Websites are one of our most powerful and versatile communications platforms. They offer an opportunity to reach your broadest audience, and they're often a chance to make a first impression to them. To be effective, they need to be intuitive, engaging and accessible.
Here are a few things to consider when creating your own website:
Build it into your budget: A custom website can cost in the tens of thousands to design and build, in addition to the ongoing costs of code maintenance and feature improvements.
Inclusion extends to digital: Public institutions are legally required to be digitally accessible, meaning all websites must accommodate visual, auditory, physical and other disabilities.
You get what you pay for: The quality of how your website was built impacts your search rankings. Poorly built or maintained websites may be flagged as spam by Google's algorithm.
Add style to substance: Strong, user-centered design is critical to a successful site - 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or general layout is unattractive.
UCSF provides many resources to help you create and manage a high-quality website. Here you'll find:
- Step-by-step instructions for establishing a website at UCSF
- Branding requirements for all UCSF websites
- Policies to ensure that all sites are accessible, secure and properly using the UCSF name
- Information about UCSF Site Builder, a flexible Drupal template for creating most websites
- Tutorials for using Site Builder and its predecessor, the Starter Kit
- Development guidelines for those creating a custom website
- Examples of successful websites at UCSF to inspire your work
- The latest news and announcements related to UCSF websites
UCSF Site Builder
Need a new website? UCSF offers a free, Drupal-based template that comes with a host of attractive features, including the ability to integrate with UCSF's events calendar, faculty and researcher profiles and news content.
This entire site was made with the UCSF Site Builder. Check out our showcase for other examples.