Stand with 12: Success After Launch

Launching a website project is a huge deal. You spent months working to ensure all the details were just as you imagined – the intuitive and easy to navigate design, relevant and updated content, attention to accessibility, all while increasing transparency, presenting the organization as modern and forward-thinking, and creating exceptional humanized experiences.

While it may be easy to mark the project off your list and move on to the next big thing, your website is truly never complete. Utilities have new information and initiatives to get out to members and customers, and the website is the perfect spot. However, a website is often referred to as a “dumping ground” for all the information your website visitors may need. When the time comes to update content on your site, here are 12 tips to consider to ensure your website is intentionality maintained longterm.

Accessibility Best Practices

• Images: When adding a new image to your Media Library, make sure to add descriptive alt text. Adding alt text to every image is crucial for screen readers. To assist, we have a great resource linked directly in the Media Library to help you curate stellar, and accessible, alt text.
• Header Hierarchy: Maintain a clear and consistent header hierarchy, reserving H1 for the page title and going down in H2, H3, etc. as subheadings are needed. Avoid using various colored headings that are not a part of your website design to optimize accessibility. For ease of reading use “&” in place of “and” in all headers.
• Text In Images: While images with text work great for social media and marketing purposes (think: those great holiday graphics branded to your utility), they do not support accessibility on your website. Avoid using any images with text to ensure all your website visitors have the same experience. While that flyer may have great information on your energy efficiency tips, bring that messaging out as live text on your page to ensure it meets the STAR standard of accessibility. If you must use an image with text, make sure to include all words on the image in your alt text description.
• PDF Links: Ensure all PDF links include “(PDF)” in the link to assist your website visitor. Additionally, ensure it opens in a new tab so your website visitor is not taken away from your site. This also goes for items like word documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, by noting the in the link “(DOCX)”, “(PPTX)”, or “(XLSX)”.

Consistency & Maintenance Schedule

• Up-to-Date Content: Regularly review your homepage with a fresh set of eyes to ensure the most relevant programs, initiatives, and top tasks are available for your website visitors, and that your animated statistics are current. Set calendar reminders to switch out any seasonal promotional sections or to remove time-sensitive information like scholarship applications. Establish a regular schedule for posting news stories, and remember you don’t have to recreate the wheel – pull from your monthly magazine or newsletter to reach members and customers on the digital side.
• Uniform Format: Create a consistent method for all your content, like ensuring your news posts always have a feature image, your board agendas and minutes documents are linked, event types are named in the same way, and your URLs are consistent.
• Standardize Naming: Find a consistent naming convention that works for you when it comes to adding new pages, as well as resources to your Media Library. For example, use Headshot_JohnDoe for any headshots and BoardMinutes2025.06 for naming recurring monthly documents.
• Video Embedding: Videos are a great way to engage your audience, and embedding a link from YouTube or Vimeo in a video container will help provide the best experience to ensure all visitors can engage nicely regardless of the screen size. Also, make sure to set the video to play on click so it does not start playing when the page is accessed.

Writing for the Web

• Descriptive Links: When using buttons or linking external resources, use descriptive language like “Discover Rebates” rather than “Learn More” to assist the website visitor to the resource. This is particularly important when it comes to website visitors using screen readers so the site visitor hears helpful information about the link rather than simply “click here” or “learn more”.
• Phone Numbers: Format phone numbers like (800) 804-4692 on the page and link using “tel:+1-800-804-4692” to ensure the numbers are click-to-dial for those viewing your website on a mobile device. Formatting numbers like 800-804-4692 reads like a math equation for website visitors relying on a screen reader.
• Write in simple language: The utility industry is flooded with industry jargon. Not only is it sometimes hard for the general member or customer to comprehend, but it also does not translate well. Studies show that you need to write at a 6^th grade level for the average website visitor.
• General Formatting: When adding new copy to your site, here are a few formatting stylings to keep in mind to maximize accessibility for all website visitors:
  • Numbers: As communicators we are used to writing in AP style, which tells you to spell out numbers 1 through 9. When writing for the web, it is best to use numerals to aid in readability. However, if the number is hyphenated, you can go ahead and spell it out, like when you refer to your five-county service territory.
  • Spell out words: While it may be easy to abbreviate things like months, it can be hard for screen readers or when translating your site.
  • Reserve underline for hyperlinks: If a statement or word is important, consider bolding the item rather than using an underline.
  • Symbols: To make your content easy to ready, use “%” rather than spelling out “percent”, write fractions with numerals and a slash like “1/4”, use “$” and “¢” for references to money. Alternatively, spell out things like per rather than using a “/”, “to” and “through” rather than a “-”.
  • Left justify: When possible, left justify your text to ease in readability.
  • Capitalization: Capitalize the first letter of every word in your headers, from the page title to the subheads – including any news posts. Use sentence case for your body copy, and avoid using all caps for sentences or paragraphs of information.
  • Times: Use periods for a.m. and p.m., and avoid double 0s for whole hours like 8 a.m.

While this may seem like a lot of rules, these guidelines will help keep your site that you worked so hard to build not only neat and tidy, but accessible for all your website visitors. The hard work of the redesign project may be over, but these quick tips will help you be prepared to maintain your site.

And as a proud Texas Aggie, I can surely say it can’t get better than a nice reference to the 12^th Man. Stand with these 12 guidelines and ensure long-term success with your new website.

Happy editing! Remember: your Powerful Support team is here if you ever need anything.