Web Strategy

The University of Michigan-Flint website is more than the university’s most important marketing and communications tool. Online, it is the University of Michigan-Flint.

Consequently, how our website is viewed by prospective students, parents, and educational colleagues within the region and around the world is how they will judge the University of Michigan-Flint.

It is not an exaggeration to say that our website is more of a “front door” and generates more first impressions than the physical campus itself.

The quality of its content, structure, and functionality communicate a great deal about UM-Flint’s quality, capabilities, culture, and commitment to innovation.

Consulting

University Relations offers audits on university site structures, content, and layouts. This process is very content-oriented, meaning that content must be analyzed for consistency and accuracy prior to any consideration of aesthetic improvement. Content is what users go to websites for and that is why University Relations takes the "Content is King" approach.

Website consulting includes:

• Content analysis
• Proposed site maps and navigation structure
• Recommendations on layout
• Overview of Google Analytics

The CMS currently offers tested and approved templates for the use of department sites. Manipulation of these templates is strongly discouraged, as it puts the template in jeopardy of non-compliance with governmental polices and industry standards. Designs and redesigns are taken on case-by-case.

Value In Web Standards

University Relations is a strong advocate for web standards as proposed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Standards Project. Along with these groups, University Relations closely follows Section 508 Standards as stated in the Rehabilitation Act 1978 as it pertains to internet information and applications.

Standards compliance allows:

• Users with special needs to use websites more effectively
• Better search engine optimization (SEO)
• Faster load times for users with slower internet connections
• The separating of structure, aesthetics, and functionality, making template modifications easier
• Forwards and backwards compatibility that "gracefully degrades"