The best school websites use SEO strategies to achieve top rankings on searches. While it may not directly relate to how families experience the website, it is important to ensure that families can easily find the information they need. Here are the basic optimizations for your website to improve your search visibility. Make sure these are in place before you launch the site. In this way, you will be on your way to attracting more families and increasing your bottom line.
Responsive design
If you run a school, you should use a responsive design for your website. This type of design is especially important for school websites because students often use cell phones. They often can’t see arrows that turn pictures, and buttons and links may be too small to click. Moreover, cell phones do not have unlimited zooming capabilities. Ultimately, this means that a responsive design for school websites can greatly improve the user experience.
One of the biggest advantages of a responsive design for school websites is that it allows the website to adjust to different screen sizes. As more people use mobile devices, responsive websites should be optimized for different screen sizes. A responsive design also makes the content readable on different devices. In addition to making the website more mobile-friendly, responsive design for school websites can increase the number of website visitors. The more visitors a site receives, the more people will find it.
Advantages of a responsive design
Another advantage of a responsive design for school websites is that it makes it easy to navigate. This is important for parents and students as they need to find information quickly. It should also look attractive and reflect the school’s values. This way, people will return to it time and again. The University of Phoenix website is a good example of this, and it uses a hamburger menu and a Search box. Those who have not visited the school’s website should use the search bar to find the information they are looking for.
Desktop User experience
While the menu structure on a desktop website is often convenient, it may not work on a mobile device. It would take up most of the screen and make it difficult for people to read the content on the website. It would also have tiny buttons on the menu items. This is why many schools use a hamburger menu on the header. This allows the users to click on the hamburger menu and see the full menu on a different page or in a large pop-up.
Mobile-first design
Embracing mobile-first design is critical to the success of your website and product. You can focus on the user’s core needs and progress your design to larger screens later by eliminating excess elements. The majority of industry leaders are embracing mobile-first design. Here are the benefits of using this design principle to improve your school’s website. These changes can help your website achieve better search engine rankings, more enrollment, and improved conversion rates.
Creating a mobile-first design can also improve navigation. While it is true that desktop users use two hands to swipe and pinch, many mobile users use just one hand. Your website should emphasize navigation with recognizable icons and design patterns to accommodate this. By applying mobile-first design principles, you can improve your school website’s user experience and drive more enrollment. You’ll be glad you did. Your students and parents will thank you.
Easy-to-use navigation
For a school website, easy-to-use navigation is an essential component of the overall design. Your primary focus should be to attract new families to your school and make it easy for them to find what they need. To this end, you should use words your target audience uses. If your website is geared toward parents, you may use specialized terminology that the average parent does not understand. Using language that your audience understands will help your visitors get the information they are looking for.
Know the purpose of your website
If you’re a school owner, the first step is to know what your school website is for. After all, it is the first place that families will visit to learn about your school. Make sure that the look and feel of your school’s website match that image. Visitors should be able to find important information and follow links to enroll in classes or sports events easily. It is also important that the content of your website speaks to the hopes and fears of prospective families, so consider these concerns when building the website.
Your school website has two primary purposes: to inform potential students about your school and to showcase the school’s evolution. Potential students will appreciate your school’s growth and development, so it’s imperative to have content that conveys these qualities. You can display information about your school, showcase your students’ work, and even post testimonials from alumni. A good website also helps you communicate with your community and educate prospective students. Know what your audience is looking for.
Have a strategy for content
One of the best ways to draw visitors to a school website is to produce a variety of content, including blog posts. These posts can be created by a team of writers or even hired by outside writers to write them. They are an excellent way to attract new prospective parents to your school website because they don’t take much production time and can rank highly in search engines.
A strong content strategy helps a school build a reputation, attract new students, encourage community interaction, and encourage alumni support. To achieve these goals, a school must work with multiple departments, stay on top of social media trends, and incorporate a variety of mediums into its strategy. A successful strategy can distinguish a school from the rest by making the site engaging for users.
News and calendar of events
For a better school website, you should make the news and calendar of events section fully accessible. This section is often the most visited section of a website. It should comply with the WCAG 2.0 AA standards and include a dedicated ‘Accessible View’ button for people with disabilities. In addition to making the news section accessible, it should be comprehensive and useful.
