Web Publishing Best Practices

Know Your Audience

A webpage can’t be all things for all people.

Organize your information in a way that will make the most sense to your audience, even if that conflicts with the way that your office is organized.

• Who is your primary audience?
• What information do they need?
• What are the key messages you want to communicate?
• What tasks do you want them to complete?

Keep Content Current

If something on your website is obviously outdated, your audience will not trust your information.

• It’s useful to have a schedule of what you need to update, and when. Use the reminder system in SiteManager to set up automatic reminder emails.
• Review links to make sure they are valid.
• Use the SiteManager show/hide functionality to schedule visibility.

Keep it short and simple

Use headings, bulleted lists and short paragraphs.

• Headings are vital - they provide users with an idea of what’s on the page
• Easy-to-read chunks of information allow your audience can quickly scan the page
• Bulleted lists are a great way to display compact yet informative text. Bullets attract the eye when scanning and allow you outline key points concisely.

Use Concise and informational link text

When calling the user to action, use brief but meaningful link text that:

• provides some information when read out of context
• explains what the link offers
• doesn’t talk about mechanics (avoid using “click here”)
• is not a verb phrase
  NO: Tell me more about the Board of Trustees.
  YES: More about the Board of Trustees
• doesn't include the full url of a website
  (i.e.) http://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/nys-tap.html

Don’t replicate information that already exists

Think about information that might be useful to your audience, and link to it. Trying to replicate it on your site just makes more work for you! 

• Directions to campus
• Campus map
• Local accommodations, restaurants and attractions
• Hamilton Events Calendar

If you have questions about the best way to present content on your website, please contact Esena Jackson in the Office of Communications.