Office of Marketing and Communications

Office of Marketing and Communications

Web Best Practices

Best Practices for Links

    • For both SEO and accessibility purposes, you will want to make sure your link explains exactly what it is.
    • Most users understand hyperlinks and are using mobile devices, so the phrase "click" is now outdated. 
    • If you are trying to persuade users to fill out a form, action phrases like "Sign Up Today" and "Explore Options" tend to work better.
    • Too many links on a single page can overwhelm users.
    • When possible, try to space out links throughout the page. Keep in mind that many users are using mobile devices and this will make it easier for them to navigate.
    • Recommended by Google for SEO purposes.
    • Helps users better remember the page if they want to revisit.

  • Examples:

    • /alumni
    • /departments/biology
    • /offices/human-resources
    • /centers/faithjustice

Best Practices for Images

  • All images should be either .JPG or .PNG.
  • Max image size should be no greater than 2MB. Anything larger will cause the speed of the webpage to be slow and flagged by Google. 
  • Make sure all images have no spaces in the file name, and the file name describes what the image is along with the size of the image and year, if appropriate. An example would be “fall-2021-students-walking-3200x1600.jpg”
  • Ensure ALT tags are applied to all images. The ALT tag should be a description of what is in the image, not what it is being used for.
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1600
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x800
    • Text: Below is the max text and characters you can use if you use the maximum of both. If you use less than the maximum for one or the other, you can use more, but would need to check if the spacing exceeds the max.
      • Homepage Hero Title Text: 21 spaces including spacing
      • Sub Hero Text: 151 characters including spacing
    • Text: Below is the max text and characters you can use if you use the maximum of both. Unlike the homepage, these are both maximum. We do not recommend using description as it does not show up on mobile. This is going to be removed in the coming iterations of development.
      • Homepage Hero Title Text: 20 spaces including spacing
      • Description Text: DO NOT USE
      • Caption Text: 127 characters including spacing
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1600
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x800
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1600
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x800
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x600
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x300
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1800
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x900
    • Text: Text is flexible, but after uploading verify that you left enough space for a small desktop and tablet depending on text, bullets, CTA’s, etc.
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1800
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x900
    • Text: Text is flexible, but after uploading verify that you left enough space for a small desktop and tablet depending on text, bullets, CTA’s, etc.
    • Upload Resolution: 1440x1440
    • Max Display resolution: 720x720
    • Text: Text is flexible, but after uploading verify that you left enough space for a small desktop and tablet depending on text, bullets, CTA’s, etc.
    • Upload Resolution: 1440x1440
    • Max Display resolution: 720x720
    • Text: Text is flexible, but after uploading verify that you left enough space for a small desktop and tablet depending on text, bullets, CTA’s, etc.
    • Upload Resolution: 1440x1440
    • Max Display resolution: 720x720
    • Text: Text is flexible, but after uploading verify that you left enough space for a small desktop and tablet depending on text, bullets, CTA’s, etc.

  • Upload Resolution: 1600x900

    • Upload Resolution: 1600x2132 (16:21)
    • Max Display resolution: 800x1066
    • Upload Resolution: 1600x800 (2:1)
    • Text: Text is flexible, but after uploading verify that you left enough space for small desktop and tablet depending on text, bullets, CTA’s, etc.
    • Max Display resolution: 960x480
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1800
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x900
    • Upload Resolution: 3200x1600
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x900
    • Upload Resolution: 2300x750
    • Max Display resolution: 1600x375

Best Practices for Content

  • Avoid duplicate content within your own site. This leads to a poor user experience and Google will not include any of the pages within its search index.

    • You can run into plagiarism and copyright issues if you do not receive explicit permission from the original source.
    • Even with proper permission and citations, you will run into similar duplicate content issues from above.
    • If you want to reference an external source, we recommend including a hyperlink to the site instead.
    • Following best SEO practices, any webpage you create should include unique, rich content. 
    • If possible, avoid creating pages with thin or no content. If the topic doesn't offer much to write about, we recommend adding a new section to an existing landing or chaptered page instead.

Best Practices for Media Files

  • We recommend sharing links to PDF files as opposed to Word documents or PowerPoints. 
  • Instead of uploading a new PDF for regularly updated files, we recommend creating a public Google Drive and edit within here.
  • When creating and sharing a link to a PDF, make sure that it is set to "View" for users outside of Saint Joseph's University.
  • We do not recommend sharing any files that are deemed confidential within the University. It is best to share these files on internal platforms instead.
  • Do not share PDF files from external websites unless you receive explicit permission from the source to do so.