Getting Started

The purpose of a web site is to share relevant, timely information online to a specific group of users. It is important to focus on the needs of your audience first. Your web site should simply connect your users to the information they need quickly.

Ask "Why do I need a web page?"

​Before submitting a request for a new website or drafting content, you should first answer these questions:
  • What are your primary goals? What are you looking to accomplish?
  • How will your web site benefit the CPS organization?
  • How will your web site benefit your target audience?

Identify your audience

Your audience, whether it be parents or students or community groups, will likely have specific interests. Your web content should address those interests. Before drafting content, you should first answer these questions:
  • Who is your primary audience?
  • What are their needs or primary goals?
  • How will your site and web content help your audience achieve its goals?

Start small

Before submitting a request for a new website or drafting content, you should first answer these questions:
  • Beginning with a single web page
  • Identifying key points or topics
  • Building additional pages only when you've outgrown a single page
  • Click here for a website audit template to help organize your site. (Make a copy of the spreadsheet to add your information.)

Expectations

CPS.edu is the main public web presence for the school district. In order to help maintain relevance and accuracy of content CPS.edu, departments need to actively partner with the Department of Communications and ITS Web Services.

Public-facing web content should be on CPS.edu

To help the district communicate with a unified voice, departments are encouraged to partner with Communications and Web Services to publish content on CPS.edu rather than build a separate website.

Departments will identify two resources responsible for updating web content

These web content owners will periodically review content, submit updates through our demand management tool, and serve as your department contacts for Communications and Web Services.

Departments will generate their own content

Departments have the responsibility to generate their web content. Content should be original (i.e. not borrowed without citation), and images should come with license or ownership (i.e. not pulled randomly from the internet). Web Services can assist in gathering of licensed photos or images.

Departments must review content every 30 days

Regular content reviews will help prevent old information from accumulating on CPS.edu, and help departments maintain ownership even when updates are not required.

Departments will submit requests 1-2 weeks before expected publish date

Web Services attempts to complete all requests within our target SLA for web content updates. However, request backlogs sometimes prevent us from meeting aggressive publish dates. Departments are encouraged to submit content update requests well in advance of the expected publish date.

Roles & Responsibilities

ITS Web Services, along with the Office of Communications, will be an active partner in helping you maintain your CPS.edu web presence. However, some services that fall outside the CPS.edu development life cycle are not provided by Web Services.

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Services we provide

  • Publishing and updating content on CPS.edu
  • Guidance on page design and content layout
  • Creation of short CPS.edu web links
  • Web guidelines, standards for the CPS district

Services we do not provide ​

  • Drafting of website content
  • Support for third party websites
  • Hosting of advertisements on web sites