It’s time to start packing up your department’s Web site for the migration to Jadu. As with any physical move, you should only bring along what’s important: Why box up that VCR you haven’t used in three years? Similarly, we need to identify old or useless content that doesn’t need to make the trip to our new CMS. Here are some questions to ask when assessing your site:
Is any information on your site inaccurate, outdated or
redundant?
If so, please correct or update it! We want to make sure that site visitors are viewing current, accurate content.
What content is extraneous?
Are all of your pages really necessary? Do they need to be so
text-heavy? Does a page highlight an important piece of
information, or does it simply deal with a topic or issue that is
better addressed elsewhere on your site? Are you making the same point in multiple
paragraphs? If so, you don't want to move that page (or portion of
a page) to Jadu and you should consider deleting it now within
Ektron.
Can a visitor effectively navigate your site?
Pretend you're seeing the site for the first time. Explore. Try to
accomplish some basic tasks that pertain to your department: For
instance, where do I learn about course requirements for the major,
or how do I apply for a fellowship? Do you get lost anywhere?
Determine how you can correct it. Do you need to add or remove
information in order for the user journey to make sense? Are you
directing to any broken links? If so, update them!
Is that picture or video the best illustration for this
particular topic?
As the cliché goes, pictures are worth a thousand words. Which
makes pictures a great alternative to blocks of text on the Web;
however, you want to make sure you're showing the right pictures.
Do we see the old compass rose in any of your images? Do people's
clothing indicate this photo was snapped in 1986? And, most
importantly, does the picture or video make sense in this
particular context? Captions may be the solution, but if your
page's body text is clear (brief and non-academic speak), its
connection to the picture or video will be as well. One other
element to consider is image size: Is a photo too small to see
well, or is it so large that it pushes text off the screen when you
open the page?
Does this content have value?
You may have added a page about a symposium two years ago, but is
the story or information about that event still relevant or
engaging today? Is the welcome message on your department landing
page vibrant and does it truly reflect what the academic
experience in your department is like? The Office of Marketing & Communications can help you rework that messaging if you'd like assistance.
A storytelling tip
Identify what makes your department
distinctive from the same department at other institutions. Do
faculty approach teaching in a different way? Is there greater
opportunity for students to be published or present at conferences?
Do you offer a unique field experience? These distinctive elements
are your marketing talking points; you want to tout them widely, and you want to
build your pages around them. Avoid descriptions that make your
department sound like any other department at any other school.
As you assess your site, remember that marketing & communications' online marketing team
is here to assist you. We can provide traffic analytics if you'd
like to gain a better understanding of where visitors are engaging,
and we help you rework your site navigation or page presentation.
For more information, please visit the Web Site Refresh page or
contact Director of Online Marketing Max Pearlstein or
Assistant Director Whitney Marshall.