SUU Web Page Requirements
This page outlines the Web page requirements for the following SUU units:
Colleges, schools, departments, divisions, administrative offices, and committees.
1. Title
Every page must have a title. Titles are the main text in Google search results, so they must be accurate and helpful in identifying what the page is about. Examples:
- Home | Admissions Office | SUU
- Contact Us | Financial Aid | SUU
- Staff Directory | Accounting Services | SUU
The title will automatically have the department and " | SUU" appended to whatever is entered into the title field in Cascade.
Including Keywords in titles can help your page perform better in search results.
Test Your Title and Description
2. Description
Every page must have a public meta description in the description field. The description is what appears in Google search results and it is used to help with placement in search results, so make sure it accurately describes the page and contains keywords. Don't just copy the title.
- 1-2 sentences
- 20-25 words or about 200 characters
Include keywords/keyword phrases in your meta description.
Test Your Title and Description
3. Accessibility Law
Because SUU is a public university, all web pages must be compliant with the WCAG accessibility standards. This means that some types of content (such as infographics and flash-based media) are not allowed without special considerations.
- Put alt text on all of your site's images. The alt text should describe what the image contains so that someone who can't see the image will still receive the same information as someone who can.
- If your image has too much information to fit comfortably in the alt text, it shouldn't be an image. Put the information in your page content instead.
- Do not use "click here" or "available here" or "read more" as link text. Links should make sense even without needing the surrounding text.
- Do not put URLs directly into page content. Use proper link text.
Web Services will work with department liaisons to make sure site content is accessible to everyone. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions.
4. Standard Template
Every page must have the standard SUU banner at the top of the page and the standard SUU footer at the bottom. Every page must use the SUU CSS to have a consistent appearance for links, buttons, navigation, and every other standard page element.
SUU Websites Outside of suu.edu
Please discuss your site's needs with us before creating an external site. There are additional rules and expectations to follow before creating an external site for official university resources.
- The state of Utah has official rules regarding what kind of domain extensions can be used by government entities.
- New domains must be approved by Web Services, Marketing Communication, and IT Operations.
- External domains needs to be managed by the IT Hostmaster so that the university can recover the site if needed.
- The site is expected to be professional, follow SUU's branding standards, and meet accessibility laws/standards.
- The site will need to be approved by Web Services and Marketing Communication before it is shared with the public.
- Do not use free hosting websites to host any web content for official SUU web programs/organizations.
- Do not pay for hosting or web development services on a university purchasing card without discussing with Web Services and the Purchasing Office whether this is an appropriate university purchase.
If your organization's website needs special functionality, we will work with you to determine if it can be hosted on the main SUU website or if there is another option.
Tracking Pixels
SUU Web Services will only include one tracking pixel from the major social media networks on the website for advertising purposes. The Marketing Communication office is primarily responsible for advertising. SUU Units wishing to run advertising should work with Marketing Communication on creative and messaging to maintain consistency with the university's messaging.
UTM Tracking
Any department that is paying for advertising, should coordinate with Web Services and Marketing Communication on the implementation of UTM tracking parameters so we can measure the efficacy of promoting a web link and the traffic it brings into the site.
Writing Style
All Southern Utah University colleges, departments and employees are encouraged to adhere to SUU's Editorial Style Guide in order to ensure the consistency of messages coming from the University.
Web Services may be required to update web content to conform with the style guide.