Creating and Updating Web Content: What You Need to Know

The LSTC website is one of the primary ways prospective students, current students, alumni, donors, partners, and members of the wider community learn about the seminary. Keeping it useful takes all of us.

If you need to create a new webpage, update existing information, promote a program or event, or make another website change, this guide will help you prepare your content and work with Marketing and Communications to get it published.

Before submitting a request, take a few minutes to think about

  1. Who needs the information
  2. What they need to know, and
  3. What you want them to do next.

Starting there helps us create a website that is clear, accurate, accessible, and easy to navigate.

Step 1: Identify Your Audience and Goal

Before thinking about what a webpage should say, think about who it is for and what they came to the LSTC website to accomplish.

A webpage should have a clear purpose. Someone visiting it should be able to quickly understand why the information matters to them and what they should do next.

Key Questions

Before requesting a new page or significant update, consider:

  1. Who is the primary audience for this information?
  2. What does that audience need to know?
  3. Why would someone come to the LSTC website looking for this information?
  4. What action should a visitor take after reading it?
  5. Does this information already exist somewhere on the LSTC website?
  6. Is a webpage the best place for this information, or would another channel be more appropriate?

Tip

Try completing this sentence:

“This page helps __________ understand/do __________.”

If that sentence is difficult to complete, the purpose of the page may need to be clarified before content development begins.

Step 2: Determine Whether You Need a New Page or an Update

Not every new initiative, event, announcement, or piece of information needs its own landing page.

Before requesting a new page, review the existing LSTC website and consider whether the information belongs on a page that already exists. Adding information to an established page can often make it easier for visitors to find and prevents the website from becoming cluttered with outdated or duplicative content.

Key Questions

  1. Is there already a page where a visitor would logically expect to find this information?
  2. Is this information permanent or temporary?
  3. Does it duplicate information published elsewhere?
  4. Will this content need to be regularly updated?
  5. Who is responsible for ensuring the information remains accurate?
  6. If this is an event or announcement, does it need a permanent webpage or would another communications channel better serve the goal?

Tip

Think about the website from the visitor’s perspective rather than LSTC’s internal organizational structure. Visitors may not know which office or department owns a particular program—they simply want to find the information they need.

Step 3: Decide Where the Content Belongs

Where information lives on the website matters. Good website organization allows visitors to find information intuitively without needing to understand LSTC’s internal structure.

Marketing and Communications will determine final page placement and navigation in consultation with the appropriate content owner.

When considering where your content might belong, ask:

  1. Where would the intended audience look for this information?
  2. What existing LSTC webpages are most closely related to it?
  3. Does the content primarily support prospective students, current students, academics, community engagement, advancement, or another audience?
  4. Should visitors be able to reach the information through the site’s main navigation, or can it live within an existing section?

Tip

Avoid creating multiple webpages containing the same information. Whenever possible, maintain one authoritative source and link to it from other relevant pages. This reduces conflicting information and makes future updates much easier.

Step 4: Prepare Your Content

Once you know what the page needs to accomplish, prepare the information Marketing and Communications will need to create or update it.

Website content should be written for people who scan before they read. Put the most important information first and use clear headings, short paragraphs, and straightforward language.

When submitting content, please provide:

  • A proposed page title or a description of the requested change
  • The primary audience and purpose
  • Draft copy or all factual information needed to develop the copy
  • Relevant dates, deadlines, locations, costs, requirements, and contact information
  • Links to related LSTC pages or external resources
  • Any forms, PDFs, or other documents that need to be linked
  • Appropriate photographs or other visual assets, if applicable
  • The name of the person responsible for verifying the information

Writing for the Web

Keep copy concise and audience-focused. Whenever possible:

  • Lead with the information visitors need most.
  • Use descriptive headings and subheadings.
  • Keep paragraphs relatively short.
  • Use plain language rather than internal terminology or acronyms.
  • Make links descriptive rather than writing “click here.”
  • Include a clear next step when appropriate, such as Apply, Register, Learn More, Contact Us, or Give.
  • Avoid copying language directly from internal documents, reports, meeting materials, or academic catalogs without adapting it for a public audience.

Marketing and Communications may edit submitted copy for clarity, consistency, accessibility, search optimization, and alignment with LSTC’s editorial standards.

Step 5: Submit Your Website Request

Send your website request to Marketing and Communications at marcomm@lstc.edu.

Please submit requests with enough lead time for review, editing, implementation, and any necessary approvals. More complex requests—including new webpages, new website sections, significant structural changes, forms, or projects requiring design or technical development—may require additional time.

When submitting your request, clearly identify:

  1. What needs to be created, changed, or removed
  2. The URL of the existing page, if applicable
  3. The requested completion date and reason for that deadline
  4. All final or near-final content
  5. The person responsible for approving the information

Marketing and Communications will review the request and determine the best approach based on audience needs, website structure, accessibility, institutional priorities, and available resources.

Step 6: Keep Your Content Current

Publishing a webpage isn’t the end of the process. Outdated information can be confusing to visitors and undermine trust in the website as a reliable source of information about LSTC.

The office or department responsible for the content should notify Marketing and Communications when information changes or is no longer relevant.

Content owners should regularly review:

  • Staff and faculty names, titles, and contact information
  • Program and degree information
  • Dates and deadlines
  • Tuition, fees, and other financial information
  • Application or participation requirements
  • Forms and downloadable documents
  • External links
  • Event and initiative information
  • Policies and procedures

Marketing and Communications may also periodically review, consolidate, archive, or remove outdated website content in consultation with the appropriate office.

Website Content Best Practices

Write for your audience—not your office.

Visitors need to know how to accomplish what brought them to the website.

Put important information first.

Don’t make visitors read several paragraphs of background before learning the date of an event, how to apply, whom to contact, or what a program actually does.

Keep it concise.

Web copy should usually be shorter than print copy. If information can be communicated clearly in 100 words instead of 300, use 100.

Make pages easy to scan.

Headings, short paragraphs, lists, and descriptive links help visitors quickly find what they need.

Avoid duplication.

Whenever possible, link to the authoritative LSTC webpage instead of reproducing the same information in multiple places.

Remember accessibility.

Accessible content benefits everyone. Marketing and Communications follows web accessibility practices for headings, links, images, documents, and other digital content.

Think about longevity.

Before publishing something, consider when it will become outdated and who will be responsible for updating it.

Need Help?

Not sure whether you need a new webpage, where your content belongs, or how to prepare it? Contact Marketing and Communications at marcomm@lstc.edu.

We’re happy to help determine the best way to share your information while keeping the LSTC website useful, accurate, accessible, and easy to navigate.

Office of Marketing & Communications

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