Introduction

A New Website Request should be submitted to the Digital Operations Group (DOG) by the staff member who will be website owner, or a staff member with permission from the website owner.

Before any request is submitted, the website owner must have permission from their respective department. For example, if the website is for a research project, and the research project is linked to a School, the School Manager can provide permission for the request. 

The Process

Step 1: Ensure the appropriate member of staff completes and submits the 'New Website Request' form. It is very important that all of the relevant information is provided, with particular emphasis on which staff member will own the website and who will be creating and editing the content for the website.

Please note: It is a mandatory requirement for website content editors to have completed the self-paced Web CMS training package before being allowed to use the live system.

Step 2: While you are waiting to hear back from the DOG in relation to your new website request, please download our 'New Website Checklist' below. This is a very useful resource, that will help university staff understand the requirements and considerations involved with the website life-cycle, from governance to go live. We recommend that staff begin working through the checklist as soon as possible to understand requirements, make use of resources, and prepare any notes or questions they might have in the advance of meeting with a member of the Web Support Team (WST).

Step 3: The New Website Request submission will be discussed by members of the DOG at the next scheduled meeting. Members will review the submission details and agree a course of action.

Step 4: A member of the DOG will be in contact to advise on the outcome of the submission, or in some circumstances, if more information is required, request a meeting with the member of staff who submitted the request.

Step 5: A member of the WST will work with the website owners / editors to set up a website structure in the Web CMS. The website owners / editors are responsible for building accessible website content, whilst ensuring that the assets used are sourced responsibly and appropriate permissions obtained.

Step 6: The website owner / editor is required to complete the 'Website Content Accessibility Review' checklist to confirm that the content in the new website adheres to accessibility requirements. Then they can request that the website is published live by logging a support ticket via the IT Service Desk.

When logging a ticket with the IT Service Desk:
In the Summary field add the text 'FAO: Web Support Team - Website Publish Request.'
In the Description field, please provide the name of the website, when you would like the website to go live, and confirmation that you have submitted the Website Content Accessibility Checklist.

Following the completion of the above steps, the newly published website will be added to the DOG's Website Lifecycle records, and the website owner will be contacted two years after the go live date, so that the status of the website can be verified.