Web Content Strategy

Roger Williams University Web Content StrategyĀ Ā 

Effective web content is focused on one main goal: helping users get the answers and information they need to take the actions you want them to take. These actions might include prospective students applying to 91ŗ£½ĒĀŅĀ×, current students succeeding in their courses, faculty and staff being effective in their jobs, and the public supporting and engaging with the University. 

This information is based on research, industry best practices, and testing.  

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of increasing the number of visitors to a website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine. The easier it is for a user to navigate around a website the easier it is for search engines to index the siteā€™s content for better search results.

Driving traffic, increasing brand awareness, and creating and maintaining relevant content, all goals of 91ŗ£½ĒĀŅĀ×.edu, can be achieved through SEO. The tips and guidelines provided below will benefit the siteā€™s SEO and usability.

Accessibility Compliance 

To make the website accessible to everyone, including those with visual, physical, and cognitive disabilities, we are constantly implementing and enforcing the guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortiumā€™s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative. Since maintaining rwu.edu is a community effort, we depend on our campus partners to help us remain compliant. 

Web Accessibility Training

Mobile-Friendly Content 

Mobile usage is increasing consistently and about half of traffic that 91ŗ£½ĒĀŅĀ×.edu receives is from mobile devices. Below are tips to make your content more welcoming to your mobile audience: 

  • Use short paragraphs that are easier for mobile users to digest. 
  • Limit the number of pages you create. Both mobile and desktop users are more likely to scroll to the bottom of a page rather than go to a separate page. 
  • Make use of images and subheadings to draw users to the content they seek
  • Keep video length in mind. Mobile users are less likely to watch long videos.

Page Titles 

When creating a page title, be descriptive, yet concise, while avoiding any vague language: 

  • Use keywords in your page title that are specific to your audience. Put yourself in the shoes of someone that is searching for your content, what keywords might they enter into the search field?  
  • Keep in mind that Google will only display the first 60 characters of a pageā€™s title in search results. Keep your page title short.
  • Be aware that page titles will be seen on mobile devices and on social media posts so the length and clear, concise messaging is especially important. 
  • Each page on our websites must have a distinct title. Be specific.
  • Changing page titles could change the pageā€™s URL, which could cause various implications. Please let our Web Management team know if you need to change a page title. 

Copy 

Make your web copy stand out by finding a happy medium between being brief and simple while also being descriptive and engaging: 

  • Use keywords that resonate with your audience, especially in intro text. 
  • Write copy at an 8th grade or below reading level
  • Long paragraphs should be broken into smaller ones so it is easier for users to digest your content. 
  • Make use of subheadings, captions, expandable sections (ā€œaccordionsā€), lists, bullet points, and block quotes to make it easier for users to read your copy. 
  • Start with Heading 2 for the main subheadings on your site, then make their subheadings Heading 3, etc. It is important for accessibility purposes to follow this order. 
  • Use the bullets, numbered lists, and table features built into the Drupal editor. Do not paste in your own bullet points or tables for accessibility purposes.
  • Bold any keywords or phrases that you want your users to read or focus on, but avoid italics and underlining. 
  • Keep the most important information toward the top half of the page where more of the thorough reading occurs. 
  • Make use of the intro text box to provide a synopsis of the page. It will answer the question of ā€œWhy is this content relevantā€ and provides a sneak peak of what users will find below. 

Links  

The proper usage of links is not only important for SEO, but for users and the overall professionalism of your content. The quantity and quality of your links helps determine how important Google thinks your site is. Tips to keep in mind include: 

  • Regularly test your links to ensure they are not broken and are up-to-date. 
  • Avoid linking to paywall websites, which require users to pay to subscribe before accessing content. 
  •  Do not set links to open in new tabs or windows
  •  Do not use the words ā€œclick hereā€ or ā€œlearn moreā€ as your link text. Not only is this outdated and bad for SEO, it is not an accessible practice. Make sure users can identify the destination of links from the linked text.
  • Avoid linking to PDF files or Word Documents to communicate information. Use links to these files only when necessary. 

Images

Images make web pages engaging, catch users' attention, and communicate information. Be mindful of accessibility when adding images to the website. 

  • Give image files relevant names before uploading. Do not use spaces in image names. For example, name an image ā€œstudent-on-shell-pathā€ rather than ā€œImage 1ā€ 
  • All images must have alternative text implemented. This text should be specific enough to understand the information the image conveys. If the image has text on it then that text must also be included in the alternative text field so screen readers will be able to pick it up. 
  • Do not upload images containing text that cannot be easily replicated in alternative text. This information will be inaccessible to people using screen readers.
  • Size images before uploading. Be mindful of making images on the same page the same size or sizes. 
  • You may resize a large image to make it smaller, but a small image made larger is likely to be blurry.

Video

Video is made accessible through the inclusion of accurate captions and descriptive transcripts. 

  • Ensure that all videos have accurate captions available. Edit automatically generated captions to ensure accuracy. 
  • Keep video length in mind. Users are less likely to watch long videos.
  • Include descriptive transcripts for all video
    • Best process for creating transcripts:
      • Upload completed video to video hosting provider
      • Edit the automatically generated captions
      • Download a text file of the captions
      • Paste those captions into a document and add descriptions of the videos visuals
      • Export to PDF and make accessible before linking to it
    • Best practices for editing  transcripts:
      • Identify and distinguish different speakers using distinct colors, names, and styles
      • Include information about tone and delivery in brackets when appropriate
      • Include information about relevant background sounds in brackets when appropriate
      • As long as the meaning of the audio isnā€™t changed, you can edit out things like ā€œums,ā€ repeat words, etc.
      • Add descriptions of the visuals of the scenes of the video ā€“ answer the questions of who is doing what and where

Questions?

If you have any questions, or if you would like assistance in building your rwu.edu or law.rwu.edu webpages, please contact Web Production Manager Anna Cohen at webmaster@rwu.edu.