SU Web Help

Developers of web sites should incorporate the user's perspective into every aspect of web site development: content, design, navigation, technology, and site management. Web developers need to plan their web sites to allow for maximum exposure of content with minimal effort by the user.

The following general steps will help guide your process:

1. Define your audience(s) and goals.
2. Perform competitive analysis of comparable sites; look at functionality and design components that may be appropriate for your site.
3. Develop the information architecture (blueprint) for your web site. Make sure this blueprint is well-organized and easy to navigate.
4. Create or review your content. Check for quality and accuracy. Remember that any content you include MUST stay current at all times.
5. Develop design concepts, navigation and graphics
6. Review Section 508 guidelines for building an accessible site, and make every effort to follow these guidelines. (see below for more information)
7. Build navigation and overall page structure (a template or wireframe) using test content as a placeholder.
8. Test web site on both Mac and PC platforms using various browsers. Be sure to test in at least Internet Explorer, Netscape and Firefox.
9. Test your website for accessibility.
10. Run a spelling and grammer check on all content. Insert content into site, and review.
11. Launch

Naming your Web site

The domain name for Syracuse University is syr.edu. The most common convention for naming web sites is to create a subdomain name that ends in syr.edu. For example: department.syr.edu. Subdomain names should be short and memorable. To register a name contact the hostmaster@syr.edu with your requested name and the IP address of the server hosting the web site.

Design issues

Always strive to design your pages for all types of Web users, and to provide trouble-free access to the widest possible audience.

Page layout and graphics should be consistent on all pages. Use of stylesheets is highly recommended and will make maintenance much easier. Keep in mind that exceptionally large graphics allow less space for content and can increase download time. Large top banners can be sliced into 3 images to decrease download time.

Generally, gif files should be used for artwork and jpg files for photographs. Compress images to decrease load time. Include the width and height of the image in the image tag to speed up loading of the image. Larger images can be sliced and then displayed together in divs using Cascading Style Sheets. For more information on CSS, visit the CSS resources section. Alternatively, a large image can be displayed as a small thumbnail image that is linked to another page with the full-sized graphic. Use ALT tags with your images for those with graphics turned off.

Be sure to consider accessibility in your design and development phases. Some visitors to your site may be color blind, using screen-reader software, text-to-voice or Braille displays, etc.

Content Issues

Develop an architecture diagram for the information flow of the site taking into account how the user will navigate through the site. Determine the organizational structure that will best meet the needs of all your audiences and allows them to find information quickly.

The most important information should be on the main pages of your site. Additionally, on each individual page, the most important information should be at the top. State the conclusion in the topic sentence and then add details to support it.

People do not read Web texts the same way they read print. The majority of users scan text and do not read from beginning to end. Content should be concise, scannable, and clearly understandable to an international audience. To increase the scannability of your pages, use bulleted lists and emphasize key words by using colored text, highlighting, and hypertext. Subheadings can be broken down into sub-subheadings.

Information on your web site should always be current. Users become frustrated by outdated information, especially when they are using your site as their primary tool for information gathering. If you cannot keep your content updated and reliable, it should not be posted on the Web. Similarly, make sure to spell check and proof-read your documents before posting.

Avoid using Syracuse University acronyms and jargon that are unfamiliar to people outside the University or your field of study. Organization of information and information flow should not be based on department structure.

Development issues

When coding SU web sites, developers should adhere to current W3C web standards. Following these standards will reduce the cost of development while increasing the accessibility and longevity of any site published on the Web. Need convincing? Read What are web standards, and why should I use them?

Run your Web pages through a validator to test their compliance with common HTML (HyperText Markup Language) specifications.

Use cascading stylesheets to control the look and feel of your site.

Don't forget accessibility.

There are many free tools to help you test for accessibility including:

• WebExact
• Step 508
• Web Developer add-on for Firefox
  A step-by-step guide can be found here.
• Firebug add-on for Firefox
• 456 Berea St. has posted a good reader-friendly article on the topic

Additional links can be found on our resources page.

Be sure to check regularly for broken links.