Learn about the available templates, and which one is right for your content.
What are Templates?
Templates are the foundation for displaying content on your website. Digital Communications, in partnership with UNO ITS, has designed different types of templates for campus web contributors to use.
UNO's website is "split" into two different sites: www and college.
- www site: any unomaha.edu top-level unit (i.e. any site you can access from the main navigation drop-down menus). Top level units do not have separate navigation for their individual site (e.g. Undergraduate Admissions). The homepage for these sites acts as the main navigation.
- college site: all UNO colleges, along with the departments/offices/centers associated with that college. These sites have navigation that is separate from UNO's main navigation. Homepages for these sites focus on news or feature stories, therefore the homepages do not act as navigation for their site.
- To accommodate the two types of site navigation.
- To keep the backend (Cascade) clean and organized.
- To signal to users that they are receiving different information based upon where they are on the site.
This split itself is not noticeable on the live site, and it does not affect usability—it is a seamless experience for anyone who visits unomaha.edu.
Template Library
Homepage vs. Landing Page
These two terms are typically used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.
- A homepage is the main page of your site—the welcome page that inspires your reader to visit the other informational pages on your site.
- A landing page is designed to be the spot a reader lands on from an outside source—from a paid ad or social post—and has a specific call-to-action with no other website navigation.
UNO's Cascade Template Library
Because UNO has www and college sites, there are different templates that can only be used in each - this is due to the navigation for each site. A college template will not work in a www site, and vice versa.
Jump to College Templates
www Templates
Homepage templates
- Up to nine portals for navigation
- Each portal allows for an image, a subheading, WYSIWYG content, and a link
- Sidebar content
- Left sidebar
- Call to Action Button
- 10+ portals
Other Templates
- Use only within the news folder
- Can schedule publish time
- Can feed directly to a homepage template
- Use for link-heavy information
- Heading option with service area
- Sidebar
- Full list of faculty/staff profiles
- Jump-to buttons for different sections on page
- Individual faculty/staff contact & bio information
- Can be linked to Watermark faculty Services profile, Employee Directory, or self-supplied
- Display images in a collage/slideshow format
- Artist bio, multiple galleries available
Most pages on your site should be a www Standard Page
- Multiple Content Block
- Multiple sidebar areas/options
- Contact Block
- Data Tables, Feature Block, Additional Resources block
College Templates
Homepage Templates
- News or Custom Content Feature option (4)
- Call to Action buttons
- Portals
- Department listing
- Feature Areas (4)
- Call to Action buttons
- Structured Link List
- Aside area
Other Templates
- Use only within the news folder
- Can schedule publish time
- Can feed directly to a homepage template
- Use for link-heavy information
- Heading option with service area (multiple)
- Sidebar
- Full list of faculty/staff profiles
- Jump-to buttons for different sections on the page
- Individual faculty/staff contact & bio information
- Can be linked to Watermark faculty Services profile, Employee Directory, or self-supplied
- Display images in a collage/slideshow format
- Artist bio, multiple galleries available
Most pages on your site should be a www Standard Page
- Multiple Content Block
- Multiple Sidebar areas/options
- Contact Block
- Data Tables, Feature Block, Additional Resources block