From .com to .gov: Raritan Township Elevates Website Credibility to RaritanTwpNJ.Gov
RARITAN TWP., N.J. (Hunterdon County) — The Township of Raritan recently applied for and was granted a .gov domain to enhance the municipality’s credibility, trust, and provide clarity of purpose. The township website’s new address is https://www.raritantwpnj.gov/.
Originally using a .com domain (https://www.raritan-township.com/), the Township’s Administration Office reevaluated its online presence since anyone can register for a .com, .org, or .us domain. This can make it hard for the public to know if the people maintaining a website is genuine. .Gov domains are different because they’re available to U.S.-based government organizations (federal, state, and local) only.
Township Administrator Karen Gilbert said: “Our website and My Raritan Township mobile app are our main sources where we transmit important information to our residents. For our website to now have the .gov domain consistent with our employees’ email domains is a venture that adds an exclusive level of protection and peace of mind for our residents.”
Nick Chow, the communications coordinator for Raritan Township, added that it should be easy for the public to identify government agencies on the internet, especially at the municipal level:
“Our residents and the public should have confidence that any online Township communication is authentic. In our ongoing efforts to solidify our online presence, receiving the authorization to use a .gov domain is a significant step that Raritan Township and our residents can only benefit from.”
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the federal agency that manages the .gov top-level domain, verifies the identity of everyone who requests a .gov domain. CISA requires applicants and their organization to not only meet certain criteria for having a .gov domain, but also provide evidentiary proof they are truly registering on behalf of legitimate local, county, or state governments.
Among several benefits, the Township’s new .gov domain allows for:
- Enhanced Public Service: Fulfills primary mission of serving the public by providing a clear and trusted channel for accessing government services, information, and resources;
- Improved Visibility: Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing along with online directories often prioritize .gov websites in search results, leading to better visibility and easier access for users searching for government-related information and services; and
- Protection from Impersonation: Government organizations are attractive targets for impersonation and phishing attempts. By using a .gov domain, the organization can reduce the risk of fraudulent websites attempting to impersonate official government sources, which can harm the public and the organization’s reputation.
The migration process has not affected any emails sent to raritantwpnj.gov addresses.
###
Disclaimer: Any external weblinks connected through the Raritan Township (hereinafter “Township”) website, the “My Raritan Township” mobile application, and any communication medium that officially represents the Township as a government entity, are provided as a convenience for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Township of any product, service or opinion of the associated corporations, organizations or individuals. The Township bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Inquiries related to the external site and its content must be directed to the point-of-contact of the external site.
-30-
Press Contact: