Harvard’s Digital Revolution: Redefining University Websites for the 21st Century

Harvard’s website sets a new standard for research communication, but even the best can improve

18th Feb 2025

Screenshot of the front page of the Harvard University website as at Feb 2025.

Websites are the face of your organisation. Given how social media has come to dominate the internet in the last fifteen years, I’ve heard a lot of people claim the opposite – I have had communicators tell me that websites are dead, it’s just social media now. 

But I don’t believe this is true. While it’s obviously important to have a social media strategy, the advantage of a website is in having a platform that you own. This conveys a powerful advantage. You can become your own publisher, control your own narrative, and tell your own story. Yet few research organisations seem to really grasp the potential in owning their own publishing platform, and they’re leaving a lot of opportunity and potential on the table. 

This approach is one that I’ve called the publisher’s perspective, drawn from decades of experience in media. To recap briefly: the publisher’s perspective is an approach that unites strategy and communications to tell engaging and effective stories about research impact that engage audiences to build trust, social capital, influence, profile and funding.  

I’ll be using this lens to analyse the websites of the top universities per the Times Higher Education (THE) Ranking and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Rankings, some of the world’s most pre-eminent research organisations as well as their funders. These may be among the world’s great repositories of human knowledge and scientific progress – but how well do they tell their story? 

I’ll then share some takeaways and recommendations that organisations can use to improve their own websites. Here’s some of the dimensions I’ll look at:

• Is there a clear narrative around the organisation and its impact?

• Are stories of research impact available?

• How easy is it to find these stories? Are they clearly / logically / consistently laid out? 

• Do these stories support a narrative around research impact?

• If there’s a commercialisation page, does it point to impact – or is it just a collection of metrics? (e.g. number of startups / spinouts, but no mention of impact?)

• And finally – after reading the website, could I easily explain the research impact of the organisation to someone who’s never heard of them?

Let’s begin with one of the heavyweights: Harvard.

My immediate takeaway is that I’m impressed (and that’s not something you’ll hear me say often!). Take a look. It’s not what you expect from a university website. They’ve very much upended the traditional approach. There is nothing cookie-cutter about this, they’ve created an utterly unique site. 

There’s a clear editorial strategy behind their approach: it’s audience-focused and designed to keep readers engaged, not just a brochure blasting out information. The design is uncluttered and minimalistic, and it feels more like a modern media hub.

As I said, there’s a lot of power in owning a publishing platform – whether you’re Rupert Murdoch or Mark Zuckerberg. Harvard has realised that, and they’re leaning into it. The quality of their website content clearly shows that it is obviously valued from the bottom to the very top of the organisation -- communication that's this high quality only exists if it's a strategic priority for the president. Good or bad communication is a matter of strategic focus.

Their website is so confident that the front page is rotated around themes, and not the ones you’d expect. Their January theme was resolutions – a clever and timely approach that meets topical reader interest, built on Harvard’s clear reputation as an expert authority. In February, it’s cancer. They have a strong narrative: “Harvard researchers are exploring a holistic view of the disease, from fine tuning prevention and diagnosis to bolstering treatment and support.”. They have the range of content to back up this narrative, and it’s clear that they are thinking about their audiences. 

A clear publisher’s perspective

You can see a publisher’s eye across the whole site. Their media products, from the Harvard Business Review to Harvard Health to their newsletters, aren’t an afterthought. There’s an actual publishing strategy, and respect throughout the site for the reader. The site isn’t dominated by buildings and jargon content that says nothing. It’s not a promotional dumping ground. 

There is an impressive array of podcasts that round out the digital experience, covering topics from business innovation to spiritual inquiry. This digital showcase reflects Harvard’s ongoing work to remain relevant and accessible. They understand their value proposition very well. 

Their In Focus section is where their research impact lives. “What We Learned in 2024” speaks to the year’s impact – it’s an engaging and fun review of their student, alumni and research achievements during the year. Podcasts, book suggestions, opinion pieces and discovery. It's thoughtfully put together… 

The content here is beautifully put together. The subjects and themes like Climate Solutions and Space are beautifully put together. They weave in the questions people have, researchers, students, alumni. They bring together news, vision and impact. 

They have hero stories here – their work in HIV – with an excellent narrative: “For more than 40 years, the Harvard community has been working to understand the disease and treat those affected. Now, with life-changing treatments available and potential cures on the horizon, we may be entering a new phase of the epidemic.” 

I read this section, and I see how the research and impact has evolved – which gives news stories context. As a template, the HIV and Climate Solutions section within Year in Focus sets the standard. 

The downside is that it’s largely ordered by years and months. This means that some great content is buried as time goes on. I’m not going to wade through dates – as a reader, I want themes. 

But where’s the impact narrative?

As I said, there’s a clear perspective and audience focus. But where’s the research impact and engagement perspective? It’s not on the first page – and I still can’t easily find how they have changed the world without hunting for it. 

Although there’s some great research impact messaging – particularly around themes – I’m still left looking for an overarching narrative about Harvard’s research impact, and hero stories that support that narrative.

The main issue for me is that their research impact isn’t immediately accessible in one place. It’s woven throughout their content – which makes for great reading, but still leaves me wanting a narrative that’s specifically about their research impact. 

Dedicating space to this might seem silly. After all, it’s Harvard – everyone knows they’re the experts. But it’s crucial to building influence with industry, philanthropists and government, and for explaining their overall economic and social impact. It’s a way of positioning their place in our world.  

Given the evolving political climate, it’s more important than ever that Harvard justify their funding. A simple research impact narrative that establishes their value with the general public would help – for example, the ability to say that for every x dollar invested, y dollars are returned; or stories demonstrating how Harvard research helps people in their everyday lives.

Overall – I’m incredibly impressed. Harvard is really setting the standard. But even A students have room to improve… and here’s what I’d suggest changing: 

1. They’re missing a trick by not providing a narrative about their research impact. If I wanted to explain the impact of Harvard’s research on climate change – or point to some of the biggest changes they’ve helped make in the world – I don’t have that messaging readily available. They have excellent reports on the impact of their alumni – for example this undated study of the Global Economic & Social Impact of Harvard Alumni – wonderful stats. I would leave to see this approach replicated with their research impact, and ideally taken out of a report and integrated into the website.

2. Their In Focus section is fantastic. But I’d like to see it restructured around content themes rather than by time. This would make it far easier to see Harvard’s impact at a glance, rather than having to wade through timelines. This would make stories of research impact much more easily discoverable for the audience.

3. Turning the Harvard website into a publishing hub is genuinely innovative – it’s shockingly modern in a sector that can be slow to change. And it’s paid off big time. But in other ways they’re still replicating the old-fashioned approach of relying on prestige. They may need no introduction – but it never, ever hurts to have one. Even the most prestigious institutions and people are vulnerable to time and change. I would like to see them dedicate more space on their homepage to themselves – and their accomplishments. 

Does this spark any thoughts about your own research impact narrative? How are you showing up in the world – are you telling the story of your research impact in a way that effectively engages your key audiences? 

Websites are the face of your organisation. Given how social media has come to dominate the internet in the last fifteen years, I’ve heard a lot of people claim the opposite – I have had communicators tell me that websites are dead, it’s just social media now. 

But I don’t believe this is true. While it’s obviously important to have a social media strategy, the advantage of a website is in having a platform that you own. This conveys a powerful advantage. You can become your own publisher, control your own narrative, and tell your own story. Yet few research organisations seem to really grasp the potential in owning their own publishing platform, and they’re leaving a lot of opportunity and potential on the table. 

This approach is one that I’ve called the publisher’s perspective, drawn from decades of experience in media. To recap briefly: the publisher’s perspective is an approach that unites strategy and communications to tell engaging and effective stories about research impact that engage audiences to build trust, social capital, influence, profile and funding.