You may want to increase international enrolments, attract more academically talented students, diversify your intake, or gain the attention of adult students. Regardless of your goals, you need a website that brings you the traffic you want and encourages visitors to engage with you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about how well your website is functioning.
- Site usability. Today's students are 'digital natives' who expect everything to be instantly at their fingertips. Does your site make it easy for them to find exactly what they want within seconds? They're unlikely to hang around if they can't.
- Targeted communications. In the world of web 2.0, online communication needs to be about your visitors, not about you. Does your web copy speak directly to your target market about their needs and wishes? Does it speak to them in the language they use?
- Value for money. Higher education is becoming more and more expensive, and parents and students want to know whether your degree programs represent good value. Does the quality and usability of your website reflect the quality of your university?
- Interactivity. Thanks to content-sharing sites like YouTube and WordPress blogs, everyone now expects to have their voice heard online. Does your site feature authentic student voices?
