University of Southampton Website Copywriting

Types of work completed

• Website architecture strategy

• Copywriting

• Proofreading and editing

• Uploading onto custom CMS

• Completing microdata and testing

 

I was one of 3 copywriters hired on a full time basis for 6 months to rewrite the entirety of the University of Southampton's website. The original website was not user friendly, as it had grown organically as various departments created their own 'mini-sites' that connected to the main website. There was a lot of duplication and the content needed streamlining before it could be implemented into a new design that better reflected the scale of the university's brand.

 

We began with a list of 2500 pages to read through and analyse. Over the course of a few meetings we agreed upon a new website architecture that would take current and prospective students, as well as other visitors to the university's website (from researchers to businesses to stakeholders and local residents) on a seamless journey. We also clarified brand values and guidance for tone of voice. From there we each took on a few sections each to start drafting (mine included Accommodation, City Life and Research – some fairly hefty sections). We started with the materials that were on the original website, but backed this up with relevant research and interviews with staff to ensure that the content was as accurate as possible. The three of us copywriters were also cross-editing each other's work to control for consistency across the tone of voice, as well as general proofreading. We then had the task of uploading the content onto the new content management system, selecting appropriate photos, writing micro data and helping with testing tasks.

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