After having led the redesign of 5 school websites —over 800 pages in total—I can confidently say that planning isn’t optional. It’s essential. Thoughtful, strategic planning ensures your website accurately reflects your school identity while serving the needs of your community.
When it comes to creating or redesigning your school website, the stakes are high. For many families, your website is their first impression of your school. It should tell a compelling story, answer questions, and open the door to the next step in the admissions journey. This is where prospective families get to know your school, current families stay informed, and you get to watch your school community come to life.
The Benefits of Planning
A properly planned website:
- Welcomes Prospective Families
- Your website is a window to your school’s values, programs, and culture. It should highlight and answer questions prospective parents typically have, whether that’s details about curriculum, extracurriculars, tuition, or key topics.
- Supports Current Families
- Your website is a hub for school resources like calendars, forms, lunch menus and important announcements.
- Advances Marketing/Admissions Goals
- Each section and page on your website is guiding the user to take the next step, whether that’s speaking to admissions, booking a school visit, or submitting an application.
The Roadmap to Effective Website Planning
- Establish Your Vision
What do you want your website to achieve? For many schools, the primary goal is increasing inquiries, encouraging school visits, and receiving more applications. Other schools may focus on telling their unique story via blog posts, testimonials, or videos that highlight their community and culture.
- Define Your Audience
Who are the parents you’re trying to reach? Are they families looking for a developed STEM program, strong core values, maybe just a sense of community? Use this information to tailor your website’s design and content.
- Create a User Journey
When a parent lands on your site, the navigation journey should be seamless and intuitive. Use key words and phrases to lead people where they want to go. Avoid looping your audience into unnecessary clicks or dead ends.
- Cut the Clutter
Keep what’s important. Cut the rest. If a section or page on your website doesn’t serve your audience or align with your goals, it’s time to let it go. A straightforward site keeps users engaged longer.
- Think Long-Term
Build your website with flexibility in mind. It’s normal and expected for websites to age. However, one big thing my team focused on during our building process was making sure our designs could accommodate future updates and changes as our schools grew. A scalable website saves time and resources in the long run.
“A website is a window through which your business says hello to the world.”– Amit Kalantri
Your website is one of your school’s greatest assets. Planning it with intention ensures it accurately reflects your brand and values, and simultaneously provides a seamless experience for current and prospective families. Whether you’re starting from scratch or revamping an existing site, thoughtful planning is the difference between “just a website” and a website that informs, inspires, and converts.
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