Purpose
William Woods University' s Web Standards exist to promote standardized branding and usability across the university's web pages, and to show the university in an extremely positive light, making use of the technology available to us.
who is responsible...
All main pages of the web site and all pages that are linked directly off of the main page will be maintained by the Marketing & University Relations Office.
Individual department/office web pages, will be maintained by an assigned individual or individuals in the department/office, but will be expected to adhere to the same standards set by the Marketing & University Relations staff. Each department will be expected to keep the content of their pages accurate and current and will need to provide updates such as news, events, etc. relevant to that department.
Updating the website
Our website is visited thousands of times a week. So it’s extremely important for each department and the rest of the website development staff to keep it updated!
As a higher education institution it is important that we know who we are targeting when we update our website. People want to be able to find information quickly and that information should be concise and appropriate to each page. Information should be updated as often as possible. People will not come back to a website where they have repeatedly read the same text and seen the same pictures.
Writing for the web
People often do not read the content fully the first time they see it, people will scan the page looking for key words or phrases that pertain to their needs. If they find information that is useful, they will take the time to read it in full.
It is important that we help the person find what they are looking for as quickly as possible. You can do this by:
- using short sentences or shorter paragraphs
- subheadings
- putting key words in “Bold or Italic” font
- using bullet points and numbered lists
Make sure and use active words in headings to motivate you reader. Remember to write from the readers viewpoint, and remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Super Simple).
Some general tips to think about when writing for the web:
- Don’t have every piece of content competing for the reader’s attention. When everything stands out, nothing does.
- Decide on a hierarchy.
- Avoid excessive scrolling where possible. When topics change, consider