Writing
Notes on web craft, AI for business, and the modern web.
Long-form essays and shorter notes from the practice. Four pillars: higher-ed web, WordPress at enterprise scale, web strategy, and AI for business.
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Fall Semester Website Prep: A Checklist
Get your university website ready before students arrive
Fall semester brings a surge of web traffic and heightened expectations. Students, parents, and faculty all expect current information and working systems. Here's how to prepare your university website before the rush hits.
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Faculty Website Redesign: A Survival Guide
Working with professors who have strong opinions about their web presence
Faculty websites are where academic expertise meets web design expectations. Redesigning them requires navigating egos, academic culture, and wildly varying technical skills. Here's how to survive—and succeed.
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Summer Enrollment Push: Website Tactics
Converting late-cycle prospects when it matters most
Summer is crunch time for enrollment. Prospective students who haven't committed are weighing options, and your website needs to work harder than ever. Here are the tactics that move the needle during the summer enrollment push.
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Redesigning Department Sites Without Chaos
Managing stakeholders and expectations across the university
Department website redesigns in higher education are notoriously difficult—too many stakeholders, unclear ownership, and competing priorities. Here's how to run these projects without losing your sanity or your relationships.
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Summer Website Projects for Universities
Making the most of the slower season
Summer offers universities a window for website improvements that are difficult during the academic year. Here's how to plan and execute meaningful web projects during the summer months when traffic is lower and stakeholders are more available.
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Virtual Campus Tours: Technical Best Practices
Building tours that actually recruit students
Virtual campus tours have become essential for recruitment, but many universities implement them poorly. Here are the technical considerations, platform options, and best practices for creating virtual tours that genuinely help prospective students choose your institution.
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Student Portal UX: What Universities Get Wrong
Why student portals frustrate users and how to fix them
University student portals are often frustrating labyrinths of poor UX. After years of working with higher ed web systems, here are the most common problems and practical solutions for creating portals students actually want to use.
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Higher Ed Web Predictions for 2026
What college and university websites need to prepare for
What should higher education institutions focus on for their web presence in 2026? Based on a decade of working with universities, here are the trends and priorities that will shape college websites this year.
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WordPress vs. Drupal for Higher Education in 2026
An honest comparison for university web teams
The WordPress vs. Drupal debate in higher ed has evolved. Both platforms have matured significantly. Here's an honest assessment of where each excels and which might be right for your institution.
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Enrollment Season: Is Your University Website Ready?
A pre-season checklist for higher ed web teams
Peak enrollment traffic is coming. Is your university website ready to convert prospective students into applicants? Use this checklist to audit your site before the rush begins.
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Website Governance for Higher Education: Who Owns What?
Creating clarity in the chaos of decentralized university web management
University websites suffer from a unique problem: everyone owns them and no one owns them. This guide helps institutions establish clear governance that balances central control with departmental autonomy.
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WCAG 2.2 Compliance: What Higher Ed Needs to Know in 2026
The new accessibility standards and what they mean for your university website
WCAG 2.2 introduces new success criteria that affect university websites. Learn what changed, what's required for compliance, and how to prioritize accessibility improvements without overwhelming your team.
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What Marketing Directors Need to Know About Website Maintenance
The non-technical guide to keeping your institution's website secure, fast, and effective
Website maintenance isn't just IT's job. Marketing directors need to understand what keeps a university website running smoothly, what can go wrong, and how to budget for ongoing care. A practical guide for non-technical leaders.
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Why WordPress Multisite Makes Sense for Universities
How a single codebase can power dozens of department sites while reducing maintenance overhead by 80%
Universities face unique web challenges: dozens of departments, limited IT resources, and the need for brand consistency. WordPress Multisite solves these problems elegantly. Learn why top institutions choose this architecture.
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Redesigning Department Websites: A Strategic Approach
Balancing institutional consistency with departmental identity
Academic department websites serve multiple audiences with competing needs. Here's how to approach department redesigns strategically, balancing university brand standards with the unique requirements of academic units.
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Event Calendar Solutions for Higher Ed
Finding the right fit for your campus events ecosystem
Universities manage thousands of events annually across departments, athletics, arts, and student life. Here's how to evaluate event calendar solutions that actually work for higher education.
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WCAG 2.2: What's New and What It Means
Understanding the latest accessibility guidelines
WCAG 2.2 introduced new success criteria focused on cognitive accessibility and mobile interactions. Here's what changed and what it means for your website accessibility efforts.
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Recruitment Cycle Web Strategy for Universities
Aligning your web presence with the enrollment marketing calendar
The student recruitment cycle has predictable phases with different information needs at each stage. Here's how to align your university website strategy with the enrollment marketing calendar for maximum impact.
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Accessibility Testing Tools Compared
Evaluating automated accessibility testing options
Automated accessibility testing tools catch issues quickly, but not all tools are created equal. Here's a practical comparison of popular options to help you choose the right tools for your needs.
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Campus Map Integrations: Options and Best Practices
Interactive mapping solutions for university websites
Interactive campus maps help visitors navigate complex university environments. Here's how to evaluate and implement campus mapping solutions that actually help users find their way.
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Higher Ed Web Trends to Watch in 2025
What's shaping university websites this year
The higher education web landscape continues to evolve. Here are the trends shaping how universities approach their web presence in 2025, from AI integration to accessibility requirements.