Vendor Guide: Websites
Remember these important steps if an agency or freelancer is building your site.
We encourage School of Medicine groups to build their websites in the WashU Web Theme, our free and secure website platform, complete with training, documentation, and ongoing upgrades and support.
You may also choose to work with an outside vendor. To receive free hosting on WashU IT’s servers, websites must be built by an approved vendor in the WashU Web Theme (as required by the Washington University server policy). If you hire an approved vendor to work on a WashU Web Theme site, our office can assist with providing them access to the platform.
If you plan to use a vendor:
As early as possible, tell us you’re looking for a vendor.
Our team can help you:
- Select and work with a vendor. We maintain a list of agencies, freelancers and other vendors that are familiar with the school’s and our partners’ requirements and missions.
- Identify all requirements up front. This will help you avoid paying for additional work later.*
Before launching your site, send any work created by the vendor to WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications for review. It’s also helpful to keep us looped in throughout the process so there are no surprises when it’s time to launch. Our goal is to help you get a quality product that meets (or exceeds!) the university’s standards.
Logo requirement
All School of Medicine websites should include an official digital logo at the top left of every page. The logo should link to the corresponding website: Washington University School of Medicine or Washington University Physicians.
*If you might hire a vendor to build a site outside of the WashU Web Theme, bear in mind the costs of both initial build and ongoing maintenance. Project costs may include discovery, design, development, writing and testing, as well as ongoing website hosting and updates to keep up with changing browsers, platforms, security needs and web practices. If the website is not built using a content management system (which would allow your team to update the content in-house), you may also need to pay for ongoing updates to the text and photography. Suffice to say, it’s complicated. We can help you make sure it’s all in the contract.
ALL WEBSITE RESOURCES
Acronym Guide
Decode the many, many lettered abbreviations for the centers, offices, degrees and buildings of WashU Med.
Editorial Style Guide
Check the official styles for abbreviations, punctuation, citations, titles and more.
Media Release/Consent Forms: Photos, Video, Audio & Testimonials
Showing or quoting non-WashU people gives your message perspective. Here’s how to get permission.
Social Media Graphics
Use these profile and banner templates to give your social accounts a professional edge.
Social Media Guide
If you get social on behalf of the school, get to know the school’s and the university’s social media policies.
Visual Brand Guide
Your group’s story is part of the WashU brand! Use this guide to help build and benefit from our national reputation.