What you need to know to use Sites at Penn State for official Penn State websites
What is an official Penn State website?
An official Penn State website includes “all public webpages presenting official University information and are directly related to University business or academic activities.”
It does not include:
- personal websites or blogs of students, faculty, and staff; Canvas pages, intranets, or websites of student organizations; or
- websites that are not an official Penn State organization but instead communicate the work of a consortium or other multi-party organization of which Penn State is a part.
Critical Requirements
Accessibility
Anyone creating and publishing content on a website must consider accessibility at all times (See Policy AD69).
April 24, 2026 Deadline
The Department of Justice Rule “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities” was published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024. Penn State is included in the ruling, which requires all official websites to be accessible according to WCAG 2.1 Level AAguidelines by the compliance deadline of April 24, 2026.
Accessibility Checklist
The IT Accessibility Group provides guidelines and best practices to ensure WordPress websites and online documents are usable for those with various disabilities. Before you hit Publish, ask yourself: Is your content accessible? Do your images have ALT tags? Is your link text descriptive? Are your tables properly coded? Are your headings in sequential order? Are your PDFs accessible? Do your videos have adequate captioning?
Recommended Training
It is strongly encouraged to complete the “Introduction to Accessibility” and the “Accessibility Testing and Review of Websites” courses available in the Accessibility Learning Path Canvas Catalog
Branding
Visual identity is the most essential element of the Penn State brand. All official Penn State websites require diligent use of the standards and requirements for Penn State’s identity(See Policy AD54).
Penn State Branding
Visit the Penn State Brand Book for design essentials, including visual identity, colors, fonts, and photography. Penn State marks, color palettes, photography guidelines, font guidelines, graphic patterns, PowerPoint and video templates, zoom backgrounds, and wallpaper are also available as downloadable resources.
University Brand Review (UBR)
As of 2024, all marketing materials, including all websites representing official Penn State units, are required to be reviewed and assigned a UBR number. Your unit’s UBR representative must certify that your website is in compliance with Penn State’s policies, most notably accessibility and brand guidelines.
Domain Requests
Domain names ending in psu.edu are limited to official Penn State websites. You will be required to be in compliance with branding and accessibility before being allocated a psu.edu URL. Please get in touch with the Penn State IT Service Desk for a domain request.
Resources & Recommendations
Design
Photography
You may use Penn State’s official photo repository, Canto (registration required) for the latest collection of brand photography, approved for all marketing communications. Strategic Communications’ downloadable photography resources include additional photography guidelines, tips, and tutorials. (See also the photo, video, audio consent form.)
Penn State Themes
You may have noticed that the previously available Penn State branded themes, Divi for PSU, Genesis for PSU, and Twenty Twelve for PSU, have been deprecated and are no longer available. These themes did not adhere to the latest Penn State branding guidelines. Therefore, it is recommended that you shift to the parent theme (Twenty Twelve, Divi) and add the proper Penn State branding according to the Brand Guide. By doing so, your website will align with the latest branding guidelines and ensure a consistent and professional appearance.
Web Design Services
This service does not provide custom web design. It is self-serve and offers customizable themes for creating a Penn State-branded website. For-fee web design services may be available through departments such as Multimedia and Print Center and WPSU Creative Services. Contact these services directly from their website(s).
Content
Penn State’s websites are expected to adhere to the highest quality standards and properly reflect Penn State’s image and stature. Please refer to the Brand Book and the UBR Process.
Writing for the Web
One should follow certain conventions when writing for the web. Making your content easy to understand and user-friendly can also help you rank higher on search engines. Here are some tips to help you create effective web content:
- Refer to Penn State’s Brand Book for Voice and Tone and Expression and follow The Chicago Manual of Style.
- Use plain language and avoid using an overly formal tone, technical terms, or jargon.
- Make sure your writing is clear and human.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize your content.
- Use shorter sentences and bullet points, and avoid long paragraphs.
- Use relevant keywords to help your content appear in search engine results.
- Repeat your keywords sparingly, as this can hurt your search rankings. You don’t need to repeat “Penn State” multiple times on a single page.
- Make sure your page title and URL contain your keywords. Use lowercase and dashes between words in the URL.
There’s a great talk about copy from the HighEdWeb conference. To access it, simply create an account and confirm that you are part of Penn State’s institutional membership.
Content Quality
When creating content for a website:
- Determine if the content idea directly supports a user need or business goal.
- Ensure the user needs are evidence-based, not assumptions.
- Consider if the content is evergreen and not duplicative or redundant. Will it go out of date quickly? Will it be difficult to maintain?
- Evaluate if the content owner has the necessary skills, especially regarding accessibility and inclusivity.
- Determine who is responsible for the content beyond launch and who has overall responsibility for the website.
- Ask yourself if the content idea introduces unnecessary risks. Are there issues with using images legally? Have you included attribution?
Another great resource from the HighEdWeb award-winning presentation, What’s standing between you and a more usable website? Five minutes.is a 5-Minute Page Check rubric.
Support
CampusPress provides 24/7 technical support for WordPress, including technical issues and themes/plugins. Use the Support Form on CampusPress’s website or email contact@campuspress.com. This will start a support ticket with CampusPress.
