Choosing the right web platform for your content

What

Core University and corporate information for an external audience, such as prospective students, research, industry, collaborators and partners.

Where

The main University website within an existing branch, such as:

• Study
• Research
• About the University
• Academic department web branches

Why

• Externally-facing content should typically live on the main University website. There may be cases when it is not suitable.
• Hosting your content on the University website provides benefits such as:
  • Credibility through association with the University.
  • Central support for building and updating pages.
  • Visibility in the University search engine for easy discoverability.
  • Continuity of support and backup if needed.
  • Provision of an accessibility statement.

How

Use the web update request form using the ‘new content (site location not known)’ category.

What

You need to publish University-level information that is accessible to all students or staff, as well as prospective staff and students who want to learn more about working or studying at York.

Where

In most cases, this information should be on the main University website within an existing branch, such as:

• Current students, including information about:
  • study
  • student finance
  • student support
  • use University VLEs for teaching materials and module-related information.
• Current staff, such as guidance, policies and resources to support:
  • research
  • learning and teaching policies and guides
  • operational services, eg finance, payroll, health and safety, legal and much more.
• IT Services
• Library

Why

The main website is a fully supported service. The Internal Communications team can assist with:

• Adding signposting to relevant pages
• Updating existing staff and student content as needed.

How 

• Contact the Internal Communications team via commmunications-support@york.ac.uk or
• Use the web update request form, selecting the ‘new content - site location not known’  category.

Other things to consider

• For some content, we might recommend a different platform such as the wiki (staff-only) or Google Sites, depending on the content's nature and shelf life.
• If your content is project-based and time-sensitive with regular updates, consider whether blogs would be more appropriate.
• The main website is the default choice, but there are cases where there would be exceptions due to bespoke technical or functionality requirements.

What

You need to provide teaching and module-related materials to students, such as:

• lecture slides, seminar preparation and workshop tasks
• pre-recorded video content
• assigned readings
• practice quizzes and assessment information.

Where

It is University policy that all teaching materials are provided through your module VLE site. We use:

• Learn VLE (Blackboard) for campus-based programmes
• Canvas VLE for York Online programmes.

Use the VLE site to:

• provide all teaching materials within the template provided
• embed Panopto videos recorded by University staff
• link to assigned readings via the Leganto Reading List.

Why

Using these tools:

• gives students a consistent experience across their modules
• meets accessibility and copyright requirements
• integrates with University systems such as SITS and the Timetable, helping to manage access and content automatically
• allows multiple staff members to access and edit the same site
• ensures content is retained even if a staff member leaves or changes role.

How

Find out more about these VLE tools, including how to access them and user guides:

• Learn VLE (Blackboard) - campus-based programmes
• Canvas VLE - York Online programmes
• Panopto - for pre-recorded videos
• Leganto - for reading lists.

What

You want to create some simple web pages to convey information to current students, rather than for marketing purposes. This could include department-specific information, resources and signposting such as:

• department handbooks
• study skills and academic support
• wellbeing and pastoral care.

Where

• Use Google Sites via your University of York Google account (with signposting from the department branch of the website).
• Use University VLEs for teaching materials and module-related information.
• Due to licensing restrictions, the wiki is not permitted for internal content aimed at students.

Why

• Google Sites is easy to use with quick setup and instant publishing.
• It integrates well with other Google Workspace tools, eg you can easily embed Google Docs or Google Maps on your pages.
• Several editors can log in with a University username and password or a Google account if not based within the University.
• You can transfer ownership should you leave the University or change roles.

Example

• Health Sciences

How

Find out more about Google Sites.

Other things to consider 

• Regardless of the platform, a content governance and quality assurance plan will help keep content updated and ensure old content is deleted when no longer required.
• Review the key features of our core platforms to learn more about the features, benefits and constraints.

What

You want to create some simple web pages to convey information rather than for marketing purposes for staff, such as:

• internal processes and documentation
• internal project pages
• archive material.

Where

Use the wiki as your main content home, pointing to documents in Google Drive as appropriate.

Why

• Collaborative editing: Pages can be edited by individuals or teams.
• Instant publishing: Changes are published immediately and you can publish individual pages while leaving others in draft form (Google Sites publishes the entire site each time).
• Access control: Create areas accessible to all staff or restrict access to specific teams, departments, or project groups.
• Update notifications: Users can ‘watch’ a page or project for updates and see when the page was last modified.
• Blog functionality: Easily add an integrated news feed for updates.
• Additional features: Includes macros for sortable tables, visual timelines, and more.

Exception

If people outside the University need editing access, use Google Sites.

Examples

• Marketing and communications guidance and support
• A sample committee or project wiki

How 

Find out more about the wiki.

What

Your research project or conference is hosted by or primarily involves the University of York. You don’t have any bespoke technical or branding requirements.

Options

The main University website in the relevant department or centre’s branch.

• Why:
  • It is suitable if you only need a few pages that will be updated infrequently.
  • Hosting your content on the University website provides benefits such as:
    • Credibility through association with the University.
    • Central support for building and updating pages.
    • Visibility in the University search engine for easy discoverability.
    • Continuity of support and backup if needed.
    • Provision of an accessibility statement.
• Examples:
  • Annual Learning and Teaching Conference
  • Equitable Technology Laboratory
  • The Northern Way
• How: Use the web update request form using the ‘new content (site location not known)’ category.

A public-facing blog on our blog platform, blogs.york.ac.uk (powered by WordPress).

• Why:
  • You need to publish regular updates about the project to an external audience.
• Example:
  • Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre blog
• How: Request a new blog using the WordPress blog request form and Communications will set it up for you.

What

Your project or conference has specific funding or partners, which means the pages cannot use York-branded templates. You may also have needs that the main website doesn’t offer.

Options

A paid web design service if budget is available.

• Why: You have bespoke functionality and/or design requirements.
• Examples:
  • White Rose University Consortium
  • Connecting People
  • CML Research
  • WOLFE Workshop
• How:
  • Contact a web design service like Design and Print Solutions to discuss requirements. They offer services including building the site, hosting and maintenance.
  • IT Services can provide in-house hosting for sites with specific technical requirements.

Google Sites if no budget is available (via your University of York Google account).

• Why:
  • Your content is straightforward and doesn’t require extensive design or branding.It’s useful when restricting editing and viewing to specific University groups, eg project teams and where external collaborators need editing access.
• How: Find out more about Google Sites.

Other things to consider

• External sites created outside the main website can go wrong or be left unsupported. It's difficult for Communications to help when things are built outside our systems.
• Consider the lifespan of your site and content. Who will maintain it? How will outdated content be handled?
• For paid services, you’ll also need to plan for ongoing maintenance and hosting costs.

What

You need to publish documents that require either restricted access for specific groups of people or public availability.

Where 

Use a Shared Drive in Google Drive with the correct access settings for recipients (not a personal Google Drive).

Why 

While this is not a method for publishing web pages, it can complement web content or emails. For example, you can link to minutes in Google Drive instead of uploading documents to the main website's Media Library.

How 

Google Drive and Google Docs are provided as standard to all University members as part of account registration and training and support are available. Ensure your document has the correct permission options set up.

What

You need to provide interactive online training materials to current staff or students.

Options

Xerte (e-learning authoring tool)

• Why:
  • This platform has been specifically designed to host interactive training materials.
  • It includes University-branded templates and support is available from the Digital Education Team (DET).
• Examples:
  • York Strengths reflection tool
  • CMS training
• How:
  • Find out more about Xerte including how to request an account.

Google Slides or Google Forms

• Why:
  • These are best for simple interactive training resources and have good accessibility features.
  • They can also be downloaded and used offline.
• Examples:
  • Google Docs and Drive training
  • Inclusive learning
• How:
  • Find out more about Google Workspace.

Other things to consider

• After building your training in Xerte, you can export or host your training on platforms such as the Learning Management System (LMS) or the VLE. You’ll also need to promote the training directly via other communication channels.
• Consider the Skills Guides on the LibGuides platform for publishing or sharing open, non-department-specific skills training materials. To discuss possibilities, contact the Digital skills team (via IT Services).

What

You need a free and quick way of creating simple web pages with collaborators within or outside the University, particularly students. Your content is straightforward, doesn’t require extensive design or branding and has low maintenance requirements.

Where

Use Google Sites via your University of York Google account.

Why

• Google Sites is easy to use with quick setup and instant publishing.
• It integrates well with other Google Workspace tools, eg you can easily embed Google Docs or Google Maps on your pages.
• Several editors can log in with a University username and password or a Google account if not based within the University.
• You can transfer ownership should you leave the University or change roles.

How 

Find out more about Google Sites.

Other things to consider

• We don’t recommend using external hosting providers for these, as they can expire or be hard to access if the original admin leaves the University.
• While platforms like Facebook and Instagram are good for sharing event information and updates about student societies, they should not be your only online presence. It’s important to maintain a web presence with core information that points to your social channels where appropriate.

What

You want to create a simple blog, such as for a project. You want a way to share frequent updates about your project with stakeholders and/or colleagues.

Options

A public-facing blog via our blog platform 

• Why:
  • The blog platform blogs.york.ac.uk (powered by WordPress) allows for easy setup and it’s straightforward to create and manage posts.
  • While we offer limited support beyond the initial setup, there is plenty of online help (wordpress.com) available.
• Examples:
  • Communications blog
  • Digital Accessibility Unit
• How: Request a new blog using the WordPress blog request form and Communications will set it up for you.

An internal blog via a wiki space

• Why: Using a wiki for internal blogs is a convenient way to share announcements, status reports, or other timely information with those who have access.
• How: Find out how to create blog posts in the wiki.

What

You’d like to add value to a significant story or event or you have a standalone story to tell. You have high-quality images and/or graphics to enhance the narrative.

Where

Timely articles about significant core developments may be suited to Shorthand, provided appropriate visuals are available. 

Why 

• Shorthand content will complement information on the University website and be linked from there.
• You have a campaign planned to drive people to your content and a clear ‘call to action’ for the end of the article to guide readers to related content.

Examples

• University Strategy launch
• Our shortlisting announcement for the Times Higher Educations’ University of the Year award
• Environmental Sustainability Academy launch
• The Life and Death of Thomas Hobbes

Other things to consider

• This format shouldn’t require regular edits or large amounts of text or information.
• It shouldn’t include core/important information that needs to be easily discoverable; such content should be on the main website.

How

Shorthand features are usually only available for stories published in close collaboration with colleagues in Communications or OPPA who already use the platform.

We have a limited number of user licences available and a maximum number of stories we can publish, so this is a platform reserved for our most impactful and strategic stories.