KCC Public Website Redesign, Static Architecture & Content Governance

Kankakee Community College
Public web architecture / static-site migration / content governance / cost reduction

Overview

KCC’s current public website began as a major redesign and migration effort involving an outside consultant, my web developer, and me. The project used a static-site architecture supported by a static generator, Google Sheets-driven content workflows, and related technologies to create a more maintainable, structured, and performance-conscious public web presence.

When COVID disrupted normal operations and the college could no longer continue retaining the consultant, I took over the remaining work with my web developer. We completed the redesign, migration, and related site/subsite work remotely and launched the architecture that continues to support kcc.edu.

Problem

KCC needed more than a visual redesign. The older public web model allowed content updates to be too decentralized, which made the site feel scattered and harder to govern, maintain, and keep consistent.

Key constraints

• The redesign and migration were already underway with consultant involvement.
• COVID disrupted normal collaboration and project continuity.
• The consultant could no longer remain on the project.
• The main site and related sites/subsites still needed to be migrated into the new model.
• The internal web team needed to support the architecture long-term.
• Remote coordination became the working model.

Solution

The new public web ecosystem used a flexible static-site architecture supported by structured workflows, Google Sheets-driven content patterns, and related technologies. This gave the web team stronger control over structure, consistency, publishing quality, and long-term maintainability without depending on a traditional campus CMS, Microsoft platform, or rigid monolithic system.

The architecture allowed a small web crew to manage most public-site updates centrally, improving consistency across the public site and reducing the fragmentation that came from too many disconnected update paths.

Cost and operational value

The redesigned site was not only more flexible and governable; it was also significantly cheaper than the previous web model. By moving away from a more expensive traditional platform approach and creating a workflow that allowed a small internal web team to manage most updates centrally, KCC reduced ongoing cost while improving consistency, maintainability, and control.

Strategic value

This project moved from consultant-supported redesign to internal ownership under COVID-era constraints, resulting in a durable static-site web ecosystem that continues to support KCC’s public digital presence today. It also established an operating model that supports accessibility, analytics, content standards, search visibility, and future AI-readiness work.

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