Websites are external facing and are primarily tools to promote the University and its excellence. They are intended for recruitment and retention purposes. Having the relevant information and resources pertinent to students helps to foster these goals.
While there are resources available for faculty and staff on York’s websites, websites are not intended to be a faculty or staff resource. YU Link is the University’s ‘intranet,’ and it is where resources intended for faculty and staff are housed.
All York’s websites follow the guidelines found on the Digital Experience Hub. Usage and guidelines as to which module to use for what content as well as all other resources and guidelines were provided to the York community when the new branding and website strategies were launched.
Background
All LA&PS websites had to be approved by Communications & Public Affairs (C&PA/Central Communications) before they were launched, to ensure they followed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Once AODA is followed, all individuals can have the same/similar experience when accessing department sites. In addition, websites must be Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enabled to enhance search results (Google search). Tagging and taxonomy have been added to each page to improve searchability as part of the digital strategy. Also, all content must be copyright cleared.
In our old environment, before the new websites were launched, we had hundreds of sites and thousands of pages that were not maintained or used or ever clicked on. Content was primarily made up of faculty resources instead of recruitment content for students; all student-focused content had almost disappeared.
In alignment with our priorities around recruitment and retention, we now have 31 websites instead of 130. The sites are maintained with up-to-date information, which are in line with York University standards and AODA compliant, and content is now more relevant and student-focused.
Annual Reviews and Updates
The Communications team conducts an annual review of websites. The team has developed a resource website where department editors can access tools to help them edit their websites. In addition, a very detailed training program has been created which includes videos and screenshots that explains in a methodical way how to edit web pages.
Departments can always reach out either to lapscoms@yorku.ca or complete the form and get the assistance they need to request updates, major restructuring, new pages, provide suggestions or request a meeting to discuss how to bring new content or ideas into the current website and how it would fit within the existing content.