Practical guide
How to structure a European project website
A project website has to explain a shared initiative, serve several audiences and remain useful as activities and outputs develop. A clear structure helps partners publish consistently and helps visitors find reliable information without learning the consortium’s internal language.
Step 1
Give the homepage one clear job
The homepage should establish what the project is, why it exists and who it concerns. It should orient visitors towards current activity and durable information rather than reproduce every section of the website.
A concise introduction, a clear statement of objectives, selected updates and direct paths to partners, resources or participation are usually more useful than a long institutional preamble.
- A plain-language project summary
- The purpose and intended change
- Current news, events or calls when relevant
- Direct routes to partners, outputs and resources
Step 2
Explain objectives before work packages
Visitors need to understand the problem and intended results before they encounter project terminology. Present objectives as a coherent sequence and connect them to activities and outputs.
Detailed programme, methodology or work-package information can remain available, but it should not replace an accessible overview.
- Context and problem addressed
- Main objectives in recognisable language
- Activities connected to each objective
- Expected outputs and longer-term use
Step 3
Present the consortium as a working structure
A partner section should do more than display logos. Explain each organisation’s role, relevant competence and contribution, while keeping the project itself central.
Use consistent partner pages or cards. Link externally when useful, and maintain one agreed version of names, locations and descriptions across languages.
- Organisation name and location
- Role in the project
- Relevant competence or responsibility
- External link and contact only where appropriate
Step 4
Separate news, events and opportunities
News records progress; events have dates, locations and registration information; calls or opportunities require a clear action and deadline. Treating them as distinct content types makes publishing and filtering easier.
Use categories sparingly. A small, maintained structure is more useful than an elaborate taxonomy that project partners cannot apply consistently.
- News for progress and announcements
- Events with practical attendance details
- Calls or registrations with clear status
- A predictable archive for past activity
Step 5
Make publications, results and resources durable
Outputs should not disappear inside chronological news. Give reports, toolkits, recordings, datasets or other resources a stable place with enough context to understand and reuse them.
Connect each output to the objective or activity it supports. Provide descriptive titles and formats, and distinguish working material from final published results.
- A structured resource or results area
- Clear descriptions, formats and publication context
- Links from related objectives and activities
- Stable URLs for material intended to remain available
Step 7
Design for the whole project lifecycle
Publishing responsibilities should be agreed before launch. Identify who can create, review and retire content, and document recurring tasks for news, events, partners and resources.
Plan the period after active delivery as well. The site may need a reduced maintenance model, a stable archive or a transfer of ownership. Preserve useful outputs and explain the project’s status rather than leaving an apparently active but abandoned website.
- Named content owners and approval paths
- Simple reusable publishing structures
- Regular review of outdated material
- A documented archive and continuity decision
Related pages
Relevant pages
Continue with practical services and related guidance.
European project websites
See the commercial web-development response for project teams and organisations working across countries.
Open page →Project communication
Connect the website with publications, events, visual assets and recurring project updates.
Open page →Graphic design and visual identity
Create a consistent visual language for the website and related communication materials.
Open page →Atomic Design expertise
Review the disciplines that connect content, design, development and long-term delivery.
Open page →Discuss your project
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