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California State University, Chico

Website Strategy

Chico State has kicked off a comprehensive web project as a strategic investment in the University’s long-term success and enrollment growth.

Key Components

  • website redesign - graphical elements and fonts used on web pages will reflect the university rebrand more closely. High-level pages first, then academic colleges, then the rest.
  • site slimming - reducing 17,000+ web pages down to 2,000–4,000 pages.
  • content strategy - a process that ensures quality assurance and that the number of pages remains manageable after site slimming.
  • training - best practices will be developed and individuals responsible for the maintenance of web content will be trained on the new process.

Problems to Solve

The website redesign and strategy is being developed to solve these problems:

  • it's difficult to navigate the website
  • Google search results can be hard to use and contain outdated information
  • major inconsistencies exist across websites
  • unprofessional-looking pages are diminishing the brand image
  • we are not optimizing the website in a strategic way because the maintenance of a decade-plus of bloat requires too much time and energy.

Consequently, the Chico State website is underperforming as a marketing tool to attract prospective students and is not serving current students, staff, and faculty as well as it should.

FAQs

Web Services is working with unit and division leadership to schedule project engagement. A dean or MPP will communicate to their team to notify scheduled areas of what to expect at the beginning of the process.

Web Services will not delete any content without making prior arrangements with the responsible area.

All active site maintainers will retain access to Cascade and their current sites. Changes in site access (ex: I moved from one department to another and need access to a different site) are reviewed against our updated standards.

Web Services has entered a cool-down period for Cascade training. Don’t plan on training new site maintainers if you already have folks with access. We have ended Cascade training opportunities for older sites. If you need support with site maintenance, please use our Web Support ticket. Our services are now free of charge.

Yes, PDFs can be added to a web page through a Content Update or Workflow request. Clearly describe where the PDF should go on the page, then attach the PDF to your ticket. Attach your PDF via the Attachment section.

PDFs for Workflow Requests
Send the PDF on Teams or via email (webservices@csuchico.edu) in addition to clear instructions in the Workflow requests. Content Contributors do not have access to upload PDFs on their own. That step is completed by Web Services after accessibility compliance review. It may be a cleaner experience to use the Content Update ticket for these types of requests.

Is turnaround time impacted by PDFs?
Yes, in many cases a PDF can increase how long it takes for a ticket to be completed. This is because Web Services is required to review and remediate all PDF documents to ensure accessibility compliance before publishing to the website. We will contact you to let you know additional time is needed. 

PDFs that are short and less complex, may not extend the turnaround time much at all. 

Video Walkthrough
Watch our short video (no audio) to see what a Content Update request with PDF document might look like.

Accessibility Compliance
Disability support and accommodation is a significant component of the CSU’s academic mission. We are required to be in continual compliance with the federal and state disability laws. For this reason, we cannot upload inaccessible content to any campus website—this includes inaccessible PDFs, uncaptioned videos, or graphics with insufficient contrast, among other things.

Student sitting at a desk with their computer

Tools for New Sites

  1. Migration Guide
    Get ready to transition by checking off some or all of the tasks in our helpful list. You might be able to move sooner than you think.
  2. URL Tips and Tricks
    Review some easy strategies for navigating the new site structure and the longer URLs in our handy document. 

After Hand-Off

Continuing the Conversation About Your Web Content

Migrating pages to our new template is both a technical and editorial process. Our team reviews hundreds of pages, prioritizing high-impact content for more detailed attention. Some elements—like wording, image choices, or layout order—might be decisions made for efficiency, not intention.

That means your feedback is essential. You’re welcome to suggest changes to improve accuracy, clarity, or aesthetics. We’re happy to explain choices we did make—and we’re just as happy to adjust areas where we didn’t have time to be as thoughtful. Let’s collaborate to make your content shine.

Terminology

Let’s get on the same page! This section outlines the names the web team often uses when describing certain Chico State pages.

  • Department Page

    College and Department Pages

    College and Department pages help students explore the resources, activities, people, and details that give Chico State its unique personal touch.

  • Program Page

    Program Pages

    The 200+ academic program pages referenced in the top nav as Majors and Programs. The goal of these pages is to provide a consistent at-a-glance browsing experience for prospective students exploring academic programs.

  • Catalog Page

    Catalog Pages

    The catalog is the source of truth for the courses and requirements of each academic program.

  • Directory Page

    Directory Pages

    Connected to the PeopleSoft database, the Campus Directory is the official location for contact and background information of Chico State faculty and staff.

Helpful Resources

Contact Web Services

If you have feedback or questions, we'd love to hear them. Please reach out to us and share your thoughts.

Location: Meriam Library 002
Phone: 530-898-4316
Email: webservices@csuchico.edu