A well-designed school website is crucial for any educational institution, regardless of size or level. It serves as the digital face of the school and provides a platform for students, parents, teachers, and staff to access information quickly.
In 2023, having a website is no longer an option but a necessity. Here are some reasons why having a well-designed school website is crucial:
Key Principles
First impression matters: A well-designed website creates an excellent first impression and establishes credibility. It reflects the professionalism and dedication of the school toward providing quality education.
Easy access to information: A school website should be designed so anyone visiting it can access all relevant information easily. This includes information about academic programs, extracurricular activities, admission procedures, teachers and staff contact details, upcoming events, etc.
Improved communication: The website acts as a bridge between the school and its stakeholders – students, parents, teachers, staff members, and alumni. It offers an easy way to communicate with each other through online forms or chatbots.
Increased enrollment: A well-designed website can attract potential students and their families by showcasing the school’s achievements, facilities, faculty members’ qualifications and experience.
Cost-effective marketing: A school website is one of today’s most cost-effective marketing tools. It allows schools to reach out to prospective students globally without incurring enormous advertising costs.
A well-designed school website helps create a positive image and facilitates stakeholder communication while attracting new ones through effective marketing strategies.
School Website Design Trends
As school websites have become a crucial tool for educational institutions to reach their stakeholders, here are some of the biggest school website design trends that are gaining popularity:
Superior online experiences
With users expecting fast and seamless experiences, schools must ensure that their website loads quickly and is easy to navigate. Responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes and devices are becoming increasingly popular.
Clearer navigation
A well-organized and intuitive navigation system is critical for any website. Schools should aim for clear and concise menus that make it easy for visitors to find what they want quickly.
More compelling designs
Eye-catching visuals can significantly impact a user’s experience on a website. Schools can use compelling graphics, videos, and animations to communicate effectively and engage their audience.
More engaging content
Content is king for websites, especially in education. Schools should focus on creating high-quality, informative content that resonates with their target audience.
Faster loading experiences
Slow loading times can frustrate users and lead them to abandon a website. Optimizing images and reducing page load times can significantly improve user experience.
Better communications
Effective communication channels on a school’s website are crucial in today’s digital age. Chatbots, contact forms, social media integration, and live chat features are all becoming increasingly popular ways of communicating with students, parents, staff members, and other stakeholders.
Tips for Upgrading School Website Design on a Budget
Here are some tips for upgrading school website design on a budget:
Mobile-first designs
With most internet users accessing websites through mobile devices, having a responsive mobile-first site is crucial. Schools should ensure their website design is optimized for mobile devices before desktops.
Importance of having a responsive mobile-first site: A responsive mobile-first site improves user experience by providing faster load times and easy navigation on smaller screens. This can lead to increased engagement and higher conversion rates.
Suggestions for improving the mobile experience through reimagining content with images and videos: When designing for mobile devices, it’s important to remember that users have limited attention spans and prefer visual content over lengthy text-based content. To improve the mobile experience, schools can use images and videos to convey information more effectively while reducing text clutter.
Simplify navigation
Having clear navigation is vital for any website, but it’s even more crucial for mobile devices where screen real estate is limited. Schools should aim to simplify their navigation menu by using drop-down menus or hamburger menus.
Use white space effectively
White or negative space refers to the empty spaces between elements on a web page. Using white space effectively can improve readability and make the website look more modern and professional.
Less focus on hero slideshows
The hero slideshow, also known as the hero banner, has been a popular design trend for school websites for years. However, research shows website visitors don’t spend as much time viewing rotating slideshows or videos as we imagine. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why schools should move beyond the hero slideshow and provide suggestions for using the entire page to tell a school’s story.
Visitors don’t spend much time on rotating slideshows: Studies have shown that visitors only spend an average of 2-3 seconds on each slide in a rotating slideshow. This means that most of your audience will miss crucial information if it’s only displayed on the first slide.
Use the entire page to tell a school’s story: Instead of relying solely on the hero slideshow, schools can use the entire page to tell their story through engaging content and visuals. This can include high-quality images, videos, infographics, and student testimonials.
Focus on user experience
When designing a school website, it’s essential to focus on user experience by providing clear navigation and easy-to-find information. Schools should create a cohesive narrative throughout their website that provides visitors an immersive experience.
Showcase achievements and accolades
Schools can showcase their achievements and accolades in different ways throughout their website. Highlighting these accomplishments boosts morale and helps build trust with potential students and families.
Utilize social media integration
Social media integration is becoming increasingly popular among school websites as it allows users to engage with the school’s community outside of its official website. Schools can display social media feeds or links to their profiles to keep visitors up-to-date with news and events.
Use motion
Purposeful motion is a design trend that has gained popularity recently, especially in website design.
Purposeful motion can draw users’ attention to important information or calls-to-action on a website. For example, animating a button when it’s hovered over can make it more noticeable and increase the likelihood of users clicking on it.
Provides feedback
Animations can provide users instant feedback when interacting with elements on a website. For example, when a form is submitted successfully, an animation can show that the action was completed successfully.
Enhances storytelling
Purposeful motion can enhance storytelling by adding depth and dimensionality to visuals. For instance, animations can bring illustrations or graphics to life and make them more engaging for visitors.
Improves user engagement
Animations can improve user engagement by making the website feel more interactive and dynamic. This leads to increased time spent on the site and higher conversion rates.
Cost-effective
Implementing purposeful motion doesn’t have to break the bank. Many free or low-cost tools are available for creating animations, such as Adobe Spark or Canva’s animation feature.
Keep it Simple
Clarity
A simple design makes it easier for users to understand the purpose of a website and find what they’re looking for quickly. It allows them to focus on the content rather than getting lost in unnecessary features or complicated navigation.
User Experience
A well-designed website should prioritize user experience by providing a clear path for users to follow. This means having a logical layout and intuitive navigation that guides users through the site without confusion.
Mobile-Friendly
With the rise of mobile devices, schools must ensure that their websites are optimized for smaller screens. Simple designs work well on mobile devices because they load faster and are easier to navigate on smaller screens.
Branding
A simple design can help establish a school’s brand identity by creating a consistent look and feel across all website pages. This includes using consistent colors, fonts, and imagery throughout the site.
Accessibility
Keeping designs simple can also improve accessibility by making it easier for users with disabilities to navigate the site. For example, using clear headings and avoiding complex layouts can make interpreting content easier for screen readers.
Keeping designs simple is essential for creating an effective school website that prioritizes user experience while establishing a strong brand identity. By prioritizing clarity, user experience, mobile-friendliness, branding consistency, and accessibility, schools can create websites that are easy to use and accessible to all users regardless of their abilities or device preferences.
In conclusion, investing in a well-designed school website is essential for any educational institution looking to establish credibility, enhance communication, increase visibility, gain a competitive edge while saving time.
It’s an investment in the current and future generations who will benefit from the value added by creating such an online platform for learning institutions.
