For units without a dedicated webmaster, the USU IT Web Team offers the option of a monthly web support agreement.
Comparison of Services
By default, USU units have self-service web support. With a service agreement, units receive expanded web support.
What IT Web Team Provides
- Answer phone calls with questions about using the CMS
- Answer emails to itweb@usu.edu with questions or issues that arise in the CMS within 24 hours
- Provide training for editors on how to use the CMS
- Ensure that the website is up and visible to the public
- At the request of the unit:
- Make updates to the footer, top navigation, and USU header*
- Set up limited access sections of the site* (internally for editing purposes, or for public visibility)
- Add tags that are applied to a folder* (e.g. for a news folder or special function folder utilizing tags); staff editors can do this themselves but they have to do it one page at a time, our team can set tags at the folder level
- Provide analytics reports for unit review
*we edit these pieces of the website because they are easily broken, or because users outside our team do not have access to make these updates
Unit Responsibility
- Cost for staff time to maintain the unit website
- Ensure that USU accessibility guidelines are maintained (e.g. all videos professionally captioned, meaningful alt text for images, properly nested headers, etc.)
- Ensure that the USU template guidelines are followed
- Ensure website is functional on mobile screen sizes
- Ensure that content is kept current and relevant to the website audience, including removing content that is out-of-date and no longer needed, fixing broken links, etc.
- Add pages and sections as needed
- Stay current on available features in the CMS
- Properly size images for use (both for the space and optimizing page load times); and properly setting them up with alt text for accessibility
- Utilize SEO features in the CMS to optimize search engine results
- Review and address content issues utilizing analytics data as needed
What IT Web Team Provides
For the cost of a monthly support agreement, IT Web provides hands-on support in the following areas:
Expanded Support Team
Instead of 1-2 part-time website editors, you get:
- Dedicated, priority support of full-time staff members and student staff members (not just another request, unit requests are a priority)
- ALL content edits and updates are made by IT Web Team staff
- Regular check-ins (August, November, April) with unit staff to review needs and make plans for adjustments and additions based on unit needs
- Dedicated communication channels to contact IT Web Team; includes emergency contact numbers if an issue arises after business hours and can’t wait until the next business day
- Sufficient staffing to meet support commitments
Time & Cost Savings
- Reduced cost for staff time to manage unit website(s)
- Respond within two hours, during business hours, to make adjustments to website content as directed by unit staff
- Photo cropping and web optimization
- Proactively reach out about dated content
- Take unit content and develop new pages/sections at the direction of the unit
Technical & Design Expertise
- UX design for page layout and site organization
- Search engine optimization (SEO) features are fully-utilized
- Adjustments for multiple screen sizes
- Use of website analytics to make adjustments based on data
- Expanded features
- Website accessibility compliance
- Template compliance based on latest updates from USU Webmaster
Unit Responsibility
- Monthly cost for support agreement
- Content to be updated/added (e.g. text, photos, dates/deadlines, etc.)
Common Questions: What You Need to Know
Answers to our most common questions when units consider transitioning to full web support.
What units does the IT Web Team currently serve with full web support?
- Office of Research
- Caine College of the Arts
- Institute for Land, Water & Air
- Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Office of the Provost & Chief Academic Officer
- Finance & Administrative Services
Why consider full web support?
There are many reasons to consider a full web support contract with the USU IT Web Team. Here are a few highlights:
- Instead of having 1-2 people who are able to make updates to your website, you have a team of 8-10 people available.
- Instead of having “the website” as one of many things on a staff member's plate, you can take this off and spend more time focused on strategic content improvements.
- Instead of just “maintaining the status quo” since you don’t have time to dive into a redesign, you have a team to back you up to make usability improvements while you strategically focus on your audience needs.
- If the university requirements for accessibility or template change, it will be our responsibility to ensure that your website stays up-to-date with those requirements.
- Experience! Our team has over 25 years of combined web design and development experience at your disposal.
Can I still edit my website directly?
Not directly. All edits are managed by the IT Web Team. That means you simply call, email, or Slack us with what you need updated.
Why can’t I make edits to my website directly?
The service agreement with IT Web Team means we are committing to provide the highest level of accessible, template-compliant support. The more hands involved, the more issues arise. By having our team handle all edits, you gain significant advantages:
- We’re faster at making edits and updates since we do this day in and day out
- We have additional tools that aren’t available to content editors
- We can actually expand the features you can have on your website because we do the editing with even the trickiest code
What if website editing has been a primary focus of my job?
In great news, your content expertise and connections remain critical to your organization and now become more strategic, rather than operational in nature. By having our team handle your updates, you can focus on improving content, working on those “wouldn’t it be nice if” projects, and elevating the services your office provides.
What if I have a change that needs to be made right away?
Call us or email the direct web support email with the words URGENT in the subject line! You even have our personal cell phones for after hours and weekend emergencies.
My request is really complicated, how can you help?
We can meet with you via Zoom or in person to go over what you have in mind, then we work on making the needed updates. We’ll even mock up some options as needed for you to review.
My team is thinking of some revisions we’d like to make, when should we contact your team?
As soon as you are ready! We can be part of your planning to discuss how to approach your audience, ways to present the material for your audience, and resources that may also be needed to provide the content. Including us early in the process gives you an advantage in bringing your vision to life.
If you were a regular webmaster, you’d be in contact all the time, and/or located in our office, how do you address that?
We reach out to meet with you at least three times a year to review your site and your plans (generally in August, November and April). We also review your content for dated material and set up notifications for us to reach out for updates in those areas. You are also welcome to reach out whenever you’ve got a project, an issue, or a question and we’ll work to address it then! If you tell us you’ve got plans, but aren’t going to be ready for a while, we’ll even make note of that and check back in then to see if you’re ready to chat.
How does marketing work into this service?
We work closely with any unit marketing staff to take the vision for the unit into the web realm for cross-over campaigns and branding. They just don’t have to be the ones editing that vision into life on the web.
What if I need to upload a file to the website?
Simply use one of our contact methods and provide the file (or link to the file in Box) and page where it should reside and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll even look at ways to streamline the process so your audience doesn’t have to redo their bookmarks when you make annual or periodic updates to recurring content.
So what isn’t included with this level of support?
We support your websites in Omni CMS, including simple integrations with USU systems like the USU calendar. External systems like USU Calendar updates, resident portals, hotel reservation systems, card financial management, and custom coded special projects, are not part of the support contract. However, we know who to talk to about many of these services (if they live outside unit teams) and are happy to assist with making the right connections. If you need custom functionality, we will start by trying to find you an out-of-the-box solution or other university resources that are already available and then discuss options available as cost-recovery from our team if needed.
If we choose full web support, where do we begin?
First steps once a service agreement is signed include:
- Communicating with current website editors
- Website access updates
- Setting up all needed kick-off meetings