Whether starting from scratch or rebuilding an existing site, our guide will help you make the most of your YaleSite. We’ll walk through the planning process, share helpful tips, and connect you with resources designed to help you build your site with confidence and ease.
Make the most of your YaleSite
Plan before you build
While diving right into the build process may be tempting, the best websites start with a plan. Think of your site build as an excellent opportunity to evaluate what’s working, identify what’s missing, and ensure your site’s structure supports users.
We recommend completing the following steps before you embark on your build.
- Define your site goals and objectives. What does success look like for your website? Be specific about your goals and determine how you’ll measure progress.
- Set your audience priorities. Who is your primary audience? What do you want them to learn and do? Prioritizing your audience’s needs is key to providing a quality user experience.
- Identify any key features or requirements. This step involves recognizing what special functionalities, such as department profiles, event calendars, or dynamic landing pages, are necessary for your site to fulfill its purpose.
- Evaluate your website content. Content is why users visit your site. A thorough assessment of your existing content is essential to achieving your goals. What stays, what goes, and what needs an update? Quality, relevance, and consistency are key factors to consider.
- Create a sitemap. A sitemap is a visual representation of your website’s structure and hierarchy. Your sitemap helps you fine-tune the organization and flow of your site and can help you identify potential issues or opportunities before you build.
Our team has prepared a robust selection of resources and community training sessions to support you in completing these steps.
We recommend taking the following trainings in the order listed below.
- Web Writing Best Practices
- Interpreting and Using Analytics Data
- Conducting a Content Audit
- Basic Principles of Information Architecture
By the end, you’ll be prepared to craft compelling web copy, understand how to evaluate your content, be empowered to make informed decisions using data and be ready to create an intuitive, user-friendly website.
We tagged the pages in this section and added Teasers, allowing us to use the View Block to create a dynamically updated landing page.
Get to know YaleSites
Did you know YaleSites offers options for curating and displaying dynamic content? Or that you can use an Action Banner or Grand Hero Block as your page’s H1?
YaleSites includes features and functionality designed to simplify building and maintaining your site. By spending time at the outset of your project to learn what’s new on YaleSites, you can use the platform’s features to your advantage, saving time and effort in the long run.
Our Getting Started with YaleSites resource will guide you in navigating the administrative interface, creating content, and performing all the basic site-building activities offered by the new YaleSites platform. We’ve even included a glossary of key terminology and concepts associated with the YaleSites platform to support users of all levels.
Getting Started with YaleSites
Learn how to navigate, create content, and perform all the basic site-building activities offered by the new YaleSites platform.
Try something new
You’ve completed your planning, spent time learning what the new platform has to offer, and now you’re ready to create your YaleSite.
When it comes time to build, you may find yourself structuring pages or selecting Blocks to match your original website without considering a new approach. For some site editors, “same” might be the ideal choice, but you can’t be sure unless you evaluate your options.
Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ I try to fight that. That’s why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise.
Grace Murray Hopper ’30 M.A., ’34 Ph.D.
Before you make a Block selection based on its similarity to your existing site, refer to your plan and consider how your choice supports your goals, objectives, and user needs. If a Block has character limits in place, consider why that might be and whether editing your copy might provide a better experience for users. What would you like your users to do next? Select a Block to help guide them along this path.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. When in doubt, create a clone of your content and adjust your Block selections. This is a great way to assess new approaches. If you’re struggling to decide between versions, share with colleagues and gather feedback on which works best.
Have fun!
As you embark on your YaleSite-building adventure, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
We can’t wait to see what you create!
