Announcement for Site Owners and Web Content Managers:
In our effort to continuously improve our systems and streamline our website management, we are excited to announce that we are moving to a new centralized content-management model for official CAES and UGA Extension websites. This includes all websites for departments, units, centers, commodities, and official programs/initiatives. At present, it does not include individual faculty program sites or blogs. Starting in Summer 2025, we will begin the phased transition of migrating all CAES sites to this new model. Let’s talk about what that means.
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What is a centralized content-management model?
A content-management model is a clear set of roles, responsibilities, standards, and guidelines that concern how and by whom web content is produced, published, updated, and retired.
The new CAES centralized website content-management model is a system in which a single team—the CAES Web Team—will handle all website updates across CAES sites and subsites. In our current model, content managers are tasked with handling the website updates for their own sites. Moving forward, content managers will submit an update request form, and our CAES Web Team will review the request and update the site.
Departments will continue to own their content, including responsibility for accuracy, approvals, and providing final materials for publication.
Why the change?
We’ve received consistent feedback from content managers regarding the challenges of keeping websites updated, adapting to changing technology, and meeting ADA compliance. Many of you have shared that these responsibilities have become difficult to manage alongside your other duties.
In response, we are shifting the responsibility for website updates to the Office of Information Technology (OIT). This change is designed to reduce the burden on CAES units and improve efficiency and compliance.
By centralizing content management, we aim to:
- Give content managers more time to focus on core responsibilities
- Ensure greater consistency in branding, content quality, and user experience across all sites
- Increase compliance with federal digital accessibility regulations
When does this go into effect?
To ensure a smooth transition to the new model, we will be moving our content managers to the new model in phases. The phases of this transition are as follows:
Phase 1 will include the following sites:
- www.caes.uga.edu
- Students
- Research
- Alumni & Giving
- Office of Student Success
- Does not include most CAES commodities
(Some commodity sites already use a centralized content-management model.)
- extension.uga.edu
- Georgia Master Gardener
- Structural Pest Management
- Does not include county offices
- Tifton Campus
Phase 2 will include the following sites:
Phase 3 will include the following sites:
- Centers
- Research and Education Centers
- Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center, Blairsville
- Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center, Calhoun
- J. Phil Campbell Sr. Research and Education Center, Watkinsville
- Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center, MidviIle
- Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center, Plains
- C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park, CamiIla
- Attapulgus Research and Education Center, AttapuIgus
- Support Units
County office websites are not included at this time. Additional phases will be announced as determined.
Important
Please note that before your site transitions to the centralized content management model, it is still your responsibility to ensure your site updates are ADA compliant. You can review the current Content Management Handbook for guidance.
What will the new process look like?
Site owners and web content managers will receive an email from the CAES Web Team before their site transitions to the new centralized content-management model.
Beginning on the transition date provided in your email, website updates will be coordinated through the CAES OIT Web Team Work Requests Form. The CAES Web Team will handle publishing and implementation of updates, while departments will continue to provide and approve their website content.
Our office is committed to completing routine website updates within 3 to 5 business days. More complex or extensive requests that require additional discussion, planning, or coordination will be handled as project work. In those cases, we will work with you to understand the scope of the request and establish an appropriate timeline.
To help ensure website content is accurate, accessible, and ready for publication, web liaisons should review the Digital Accessibility Handbook and complete any required self-paced training. A foundational understanding of web content standards and accessibility practices will help streamline the update process and ensure a better experience for our audiences.
The full update process is explained in the Web Liaison Handbook. We encourage you to review this resource and become familiar with the new process for submitting website updates. Preparing complete, approved, and accessible content before submission will help us complete requests as efficiently as possible.
Thank you for your continued partnership as web content managers. The CAES Web Team is committed to making this transition as smooth as possible, and we are excited about how this centralized model will provide better support, improve consistency, and simplify website updates for our content partners.
Help and resources
If you have any questions, please contact the CAES Web Team at caesweb@uga.edu.
