Creating a new website

If you are looking to set up a new web presence for your department, group or initiative then these are the four options available to you.

1. Imperial’s website content management system - Terminalfour (T4) Site Manager

Imperial’s main web content management system is called Terminalfour (T4) Site Manager and delivers the majority of Imperial’s website content. We would highly recommend opting for T4 for the following reasons

Benefits of using T4

  • The site will be within the main Imperial website, www.imperial.ac.uk
  •  The website Imperial website is funded and managed centrally, saving your team and Imperial costs
  • No technical knowledge required
  • Central support for the systems is provided by Faculty Web Officers, Digital and ICT teams
  • Higher Education-focussed
  • High ranking on Google and other major search engines
  • Central training and guidance offered
  • High website availability
  •  Secure
  • Meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards and cookie GDPR requirements
  • Many options to show your content, including four existing page layout options and over one hundred different content types

Find out more about Terminalfour and how to request a new T4 website

2. College blog (WordPress)

The College provides branded blogs for Imperial staff and students if you are looking for a simpler solution to share your writing, images, and videos with your audiences. This can include posts about your latest research, to student expeditions and research trips, to project updates. Imperial blogs can provide you with an opportunity to share your experiences with the wider community and promote your activities to your target audiences.

Find out more about College blogs

3. Standalone website development

If the services above do not meet your business requirements, you may wish to explore the option of developing a standalone website. This comes with significant cost, time, legal and resource overheads and should be planned carefully.

Any new website development should be highlighted both with the ICT technology office and the Communications Digital team before and work commences.

Before starting the process of commissioning a standalone website, we would recommend completing a project briefing document to help your Faculty Web Officer understand your requirements and offer the most suitable solution. Please contact the Digital team first who will provide you with a briefing document template.

4. Web hosting services through ICT

If a College T4 website or blog does not meet your requirements and you decide to develop a standalone website, we would suggest using the WordPress Content Management System.  If you use WordPress you can request an ICT hosting service. This includes server hosting, WordPress installation and custom websites. Please refer to ICT’s website hosting page for more information. Your Faculty Web Officer can also advise you on the most suitable service for you.

Important notes

Before you request web hosting through ICT, please be aware that you must have the technical ability to develop it yourself or have employed an external supplier to do so. A list of recommended suppliers is available on request. Please contact your Faculty Web Officer for further information.

Your website must also comply with regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), cookie consent and accessibility guidelines. There is more about this in compliance notes section below.

Compliance guidance

* Compliance notes

If you are developing or manage a website as part of your work at Imperial, there are some key pieces of legislation that must be followed. 

These pieces of legislation cover accessibility (making websites accessible and usable for everyone) and data protection, making sure that we look after user data. 

There are large reputational, financial and other risks involved with Imperial not complying with these regulations.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and cookie consent  

Imperial websites need to be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Data protection is about ensuring people can trust you to use their data fairly and responsibly. 

This includes having an up-to-date privacy policy for your site, covering data collection and management. Also, if your website is setting any cookies (performance, advertising, analytical, etc) then you MUST seek permission from your visitors to set them.  You also need to list and explain what each cookie is, what it’s doing, and why. 

Furthermore, if your website will be collecting (directly or indirectly) or publishing personal data then it must be registered within the College’s Data Asset Registration Tool - DART.

Who can help? 

Your Faculty Web Officer can offer advice on tools, but you are responsible for making sure your website is compliant. 

Accessibility regulations 

As you may be aware public sector bodies, are legally required to meet website accessibility standards. We have provided guidance on what you need to do to meet accessibility standards for your site. 

You will need to ensure your website meets the new regulations and there are several things you need to do. 

If you have any further questions and need more information on the new accessibility regulations, please contact accessibility@imperial.ac.uk.