Building your website | Messiah, a private Christian University in PA

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Building your website

FAQs for building your website

How do I initiate a web project for my department?

To initiate a web project, submit a web services ticket with your project details.

May I hire someone to design my website for me or may I have my work study design my website?

Depending on what type of website you would like to develop – and where it is located on Messiah’s website – it may be possible to contract a student or another outside consultant to design your department’s website if you have the budget to do so. However, it is important that before you begin, you contact the University web services manager to consult on the pending project. This will allow for advance discussion related to:

The anticipated completion date
The application of the University’s graphic standards to your web page
Where the completed site will be located on Messiah’s website
What the site’s web address (URL) will be
The many resources (both printed and online) available to your designer regarding the University’s graphic and technical compatibility standards
Access and security issues related to Messiah's web server.

Please Note: Websites that are designed independently of the University’s Web staff are still subject to the University’s approved graphic standards and technical compatibility standards. Discussing these standards with the University Web Services Manager in advance of your project’s design will help avoid significant delays or major revisions. Messiah University's Web team is not responsible for resolving problems resulting from these standards not being adhered to.

How much will it cost to develop a website for my department or office?

Web design, consulting and services are generally offered free of charge to campus clients through the Web services manager.

However, if a campus client requests a particularly labor-intensive or rush job that requires special assistance from an outside vendor, there will be a fee involved.

Prices charged by the external vendor will be passed along to the client and costs vary by vendor.

Any anticipated extra costs will be discussed with, and authorized by, the client prior to project initiation. Estimates for the requested services will be acquired upon request.

How long will it take to design my website?

The design time required for each website varies depending on the scope of the project and the current workload of Web services, but general timelines range between 2-6 weeks.

Design time can be shortened significantly if the client is able to:

Provide significant input into the organization of the site by completing a site architecture
Provide the Web page copy in electronic format (via disk or email, for example)
Provide the photos or images they would like to use
Work within the established templates and graphic standards approved for Messiah’s website

Will Web services assist me with a personal website or blog, outside of messiah.edu?

Web services is not equipped with the resources to offer assistance to Messiah students or employees for personal websites. However, training is available through ITS to learn how to develop personal web pages. Contact ITS for more information.