Creating Online Material
Our brand should remain consistent in all of our digital marketing materials. This includes digital magazines, email marketing, web content and communications and more. These guidelines help your project stay on-brand and in best practice.
Getting Started
It's important to strategize and plan out your content before you begin any digital project. Think about the purpose of the project, your target audience and what you want them to do. Consider the benefits and limitations of the digital space and how your audience will be interacting within it. By considering these things and completing a creative brief, it will help keep your content succinct and effective.
![Four people stand and discuss around a table that contains some papers, rulers and a laptop.](/sites/ucm.calpoly.edu/files/styles/width_670px/public/2021-11/Brand_Web_4.jpg?itok=4aQY-NeB)
Resources and Tools
![Two students chat while seated at a table with a laptop open in front of them.](/sites/ucm.calpoly.edu/files/styles/width_670px/public/2021-11/Brand_Web_1.jpg?itok=L5HZqpdJ)
Creating and Organizing Content
Once you have strategized and planned your content using your creative brief, you are ready to dive into the writing process and planning the other aspects of your web pages. While you are creating your content, it's important to keep some things in mind.
![Example of a graph of search queries](/sites/ucm.calpoly.edu/files/styles/width_670px/public/2022-11/Searchqueries.png?itok=8qV1R9ej)
Analytics
Your website's analytics will help you understand who your users are as well as their behavior on your site.
![A right-handed robotic hand (the image was duplicated and flipped so that it looked like two hands)](/sites/ucm.calpoly.edu/files/styles/width_670px/public/2022-11/accessibility-robotic-hands.jpg?itok=_QXnugeK)
Accessibility
It is important that your websites and other digital content are accessible for all users. Research has proven that accessible websites create a better experience for all users, regardless of ability. We encourage everyone to visit the Accessibility website (maintained by ITS) for more information.
![A Cal Poly student in a crowded bleacher cheers for the Mustangs in the outdoor stadium](/sites/ucm.calpoly.edu/files/styles/width_670px/public/2022-11/ux-girl-stadium.jpg?itok=_n0kBnXC)
User Experience
Considering user experience can help you determine and prioritize your user's needs and contribute to stronger web and content strategy.
![screenshot of a google search results page for the term "cal poly"](/sites/ucm.calpoly.edu/files/styles/width_670px/public/2022-11/screencapture-google-search.png?itok=B9egZrgZ)
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a tool that can help you rank higher in search engines, making your websites more visible to your users.