Whether you’re new to the University of Washington or stepping into a web role for the first time, welcome! You’re joining a vibrant, collaborative community of digital professionals who help shape how the world experiences the UW online.
This guide is your friendly companion to get oriented, find your footing, and start building great digital experiences that reflect the UW’s values, voice, and visual identity.
Diving in
Web publishing at the UW spans a wide range of platforms, tools, and responsibilities—from managing departmental websites to contributing to enterprise-level digital strategy. You don’t need to be a developer to make an impact, but you do need to understand the ecosystem.
As you get settled into your new role, you will learn more about the software and hosting that powers your website. Our resource guides may be helpful as you begin your journey:
- Web hosting options – a guide to help you make the most of the many web hosting options across campus
- UW web themes and templates – a guide to themes and templates built and/or supported by UMAC’s Web Strategy team
- Accessible templates – a good starting point if you are building your own website, without the use of a content management system such as WordPress or Drupal
- Alert banner – adding the alert banner is required for all UW hosted websites.
- Archive banner – for sites with old content that must remain live on the web, consider adding an archive banner to let your users know
- Online giving form – units that are engaged in fundraising activities can use the giving form to add the ability to collect funds from their website
- UW colors contrast table – a cross reference of accessible options for all the UW brand colors
- Common media sizes – a comprehensive list of common sizes for images used in the theme and other properties
- UW Web Checklist – developed in collaboration with UW-IT Accessible Technology Services (ATS), the checklist includes specific checkpoints for evaluating websites or web applications for accessibility, UW branding, and style
If you are using University Marketing and Communication’s WordPress theme, you will find the following helpful:
- Shortcode Cookbook – details how to use the WordPress theme’s many shortcode options
- STM Catalog – provides training on how to use our Storytelling Modules
- Common media sizes – a comprehensive list of common sizes for images used in the theme and other properties
If you are new to world of web publishing, we have many training resources available to help get you started.
Representing the brand
Your website is part of the UW’s digital front door. That means it should reflect the university’s brand in tone, design, and accessibility. Visit the Brand Portal to explore the UW’s brand. We recommend starting with the “Brand 101” guide, which will help orient you to the UW brand and provide references to the many guides and resources available.
Focus on content
Every UW website should employ thoughtful, user-centered content that draws on the University’s editorial language guide and equitable language guide. At the heart of UW’s content strategy is a commitment to understanding and serving diverse audiences.
Put the user first
The UW prides itself on our User Experience strategy of user-first design. User experience (UX) refers to how people interact with your website—from how easily they find information to how enjoyable and accessible the experience is. Good UX ensures your site is intuitive, inclusive, and aligned with user needs.
Accessibility is not optional
Accessibility is a core value at UW. All websites must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards and follow Section 508 compliance. Accessible Technology Services has many tools and resources for website builders, including a handy checklist, that you can use to evaluate and remediate your websites. If you are new to accessibility, we highly recommend you take advantage of the training courses found in Deque University. Accessibility Technology Services makes Deque University available to faculty and staff at no cost.
Analytics, SEO, and Performance
Understanding how your site performs through the use of >analytics and similar tools helps you make better decisions. We advocate for making data-informed decisions whenever and wherever possible. At the UW, we use Google Analytics as our web measurement platform and Microsoft Clarity for heatmaps and to be better understand the user experience. Finally, we use tools from Moz, Crazy Egg, and SEM Rush to better position our content through organic search engine optimization.
Connect with the Community
You’re not alone! UW has a strong network of web professionals who share knowledge and support each other.
Join us the first Thursday of the month during the academic year for Web Council, a community of UW employees involved in web work who see the value in coming together to address common web issues, including standards, best practices, templates, systems and marketing. You will find more information about Web Council on our website and sign up for the Web Council mailing list for updates and meeting notices.
There are lots of other web focused communities, including communities specifically for WordPress and Drupal users, front end technologies, and user experience.
In addition, the UW has many technology-focused communities and marketing-focused communities you can join.
Checklist for New Web Managers
If you can only do a few things, here are the top 4, can’t-miss, sites to start you on your journey here at the UW: