SLU to Unveil Refreshed Website
11/04/2024
SLU.edu is getting a new look.
After more than a year of work behind the scenes, the first phase of the refresh is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Nov. 13. On that day, visitors to SLU.edu will see a brand new homepage complete with new headers, footers, fonts and colors.
Once the homepage re-launches, school and college landing pages also will transition to a new look. In early 2025, the whole website is scheduled to have completed the makeover.
The refresh is the first overhaul of SLU’s website since 2016. The Division of Marketing and Communications has been working since the summer of 2023 on the update.
“As the most vital University marketing and communication tool, the updated, modern design of SLU.edu allows the University to remain competitive in attracting new students who expect and rely on our website for vital information when choosing a college to attend,” said Mark Rimar, director of web services. “Students have many choices of schools to attend. Having good information alone doesn't meet the needs of prospective students or the University's marketing goals because the current generation is extremely brand-aware. It's important to regularly review and refresh any website to stay current and relevant to current branding trends. This refresh of SLU.edu does exactly that.”
In addition to making the website more vibrant and engaging, the team made special efforts to make the website more readily compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). SLU.edu web administrators routinely work to make the site’s content fully accessible and ADA-compliant, but during this redesign, certain design and functionality measures were taken to further improve accessibility.
The refreshed version of SLU.edu was shared with a number of groups across campus including senior leadership, Faculty Senate, admissions, the University Marketing Council and others. Working with external partner Carnegie, experts in higher education marketing and enrollment strategy, the new-look site was tested by both current and prospective students to ensure strong site navigation and functionality.
“The SLU.edu refresh shows the University is invested in ensuring SLU remains a competitive option for potential students,” said Danielle Lacey, director of digital communications and content strategy. “Our website is our biggest marketing tool, and it's vital that we ensure it appeals to today's students.”
While the look of the site will change, it won’t be a brand-new site — almost all text and photos currently found on SLU.edu will stay through the refresh. For example, while the text will be in a new font, the words won’t be changed.
Some current content management system (CMS) users will need to undergo a short training overview in order to handle certain feeds. Information about the training will be announced at a later date.