Breadcrumb
- Information Technology
- Web Services
- WordPress Websites
WordPress Websites
Basic WordPress websites are provided at no charge to principal investigators or staff members managing labs, projects, programs or expeditions.
For security and ease of support, all of our websites are built using the customizable X Theme and share the same code base and simple family of WordPress plugins.
- We provide initial setup and basic training, but you are responsible for creating, maintaining and updating your content (i.e. text, images, pdfs, video, etc.).
- All websites show up under the ucsd.edu domain.
- If you find you need more than WordPress can provide — data repositories, interactive features — you can opt for external hosting, theming, and programming. However, please note, that the Web Group will not be able to provide support.
The following services are NOT included:
- The creation and development of content. We do not write or edit content.
- The creation and development of images or artwork.
- The creation and development of multimedia (i.e. video, animations, etc.) content.
- Theme development or web design. We provide templates that adhere to Campus branding guidelines.
Sample websites
- Straneo Research Group
- Deheyn Lab
- Scripps Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory
- US GO-SHIP
- Master of Advanced Studies Program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation
- Masters of Advanced Studies in Climate Science and Policy
- Greenland Ice Sheet Ocean Science Network
- Shore Stations Program
- CNAP
- Argo
- startBlue
- Geopaths
What you need to do
- Let us know your preferred site name, such as "Jane Smith Lab" or "Jane Smith's Time Lab."
- Let us know your preferred URL, such as "smithlab.ucsd.edu" or "timelab.ucsd.edu." If it's not already taken by someone else at UCSD, we can use it.
- Let us know who you want to be able to edit your site by including their UCSD email addresses.
- If you want to migrate content from an existing WordPress site, please export your content.
When requesting your site, please be aware there is a three (3) week turnaround for the initial setup from the date your request is received.
Please note, you are limited to one (1) lab site. If you require additional lab websites you must submit your request along with your justification to sioweb@ucsd.edu
Benefits
- Support for pages, blogs, photos, video, audio
- Standard templates
- Standard set of approved plugins that add functionality to your site
- Social media integration for sharing/linking content
- Site analytics
- Site backups (kept for 90 days)
- Site maintenance provided- WordPress CMS, theme and plugin updates
Requirements
- Federal law and University of California policy require that all websites be accessible to people with disabilities, with full campus compliance with the new standards expected by April 2026. Our default template meets current standards, but care should be taken when adding or modifying content.
- UC San Diego also expects campus-provided website to comply with brand guidelines as shown at https://brand.ucsd.edu/using-the-brand/web-and-digital/index.html.
WordPress Training
Once the initial site has been set up, we will contact you to sort out any details and schedule general training for you and your site editors.
- UC San Diego provides a style guide intended to help writers preparing text for UC San Diego websites at http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/styleguide.
- General types and guidelines for writing for the web are available at https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/websites/training/writing/index.html.
WordPress Resources
- WordPress Codex, a repository for WordPress information and documentation.
- X Theme documentation, which explains the look-and-feel settings you shouldn't need to change.
- Cornerstone overview, for the page-building tool used to customize the home pages (and some interior pages) of our websites.
- Scripps Campus CMS
- WordPress Websites