Minimum Web Standards

Any website that falls within the UW–Madison brand hierarchy must meet certain minimum standards, including:

  • The words “University of Wisconsin–Madison” linked to https://www.wisc.edu/ in the top banner area
  • The UW–Madison logo linked to https://www.wisc.edu/ in the footer area
  • The following standard footer information:
    • The e-mail address of the person responsible for maintaining the page or responding to user feedback: Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: name@wisc.edu
    • Privacy and copyright statement: Privacy Notice | © [current year] The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
  • Cookie consent notice
  • Compliance with UW–Madison’s Digital Accessibility Policy

For websites that require customization via a UW Theme child theme or an altogether different platform than WordPress, it is the responsibility of the unit that develops the custom design to maintain it from that point forward, and ensure continued compliance with these minimum web standards.

Recommended Approach

While customization is an option, University Marketing recommends using the UW Theme (our official university WordPress theme) on WiscWeb for most university websites because:

  • The UW Theme is kept up to date with UW Brand and web accessibility standards and policies,
  • Regular testing is done to ensure that the UW Theme is up to date with the current version of WordPress, and
  • Any issues found with the UW Theme are addressed as quickly as possible and typically added to the next release of the UW Theme.

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