Why are university websites so hard to keep up to date?
Because changing a page often means going through IT or a developer. The content team is blocked, so the site drifts from what the university actually offers. Picture a department that updates a program page every August: the edits go to a developer's queue behind a dozen other requests, the new page goes live in October, and in the meantime applicants read last year's curriculum. Updates pile up behind a single point of contact, and the site ages between releases.
What do accessibility rules require of a university website?
For US public institutions, the Department of Justice's ADA Title II rule requires web content to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with compliance phased in by the size of the population the institution serves. Check the date that applies to you on ada.gov. In practice that covers things a content team touches daily: images need alt text, videos need captions, color contrast has to be sufficient, and a page has to work with a keyboard and a screen reader. WCAG 2.1 AA is the international benchmark, so it's the right target wherever the institution is.
What should a university CMS let editors do?
Let the communications or marketing team publish without a developer. A good CMS gives editors ready-made blocks and templates so they can:
- Build and update pages from ready-made blocks
- Publish bilingual pages without a developer
- Stay within templates that keep each page accessible
- Keep program pages, news and events current as they change
When accessibility lives in the templates, an editor who adds an image is prompted for alt text and can't ship a heading out of order, so the site stays compliant as it grows instead of drifting out of it between audits.
Accessibility also decides how many prospective students can actually use the site. One that works with a screen reader, carries captions and reads clearly on a phone reaches people a cluttered site shuts out, including the ones deciding where to apply. Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA and keeping the site current turn out to be the same job, because an accessible template only helps while the content inside it stays up to date.
How does the website connect to the student system?
Through integrations, so the site isn't an island. Program pages, calendars and forms can pull from or push to the systems the university runs, so an application form on the site drops straight into the admissions flow instead of a spreadsheet, and an event added once shows up everywhere it should. Automation keeps content and data in sync instead of being retyped by hand. RunMyProcess builds the site and the CMS and supports them, so the work keeps serving you after launch.
It also helps to decide who owns what. When each page has a clear editor and the templates enforce the rules, the communications team can let departments update their own pages without the site falling out of style or out of compliance. Ownership plus guardrails is what keeps a large university site current without a single bottleneck holding up every change.
If your site waits on a developer for every change, list the ten pages your team most needs to edit, and start there. We can review those with you and build a site your own team runs.
Keep reading: Workflow automation in higher education · IT service management for higher education
