Use these checklists before launching your website.
Brand Dos and Don’ts Checks
More details can be found in the digital web section of the brand website.
Do
- A global header with the Cougar head logo is present.
- Accent colors are used for only borders, page dividers, and other accent elements.
- Use headings to organize content and make it easy to scan.
- Do use bold to emphasize important text
Note: Keep the number of bolded words below 6. - Buttons are used to call out important actions.
- Use only 1 style of buttons.
- Do use descriptive text for links.
Do not
- Don’t add custom logos to the global header or the website header.
- Don’t use accent colors as text color or for the background of headers, columns, and other large areas.
- Don’t use crimson or accent colors as the text color for headings.
- Don’t use underlines or text color to add text emphasis.
- Don’t use more than 3-5 buttons in a group or as a list of links.
- Don’t use the website URL for link text.
Website Setup Check
- Custom Domain is approved. (Only necessary for those requesting a custom domain.)
- Website Title (name) and tagline are correct.
Settings > General > Site Title and Tagline - Administration email is set to the main administrator of the website.
Settings > General > Administration Email Address - Contact information, which appears at the bottom of the website, is up to date.
Appearance > Customize > Contact Infomation - Social Media information is added if needed.
Appearance > Customize > WSU Social Accounts - All users on the website have completed the Digital Accessibility Assessment
- Check the Breadcrumbs.
Do the breadcrumbs show the appropriate trail of the webpage compared to the menu?
Content Check
- All published pages are necessary.
- Change pages to draft if they are not ready.
- Delete pages you do not need.
- Proofread your content.
- All pages have a page title and a Heading 1 heading. All pages in your list of Pages on your website have a Title in the Title column. There isn’t (no Tile) Title.
- All links work.
Forms Check
- Test all forms.
- For Gravity Forms: Do not use Gravity Forms to collect sensitive & protected data information.
- Do you have the correct error messages? Check the form’s error messages. Do they accurately describe the information needed?
- Check the confirmation messages and emails.
- Test All Forms
Accessibility Check
You are responsible for understanding the Digital Accessibility Core Concepts and using the Core Concepts Check Sheet to review and correct each webpage.
Note: Everyone creating or publishing digital content must take the digital accessibility assessment.
- Check all published and password-protected pages for accessibility issues and correct them.
- Use the Core Concept Check Sheet to check your content for accessibility issues.
- Use the WSUWP Gutenberg Accessibility (Accessibility & Usability panel) for a quick accessibility check.
- Use WAVE (linked at the bottom of the Accessibility & Usability Panel) for a more in-depth accessibility check.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Check
Watch our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Basics presentation for additional SEO information. Plus an SEO Basic checklist.
- Check web page URLs.
Links should follow the structure of where the page resides in the navigation. - Consider setting up redirects for web page URLs that were deleted.
- Add an excerpt to each page.
An excerpt is a description of the page, used in search engine result pages, that are less than 150 characters. By default, WordPress will use the first portion of the text on the page and truncate it if it is too long. - Set up Analytics
Ensure the website’s Google Analytics code is moved to your new website. Or, if you don’t have one, submit a web support ticket to request a Google Analytics tracking code.
Additional Resources
Export All URLs Plugin
Use the export plugin to get an inventory of your pages, posts, and other content types.
Track Missing Pages & Search Terms
Use Google Analytics to monitor missing pages (Page not Found) and search terms.