The standards described on this site have been developed and endorsed by the UCSB Web Standards and Content Working Group (WSG), a task force made up of Web professionals from across the campus. We recognize that many UCSB Web sites were developed before we proposed these standards, and it may be impractical to apply these standards retroactively. The best time to begin to apply these standards may be your next site upgrade, or when you are developing new UCSB Web sites. Visit these pages for details:

• The Three Tiers  WSG has grouped UCSB Web sites into three tiers, based on various factors. A Web site's position reflects how strongly we believe that site should adhere to WSG standards.
   
• Graphic Identity  WSG provides resources to help UCSB webmasters make a site look like a part of our University, and to encourage consistency.
   
• Browsers  WSG recommends that Web pages be designed to work with the browsers that 99% of our visitors use.
   
• Code Validation  WSG recommends a doctype of XHTML 1.0 Transitional in all Web pages AND validation to that standard.
   
• Character Encoding  To tell the browser how to correctly render characters in the page, include a charset parameter in the Content-Type HTTP header.
   
• Screen Resolution  WSG recommends that Web pages be designed for a screen resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, which means an actual html page dimension of 760 x 420 pixels to account for the browser window.
   
• Title and Meta Tags  WSG considers the title tag, and select meta tags, to be essential to every campus Web page.
   
• Using Email Aliases  WSG recommends that you do not use personal email addresses on your Web site.
   
• Persistent Links To Global Resources  Create URIs that "don't go away."
   
• Third-Level Domain Names  WSG recommends that public UCSB Web sites be available via both their specific third-level domain name and WWW domain.
   
• Policy Compliance  Your Web pages must comply with UC and UCSB policies. See this page for information on copyright, Terms of Use, advertising on UCSB Web sites, use of data and online applications, use of images, and more.
   
• Web Accessibility  Your Web pages must be accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility is a Civil Rights issue, and inaccessible Web sites violate the “effective communications” requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as provisions of Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
   
• Web Standards Checklist [88K PDF]  This pdf provides a convenient summary of the Web standards recommended in the Guide. Use it to plan a redesign or check on your site's compliance.
   
• About the WSG  The WSG is a campus-wide forum whose membership is drawn from Web developers, designers, and administrators across campus, with the goal of creating a more consistent Web presentation of UCSB.