Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Apple, Gucci, and Toys R Us. You may love or hate them, but when you read each of those names, you know who they are and what they stand for. In other words, they have done an excellent job of conveying brand identity.
Believe it or not, your school isn't that different from Coca-Cola. You are part of a specific industry—the education industry—with stakeholders to engage and impress and a reputation to portray. Whether it's a teacher looking for a potential position at your school, a parent thinking about the right placement for their kids, or a student researching the best school to help him reach his lofty goals, they need to understand your strengths and the benefits of going with your company/your school.
Of course, people know that the internet, i.e., a good website, is the perfect place to get that basic information. That's the importance of making sure your school has a quality website, and that's why you cannot afford to make a miserable first impression.
Let us show how to use your school's website to effectively communicate your brand and stand out as one of the best school websites in the industry.
A Perfect School Website to Communicate Your Brand
Yes, even educational websites must go through the process. If you want your brand, story, and identity to shine through your school website, there are specific website details and features to in mind.
1. It All Starts with the Homepage
When users visit your school website for the first time, you have about five seconds to make an excellent first impression. That’s why your website homepage plays such a vital role. As quickly as possible, on that first visit, you want your community (parents, students, teachers) to easily find the answers to these questions:
- Who are you, and what kind of school do you have?
- Why did you start this educational institution, and what is your goal?
- What makes your school different?
- What do you value at your school?
Who can answer these questions? Whether your founder, CEO, teachers, administrators, or even students and parents, it would, most likely, be those who've been around a long time and really understand your goals and what you represent.
Then, of course, you need to put such answers into a unique, lively package to make it attractive to visitors.
2. Tell them “About Us”
There is simply not enough space on the homepage to answer all these questions. An "About Us" page is the perfect place to tell your unique story, what sets you apart, and even introduce some inspiring personalities on your team. You can also outline your school's goals. Whatever the story is, it needs to be quick to access, easy to read, and relevant.
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3. News, Blogging, Videos & Images
Now that you've told about who you are, will you stop? No, because your story isn't finished yet. You need to keep the lines of communication open and keep users informed.
A great website with no news or updates for three months or longer is not a great website. Keeping parents regularly informed is imperative.
Let parents/students experience your school with a virtual visit or tell about the latest happenings at your school via videos and engaging images. You can also develop creative scenarios with teachers and staff to make your school's website even cooler.
A good school website also needs a blog, which increases your site traffic and helps your search engine optimization. Be sure to check them periodically to make sure there are no broken links.
4. Stay Relevant to Your Stakeholders
This is the most fundamental point that educational organizations overlook when creating their brand. We must emphasize its importance. Everything you put on your website needs to be tailored to what you do and to your website audience.
For example, someone visiting a high school website isn't interested in information that should be on a kindergarten website. The content of these two websites is vastly different. Likewise, parents who have new students with language learning or severe special needs will, most likely, not stay long on a website that gives the first impression of being only for the most gifted and advanced students in the community. And vice versa.
You need to create a site that clearly tells your website visitors who you are and what you're trying to accomplish. Don't confuse them with irrelevant gobbledygook!
5. Use a Clutter-Free Layout
A cluttered design or layout on your educational website can make so much noise that it easily drowns out your message. Now that you've created relevant content to let parents know who you are, you must lead viewers to easily recognize it. Your educational website will achieve that with a clean, easy-to-navigate layout.