The URLs of 51ΑΤΖζ subsites play an important role in clearly communicating the topic of the subsite in a way that users, search engines and AI systems can easily understand.

Subsite URLs, also referred to as subsite slugs in WordPress, should consist of concise, recognizable words separated by hyphens and be topic-based rather than the name of an organizational unit.

Descriptive keywords help both people and automated systems better understand the subject of a subsite.

Examples

• uwm.edu/housing
• uwm.edu/undergraduate-research

Acronyms in URLs

Acronyms may be used only when they are widely recognized, for example, HR, IT and FAFSA. Avoid internal or unfamiliar acronyms that may not be understood by users or AI systems.

Examples

• uwm.edu/hr
• uwm.edu/fafsa

A content lifecycle helps clearly communicate the intent and current state of content across the 51ΑΤΖζ website. By standardizing how and when post statuses are used, we reduce confusion, improve collaboration and make it easier to manage content over time.

Content on 51ΑΤΖζ’s website moves through a lifecycle from draft to publication and, in some cases, eventual removal. Post statuses indicate where content is in that process. Post statuses apply to pages, posts, and other supported content types, including people profiles, academic program pages and events.

Post Statuses

* Will be available in early 2026

Post Status Additions

In early 2026, 51ΑΤΖζ will add the following post statuses to the standard WordPress list of post statuses:

• Temporarily Offline
• Retired

These statuses provide clearer alternatives to using Draft or Pending for content that is no longer publicly available. Using Temporarily Offline and Retired makes it easier to understand a piece of content’s current state and its place in the overall content lifecycle.

Why Outdated Content Is a Problem

The 51ΑΤΖζ.edu website exists to provide current and future students with timely, relevant, and accurate information. Using a website as an archive for outdated contentβ€”such as old news, events, or inactive programsβ€”clutters the website, undermines credibility, and makes it harder for visitors to find what they need. It reduces search engine performance by wasting crawl budget and making it harder for search engines to highlight current, high-quality pages. It also slows down the website and increases hosting and maintenance costs.

Purpose of the Retention Policy

A clear retention policy for news and events improves the student experience and strengthens how our university is represented online. For students, the website becomes easier to navigate and more relevant by eliminating outdated news stories and past events from search results and website navigation. For the university, the policy helps us manage our website more strategically. It reduces digital clutter, improves website performance, lowers hosting costs, and supports search engine optimization (SEO) by focusing search engines on our most relevant and up-to-date content. It also aligns with Universities of Wisconsin records retention policy and helps web editors manage content more efficiently across hundreds of subsites.

News and Events Retention Schedule

Archiving

51ΑΤΖζ Libraries Archives relies on the for most of the 51ΑΤΖζ.edu website, which preserves the content indefinitely while relieving 51ΑΤΖζ employees from the task of manually archiving their website contents. Web editors can check their subsite content on the Wayback Machine as needed to verify that it is crawling their content. If it is not being crawled effectively, web editors can contact the 51ΑΤΖζ Libraries Archives for further guidance.

Units may choose to keep an additional archive of their website content beyond what is captured in the Wayback Machine. If they do, the archive must be stored in a campus-supported service. We strongly recommend using a service tied to the unit rather than an individual employee. This ensures the archive is not lost if an employee leaves and their IT account is deleted. For example, use a Microsoft 365 SharePoint site instead of an employee’s OneDrive folder.

Retention Extensions

Some news and events may warrant longer retention due to lasting institutional value or compliance requirements. To be approved for retention beyond the standard two-year period, the news or event must add substantial value to the institution. The extension process allows web editors to request retention on a per-post basis, while supporting a focused, up-to-date, and student-centered website.

Once a retention extension request is approved, the post can be kept live on the 51ΑΤΖζ.edu website for an additional two years before another retention extension request is required. 

News and events of institutional value that are foundational or transformational and that are intended to be kept on the 51ΑΤΖζ.edu website indefinitely should be incorporated into an about Page or History page.

Categories of News & Events That May Qualify for Extended Retention

Definition of β€œMajor” for Extended Retention

For the purposes of the news and events retention, β€œmajor” refers to content with institution-wide significance, long-term impact, or external accountability requirements. News items that may qualify for retention beyond the standard retention period include those that:

• Document events or decisions with institution-wide significance (e.g., the appointment of a new chancellor, creation of a new academic unit). 
• Reflect long-term initiatives or changes with lasting effects across multiple years (e.g., development and implementation of a strategic plan, major construction or reorganization efforts, a multi-year partnership agreement).
• Are required for accreditation, compliance, audits, grants, or legal obligations.
• Contribute to the university’s institutional history, public accountability, or reputation (e.g., national recognition, crisis communications, major advocacy efforts).

Routine news, including announcements of past events, departmental updates, internal communications, or localized achievements, do not meet the definition of major and should follow the standard retention schedule.

Related Guidance

• Digital Accessibility for Web Content
• Digital Accessibility for Web Content Training (On Demand)
• Archiving
• Archived Content Notice

To ensure an inclusive experience for all who visit 51ΑΤΖζ’s website in alignment with 51ΑΤΖζ’s guiding values and compliance with applicable laws, all content presented on the 51ΑΤΖζ website must align with the following guidelines.

Reduce Complexity

• Avoid jargon, idioms, and overly complex phrasing. Write in plain language that all users can understand. 
• Break up long blocks of text for better readability.
• Use lists to make content easier to scan and process.
• Spell out acronyms the first time they appear to ensure clarity.
• Avoid using all capital letters for text, which can be difficult to read and may be misinterpreted by screen readers.
• Ensure consistent and predictable navigation and layout.

Links

• Use meaningful link text that describes the link destination and make sense when read out of context. Avoid generic or vague link labels, such as “Click here,” “Learn more” or “Details”.
• Provide alternative (alt) text for linked images to describe the link’s purpose, for example, “Apply for scholarships” instead of “Scholarship image”.
• Indicate file types in link labels, for example, “Download the 51ΑΤΖζ Viewbook (PDF)”.
• Avoid words like β€œview” or β€œsee” in link labels. Instead, use clear and descriptive labels that provide meaningful context for all users, for example, β€œAbout our services” or β€œExplore our services”.

Lists

• Use proper list markup so that screen readers can effectively announce lists and the number of items in a list.
• Do not manually format lists by using dashes, asterisks or paragraph text. Always use proper HTML list elements.
• Use lists to break up large blocks of text, which makes content easier to scan and process.

Headings

• Use proper HTML heading elements to structure content, which screen readers rely on to provide an outline of the content. Do not use bold paragraph text.
• Use the six heading levels (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 and H6) in the correct order. Do not skip heading levels for visual purposes.
• The page title should always be the only H1 heading on the page, which WordPress sets automatically. Do not add additional H1 headings.

Color

• Ensure sufficient color contrast between foreground and background elements. Low-contrast text can be hard to read for individuals with low vision or color blindness.
• Use accessible color combinations. Avoid problematic combinations, such as blue/gray and red/green.
• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.
• When using color to differentiate information, such as in a pie chart or bar graph, also provide the information in another format, such as captions or alternative text.

Images

Video & Audio

• Caption all videos.
• Provide audio descriptions for videos with important visual content.
• Provide transcripts for all audio content.
• Avoid content with rapid or flashing motions that could cause discomfort for individuals with motion sensitivity.
• Ensure that videos and audio include play/pause buttons and respect individuals’ “reduce motion” settings.

Documents

Presenting content as a web page, which is HTML, instead of as a downloadable document, such as a PDF, Word or PowerPoint file, is better for accessibility.

• Web pages allow for built-in structure with headings, lists, tables and landmarks that assistive technologies, like screen readers, can easily navigate.
• Web page content adapts well to different screen sizes, zoom levels and user settings, such as increased text size or high contrast mode.
• Properly configured web pages support smooth keyboard navigation and predictable reading order for assistive technologies.
• Making accessible web pages is a less time-intensive process.

Problems with PDFs

• If not properly formatted, text in PDFs may be read out of order or not recognized at all by screen readers.
• PDFs don’t adapt well to different screen sizes, zoom levels, or device types.
• Many PDFs lack semantic structure, making navigation difficult for users of assistive technologies.
• PDFs often don’t allow for adjustable font sizes, contrast settings, or reflowable text, making them harder to read and navigate.
• Making a PDF accessible can be a time-intensive process depending on the complexity of the PDF.

Limit Document Use

• Only use documents when there is a specific reason to do so, such as with official forms or downloadable templates.
• Use documents when the format or structure makes it difficult or impractical to present as web content.
• Sometimes the visual layout (e.g., brochures, posters) is essential and best preserved in document form.
• If users need to print or use the content without internet access, a document may be appropriate.

Accessible Documents

If you must use a document, it must be accessible.

• Use proper heading structure to create a clear content outline for better navigation.
• Use sans-serif fonts, ensure proper size and keep text left-aligned.
• Use lists to break up content and improve readability.
• Avoid ambiguous or generic link labels.
• Include descriptive alternative text for meaningful images.
• Only use tables to organize data; avoid using them for layout purposes which can confuse screen readers.
• Use text with sufficient contrast against backgrounds for readability.
• Pair color with another visual cue, like bold text, to ensure clarity.

Many of the applications we use to produce documents, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat, include accessibility checkers, which you can use to identify and fix potential issues.

Review additional resources for making documents accessible.