-- strongly market academic programs;
-- assist in student recruitment efforts;
-- address concerns of parents of potential students;
-- serve the needs of current students;
-- help develop university alumni relations;
-- serve faculty needs;
-- help university staff with processes such as admissions, financial
aid, course registration, etc.
In addition, certain coding/programming and design techniques enhance the
website's functionality by making the site search engine-friendly or easily
accessible on other devices such as mobile phones. When it comes to
programming techniques, university websites with dynamic content should use
static URLs so that search engines understand how to index their pages.
Website Content
University sites usually display a high volume of written content in order
to communicate with multiple audiences such as prospective students,
parents, enrolled students, alumni, staff and faculty. Organization of
such content is extremely important and is strictly related to the
website's architecture. Since universities are experts in the subject
matter, most of them will write their own content and deliver it to the
agency for use on the website. However, content written for a brochure
should not be implemented straight onto the website. It's important that
the content is reviewed and revised by an SEO specialist as well.
Well-written content may not necessarily be web friendly given the need for
on-screen readability or search engine optimization. University website
content that is search engine optimized will aid the university's online
marketing efforts by boosting organic search engine rankings. In addition,
stylizing website content with CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) is an important
website design or redesign technique. Appropriate usage of HTML tags that
define headings can help improve both search engine rankings and on-screen
readability of text.
Aesthetics and Brand Image
Integrating the brand image into the school's online presence is a must.
"Through our work with different schools and educational organizations we
found that some -- including the very old and well-established institutions
-- still do not have a branding style guide," says Majewski. A branding
style guide, she adds, will help university marketing directors preserve
brand consistency across all media channels including print, electronic,
outdoor and online.
The look and feel of the university's site is very important. Aesthetics
of the university's Internet presence will of course aid in the marketing
efforts and enhance the overall experience of today's sophisticated online
users. However, the design should not overshadow website's functionality.
Appropriate design techniques that integrate SEO and good usability
practices should be implemented.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO), also known as natural optimization, is a
technique that makes a website rise near the top when prospective students
do a search on the Internet. SEO aids in what's called "organic rankings"
-- those that appear from a search without paying for any keywords. Three
things are vital while optimizing a university's website for search engine
performance: design, programming and content.
For SEO purposes, the university website redesign process should focus on
design techniques that result in search engine-friendly websites. Use of
CSS is highly recommended. Additionally HTML code should be equipped with
appropriate key word lists, strong page titles, descriptors and meta tags.
Website content should be text based. Additionally text should be edited
and optimized to contain a high concentration of relevant key words in the
copy, as well as links.
Another important aspect of university website redesign is the preservation
of current organic search engine rankings. Many universities and schools
already have strong organic rankings on major search engines. One such
example is Drexel University. On Google the keyword "Drexel University"
returns more than five pages of organic search engine results. In
addition, many general keywords (example: masters degree online) also
return Drexel on the first page of search results.
Changes to the website's architecture should be designed to improve search
engine rankings, not disturb the current ones. To help preserve current
rankings:
-- Links to pages and sub-sites that are already well indexed by search
engines should remain the same.
-- Meta tags containing key words, descriptors and page titles should be
transferred from old pages into the new website pages.
-- Discontinued pages should use URL redirect links to new pages.
Adamus Media, headquartered in Williamstown, N.J., is a full service
design, marketing and communications firm. The agency works with many
schools, educational organizations and higher education institutions, as
well as nonprofit organizations.
For more information visit adamusmedia.com or call 856-728-6100.
Contact Information: Contact: Gary Frisch Director of Public Relations Phone: 856.728.6100 Fax: 856.728.6121