While focusing on getting all our content correct, written to support readers who scan, and getting the text approved by others, how much attention do we give to the titles or our pages? The title needs to both identify the content to follow and be easy to find using search engines.
It's a common dilemma with magazine or newsletter placed online. A title that works in print might not work online. Do you use the title from the publication to support those who will search for that exact article using that exact title? Do you write a new title that includes key words? Do you write for the search engines? Does the title within the title tags need to exactly match the heading h1 of the page?
Does it matter if you think the page needs to be found by a searcher using Yahoo and searching the entire WWW or if it needs to be found by a searcher using the U's Google search? I think it does.
I want information about our research to be found by anyone and so I'll choose to reference the University's name at the end of the title. Example: How Young Children Manage Stress - Research Works - University of Minnesota. It probably doesn't matter to outside readers which department or college the researcher is in so I don't include that information.
I doubt that anyone outside the University cares about a program planning form so that title doesn't need to reference the University or college. It simply needs the key words a student might use. Example: Program Form for Science Education (M.Ed./Professional Studies).
Here are two good articles that give great advice about how to write titles: Search Engine Optimization -- Titles and Web Publishing Tip: Write Clear Titles.
Your thoughts? Do we have issues unique to the University? For instance should OHR make sure their page titles make it obvious they aren't part of the two academic programs in human resources? Do we need a naming convention for internal versus external content at the U?
Karine Joly has a blog, collegewebeditor.com, that's worth taking a look at. Her categories include blogs, faculty, good tips, higher ed vendors, prospective students, surveys, and more.
I didn't make it to HighEdWebDev 2005, but perhaps the next best thing is reading someone else's notes. Joly has posted several sets at http://tinyurl.com/c2rbl.
Joly has posted Brian Phelps' notes on Steve Krug's presentation, Why it S*cks to Be You.”
Other sessions reviewed were “Improving Accessibility with a Content Management System (CMS)” and "Conversion to Web Standards: Tips, Tricks, and Methods,” “Building Accessibility Into The Workflow.”