft translations for review
• Answering questions about how to use the CMS

Why it matters: your team spends less time on repetitive tasks and more time on content quality.

8. Stay current without big rebuild projects

Older CMS platforms often lock organisations into a cycle of major version upgrades. Every few years there's a large, costly project just to stay supported, and in the meantime the platform slowly falls behind.

Xperience by Kentico is versionless. Instead of major upgrades, Kentico releases regular Xperience Refreshes, usually monthly, which bring new features, improvements and security updates.

Why it matters: your team gets access to new capabilities over time instead of waiting years for the next rebuild. Your website stays secure and supported, and budgets can go towards improving the website instead of just keeping it running.

Related reading: Xperience by Kentico: How refreshes work.

More control means more responsive communications

Each of these features solves a practical problem, but together they point to something bigger.

When communications teams can update their website confidently, people get accurate information sooner. Fewer people need to call to check details. Trust in the organisation's information grows. Your website becomes a responsive communications channel rather than a static brochure.

For government, that's what control is really about: better service for the community.

What "more control" doesn't mean

It's worth being realistic. A flexible CMS works best alongside:

• Good governance, with clear ownership, review cycles and publishing standards
• A well-designed component library, so editors have the right building blocks
• Training, so every editor feels confident using the CMS

You'll still need developers for integrations, new functionality and larger improvements. The difference is that they're no longer a bottleneck for routine content changes.

How ALYKA helps government organisations get the most from Xperience by Kentico

ALYKA designs and builds enterprise websites on Xperience by Kentico for government and community organisations. We're a Kentico partner and have been recognised as a Kentico Upgrade Expert.

Our focus is on setting teams up to be self-sufficient from launch. That includes building flexible, accessible components, configuring roles, permissions and workflows to match how your team works, and training editors.

Keep up with what's new in Xperience by Kentico

If your organisation already uses Xperience by Kentico, sign up to our monthly Xperience by Kentico Refresh newsletter. It covers what's in each new Refresh and gives details of our next Refresh session.

Considering Xperience by Kentico for your website? Start with What is Xperience by Kentico? or Is Xperience by Kentico right for me?. You're also welcome to talk to us about your website today.