Starting a Website

Steps to a successful Web presence

1. Formulate a plan:
   • Gather resources for the website.
   • Determine goals and objectives.
   • Gather, outline and organize your content.
   • Develop your navigation.
2. Initiate an official website request by submitting the project request form (except student organizations and faculty). Most of the colleges have a Professional Technologist/Designer to whom we may forward the request.
   
   • Student organizations fill out the Request a Student Organization Website form.
   • Faculty fill out this Request a Faculty Website form.
     (NOTE: Steps 3, 6, 7, 8 & 9 do not apply to student organizations and faculty site requests.)
3. Attend an initial Web development meeting.
   
4. Attend CleanSlate training or watch CleanSlate Video Tutorials.
5. Create Web pages from a template and integrate content.
6. Content is entered into CleanSlate before any design work is done. “Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.” 1
7. A designer reviews your content and creates a design from it.
8. The design is reviewed by stakeholders and approved by all parties.
9. Designer builds the approved design into templates for our Content Management System.
10. Notify Digital Services or the Professional Technologist/Designer when website is ready to go live.
11. Maintain website content.
12. Stay informed of current Web standards, follow accessibility guidelines and use best practices.

Know that your website is your front door to the world 24/7/365. Content is king. It requires regular maintenance and attention. Understand that embarking on a site design or redesign will be as much work for you as it is for our staff — if not more. Our staff will work side by side with your group to create an on-brand, accessible, mobile-friendly website.