School Website Design – 7 Things To Consider. March 9th, 2012.
These days, pupils and parents spend more time on the Internet than they do reading a newspaper or watching television, and the majority of school websites do not project the correct image of the school.
Great websites have a strong design and are content-driven; they should provide parents, pupils, staff, OFSTED and governors with all the information they need – after all, the school website is it’s 24 hour window.
There are several key elements to consider when getting a school website designed. 7 of the most important are:
1. Visual
The visual impact of your site is very important. It gives an overall impression of your school in the first few seconds and if it doesn’t look good you can instantly put people off.
2. Content
Good content is essential to give the right impression. After the visual signals, the next thing that visitors will take on board is the wording. It needs to be informative, engaging and obviously have the correct spelling and grammar – after all a school is the place that children go to learn how to write!
3. USP
Your website needs to show your unique selling points. If you are well known for sport or specialise in I.T. this needs to be clear. It helps set you apart from other schools in your area.
4. Branding
Your look and message needs to be consistent across all channels, from letter heads to adverts. Your website needs to look like it belongs to your brand identity.
5. Navigation
Pupils, parents and other visitors want to find content quickly and so your site needs to make this easy.
6. Social media presence
Schools today need to interact with pupils and parents on platforms of their choice and this includes social media. Consider setting up a Twitter and Facebook profile.
7. Freshness
No-one wants to see out of date content. Schools need to be able to make quick and easy updates to flag up such things such as school closures and give information about school trips. By using a CMS (Content Management System), you will be able to make simple text changes and upload pictures, keeping your website fresh and up to date. This can be done without the need for specialist I.T. knowledge and can be done at any time of the day or night without the need for a third party (and the costs associated with that).
Giant Peach can help you attract new pupils, give you a professional online look and help with the job of keeping current pupils and parents informed.
See what we did for The Stonehenge School www.stonehenge.wilts.sch.uk
