Whether you are a first-time visitor or you have used our previous site this page should help you find what you are looking for. For information about using the site with a screen reader, text-only browser or using only the keyboard please visit our Accessiblity page.
Navigation
You will see a series of tabs towards the top of every page. These tabs allow you to view the content and sections of the site in different ways, depending on how you prefer to seach for information and services. On most pages you will also find local navigation options in the menu on the left-hand side of the page.
- Home
From the home page you can easily use the site search, access the quick links (on the right-hand side of the screen), view the latest news and site updates or click on the other main tabs. - Site Directory
All the information and services grouped into categories. Each category is then broken down further into sections. This allows you to easily browse through the directory until you find what you are looking for. - A-Z Index
Alphabetical index of all the major section and pages on the site, including alternative titles. You can then select any letter to change the list as appropriate (A is selected automatically when you click on the tab). - Local Information
Map and postcode search to help you find information, such as local councillor or scholols, for a particular area. - Who I Am
Information grouped by the type of person or audience, for example resident, parent or older person. This can help if you are looking for a selection of information that is particularly relevant to you. - Do It Online
Direct links to lists of online and downloadable forms, online services and site updates as well as general information about the site, such as this help page. - Contact Us
How to contact the Council whether you wish to do so electronically, over the phone, by post or in person at a Council office.
Searching
Every page on the site has a search box. On the home page you will find this towards the top-right of the page, just below the tabs. On all other pages the search box is on the left-hand side of the page, in it's own distinctive box.
To search the site simply type what you are looking for into the text box and click on the Search button. Results will be displayed with the most relevant at the top of the list. If you can't see what you are looking for make sure you haven't made a spelling mistake. The search will make suggestions if it looks like this might be the case. More guidance on searching.
Other Features
- Title Bar
If you are looking at an information page (like this one) you will see four features on the right-hand side of the title bar (on this page this has a bue sweep with the title "Help"). These allow you to print the page in a suitable format, email a page link to a friend, add the page to your list of favourites and fill in a feedback form. - Related Links
Most pages have a panel on the right-hand side which lists related links. These are links to other pages on the site which are related in some way to the page you are on. If the page you are looking at doesn't have quite what you are looking for try the related links instead. - External Links
Most pages also have a panel on the right-hand side which lists external links. These are links to other websites which provide additional or related information to the page you are on.
File Downloads
Most of the files which are available to download from the site are provided in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. To view these files you will need to have the Acrobat Reader software. You can download this from Adobe's website.
You should be aware that some of the files on the site are large and may take some time to download over a standard phone internet connection. To help you, we always display the file size beside the file link. As a general rule, a 500 kb file will take about 2 minutes to download using a 56k modem connection.
Further Information
If you have any questions or are having problems using the site please email the details to webmaster@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.
