Objective

To provide CAHNR departments, units, and programs with professional website design services using the University’s approved platform, Aurora/Cynder WordPress. This SOP will serve to 1) confirm the responsibilities of the CAHNR Office of Communications and the CAHNR unit requesting services; 2) determine the scope of services to be provided; 3) and establish the standard process for scheduling, coordinating, and executing website design, and for creating and launching the designed website to ensure deliverables meet the standards of the CAHNR Office of Communications and the desired outcomes of the CAHNR unit requesting service.

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Scope

This SOP applies to all website design services provided by CAHNR’s Office of Communications. These standards apply to all CAHNR web properties, including academic department, program, office, center/institute, and faculty lab sites.

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Domain Naming Conventions

Academic Department Sites

Domains will use top-level addresses without acronyms, supporting both best practices in search engine optimization and improved usability. If a department name is too long for practical use, an alternative will be identified in consultation with CAHNR Communications and University Communications for approval.
Note: Colleges with longer titles such as CLAS and CAHNR have been granted exceptions allowing acronym use (e.g., cahnr.uconn.edu).

Program and Office Sites

All program and office sites will use the domain format office.cahnr.uconn.edu or their home department, as they are not allowed to have a top-level domain. If a program/office name is too long for practical use, an alternative will be identified in consultation with CAHNR Communications and University Communications for approval.
Example: businessoffice.cahnr.uconn.edu

Faculty Lab Sites

All faculty lab sites will use the domain format lab.cahnr.uconn.edu as they are not allowed a top-level domain. This ensures brevity, consistency, and compliance with technical limitations on character length.

Faculty may choose one of two options for their domain naming:

Option 1: PI Name-Based Domain
Ensures continued relevance even if the PI’s research focus evolves. Does not require additional University Communications approval.
Example: namelab.cahnr.uconn.edu.

Option 2: Research Area-Based Domain
Highlights the PI’s specific area of study or research focus. Requires additional review and approval by University Communications.
Example: forestecologylab.cahnr.uconn.edu.

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Brand Guidelines and Content/Design Norms

All CAHNR websites will comply with the College’s brand guidelines. Many of these standards are automatically implemented within Aurora/Cynder, the University’s approved web platform. Please visit CAHNR Communications website for brand guidelines and resources.

Sites must also align with CAHNR’s content and design norms, which establish consistent organization, navigation, messaging, and layout on key areas of marketing importance. Adherence to these norms helps visitors find information easily and ensures that CAHNR’s digital presence reflects the professionalism of its community.

Certain sections of the site are considered “high priority” for marketing and recruitment purposes. These sections should rely on the uniform CAHNR layout, unless discussed and approved by CAHNR Communications. High priority sections include:

• Undergraduate program pages
• Graduate program pages
• Sections of institutional priority as identified by the dean and/or department head

Departments should also consult CAHNR Communications before making changes to highly visible sections of their sites, including:

• Homepages
• Landing or hub pages
• Academic program pages

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Site Development Process for New/Redesigned Sites

CAHNR Communications serves as the primary liaison with University Communications and Information Technology Services (ITS) on website projects. This includes submitting requests for draft sites, site launches, and major updates to ensure CAHNR Communications has access and can assist CAHNR web managers.

CAHNR Communications ensures that all sites meet UConn brand standards and federally mandated accessibility requirements at the time of site launch. Department web managers are responsible for maintaining ongoing compliance post-launch. Departments should reach out to CAHNR Communications if they require ongoing web management support. CAHNR Communications also remains available to assist department web managers with questions, guidance, and support for developing new sections or initiatives within their managed sites.

Extension Websites

The standards above apply to all academic and research-related CAHNR sites. All Extension website questions/projects should be directed to UConn Extension Communications. CAHNR Communications and UConn Extension Communications will collaborate as needed on joint web projects.

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Timeline

The CAHNR Office of Communications will respond to a request for website design services within three (3) business days upon receipt of the project submission form. The designed website will be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time that is acceptable to both the Requestor and the CAHNR Office of Communications. The timeline for delivery will depend on the desired outcomes and the scale of the project.

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Deliverables

The Graphic/Web Designer will design a professional website using University branding standards on the approved platform, Aurora/Cynder WordPress.