How Do I Move My Site Into the CMS?
When moving your site into Drupal, we follow a defined process. But, as with anything, this process may not fit your needs—or it may be tweaked and refined along the way.
Below, we have outlined basic steps for moving existing sites into the content management system as well as how to apply for a brand-new site.
Project Request
Fill out our contact form. There are a variety of questions included on the form designed to help us understand your request and your needs. Keeping that in mind, before you fill out the form, you will need to know the following information:
- What are the goals of your site?
- Who is your target audience(s)?
- How often do you plan to update your website?
- Who will be responsible for your site update?
- Are there any funding or grants affected by the development of your site?
Once we’ve gathered all the information for your site request, a representative from UMC will reach out to you to set up a kickoff meeting for your new site.
Kick Off the Project
A kick-off meeting is an initial meeting where the UMC web team will meet with you to go over your responses from the website request form, clarify your needs and determine the next best steps.
At the kickoff meeting, we will discuss:
- Site goals
- Personnel resources (to migrate your website, edit your content, maintain the site, etc.)
- Technical requirements
- Projected timeline
- Training
- Any special needs your unit may have
Create Your Site
UMC works with you to determine an optimal site architecture/navigation. We combine user experience design knowledge, website best practices and your feedback to create a structure that works for you and your intended audience.
Our team will set up a framework for you to develop your site's content (the text and images that appear on your website). We provide a variety of resources and feedback to help you as you create website content so you can be sure you’re following best practices and meeting the content rubric requirements. We value your expertise in your individual areas, and our goal is to ensure your website can highlight that expertise and meet your intended goals!
Once the content is developed, individuals from our web design and development team at UMC will input this content into the CMS and create your new site. Once the site is build we do quality assurance checks and send your team a development link to review and preview.
Launch Your New Site!
As you get closer to the launch date of your new site, UMC will set up a training session with any individual from your team who will be responsible for updating content on your new site. These training sessions will instruct website maintainers on how to properly, effectively and efficiently use the CMS.
The final step is launching your new site live to the public!
Once the website is live representatives from your department, office or unit will have full control and responsibility over your site’s content, and will be expected to make regular updates to the site.
Have other questions? Contact us.