The university website must follow certain standards and guidelines. Some of these guidelines relate to web accessibility and are required by law.
The redesign site has a list of helpful reminders for content editors. You can read the full list here, but I wanted to point out a few that may be especially helpful. As we review sites and make updates, we frequently come across content issues that have to be corrected. If you follow these guidelines, you will be making your site much more user-friendly for everyone.
- Every piece of content must have a purpose – this is one of the most important things to remember.
- Do not recreate the wheel. Instead of copying and pasting another site’s content onto your site, link to the original source of information. For example, you should link to Record’s page on how to register for classes, instead of copying and pasting that content onto your site.
- Headings cannot be used for decoration and styling. Incorrect use of headings is an accessibility issue.
- Do not use non-descriptive link prompts such as “Click here.” This does not provide enough context for users and is an accessibility issue. Instead, provide context for the link. For example, use “Visit Admissions to schedule a campus tour” with schedule a campus tour as the link.
- Do not post the full URL as text, since these URLs will be read aloud by screen readers. Instead, you should link the descriptive words or phrases. For example, use “Learn more about our biology degree requirements” with biology degree requirements as the link.
- Do not upload images with excessive text on them. This is an accessibility issue.
- Do not upload flyers. Flyers are for a bulletin board – not for your website.