Think of your website as a portal. It’s a brilliant communication tool and one which can really highlight your successes and put your school on the map. Over time, your school website will be viewed by a variety of people including parents, pupils, Ofsted inspectors, those moving into the area and even those who are simply interested in what you are doing.
There are a variety of ways to make your school website more engaging and these simple measures can make a big difference to how that audience perceives you.
Here are just a few:
Have a School Logo
Most schools have some form of logo but if you haven’t thought about its design much in the past, now might be the time to do so. A great logo can help you stand out from the crowd and be easily recognisable.
But does the logo on the front of your school building look just as good when it’s viewed on a digital page? If not, it might be time to try a modern redesign.
Give Yourself a Strapline
What one line sums up your school? A strapline usually goes underneath the title of a page and is just a few short, but engaging words. It might be confirmation of what sort of school you are or it could be something inspirational, a quote or even a specialist subject that you are famous for.
Include Images and Video
Most successful websites don’t just use dry text. If you want to stand out, take more time over the images you use. Video is the most viewed medium on the internet nowadays so including some on your pages can make them come alive. A photo of your school in operation in the header area will also bring your home page to life.
Add News and Events
People really want to know what’s going on in your school and one place to do this is the news and events section of your site. It takes what can be normally quite dull material and breathes some life into it. A news section shows that you’re a school that engages it’s pupils and always has something going on.
Make it Easy to Navigate
Poor navigation is the main reason why people will come to your site and leave just as quickly. Sites that have been added to over the years generally become really difficult to navigate. If you want to make things easier, you need to regularly review the user experience or UX of your site so that information can be quickly found with just a few clicks of the mouse button.
Link Up To Social Media
Finally, websites don’t operate in a vacuum. Love it or hate it, most successful and engaging websites nowadays link up to social media accounts. It’s a way for parents and pupils to follow your activities and keep up to date with what’s going on.
Simple changes here and there can make a big difference to how stakeholders of all types engage with your website. If you would like your school site to have more impact, contact our development team today to find out how we can help.