New Resource Centralizes Minimum Standards for Stanford Website Owners

University website owners and contributors often need to navigate guidance from multiple sources on topics such as accessibility, security, privacy, branding, and governance. A new Minimum Web Standards resource (minweb.stanford.edu) brings that guidance together in one place, making it easier to understand and apply the university’s existing web requirements and recommended practices.

The resource is intended for faculty, staff, students, and others responsible for creating, managing, and supporting Stanford websites. Importantly, it does not introduce any new requirements. Instead, it consolidates existing policies, guidelines, and frameworks from across the university into a single reference point.

The Minimum Web Standards guide is designed to:

• Clarify baseline expectations for university websites
• Improve consistency, accessibility, and compliance
• Make it easier for website owners and contributors to understand and apply existing standards

The resource comes at a time when maintaining secure, accessible, and well-governed web properties is increasingly important for protecting both the community and Stanford’s digital presence. For example, recent reports of compromised Stanford webpages have highlighted the importance of following established standards. Whether launching a new website, maintaining an existing one, or planning its retirement, website owners can use this guide to identify standards and practices that apply throughout the website lifecycle.

Developed through cross-university collaboration

The Minimum Web Standards resource was developed through close collaboration among the Office of the Chief Risk Officer (including the Information Security Office and University Privacy Office), University IT, University Communications, and Financial Management Services. Additional input was provided by information security leaders from the School of Humanities and Sciences and the School of Engineering. Stakeholders across accessibility, security, privacy, branding, and web governance played an active role in reviewing and validating the content.

As university policies, technologies, and best practices evolve, the Minimum Web Standards resource will be reviewed and updated to reflect current guidance. Website owners and contributors are encouraged to use the resource as an ongoing reference, consider how it applies to their web properties, and share feedback to help inform future updates.