With technology so ingrained in the modern way of life, and over 250,000 new websites being designed and launched every single day across the globe, having a website for your school is no longer enough to make a statement.
Using skills and examples picked up from our decades’ worth of experience, we’ve outlined 5 effective ways of launching your school website so that it stands out and makes the best possible first impression.
5 ways to boost the launch of your school website
High Quality Photography
This really is essential and recommended by us for any new school website. When you click onto any site, whether it’s for a school or other brand, the imagery and aesthetic presentation is what hits you first. Working with leading photographers that are highly experienced in the education sector, our designers collaborate with the photography team to ensure the most fitting photos are taken to serve prevalent parts of the new site.
Consideration of your school brand colours is also an integral part of our school website design process helping to ensure continuity across your brand and enhance the visual presentation of your website. Remember that any photos taken for your website might prove useful across other marketing materials and touchpoints (hold onto that thought, ready for point 5 in this list!)
Utilise Email Marketing
A well-timed campaign can set your website launch up to get the very best returns, by letting parents and pupils know – via email and the school intranet – exactly what the launch will include and offer to them.
If you decide to launch your new website during the school holidays, an email campaign can also help to ease parents and students back into the habit of checking the school site for updates – and provide them with a quick and easy link to follow.
Consider A Rebrand
If you really want to make your website the very best representation of your school that it can be, you might just find that you need a complete rebrand – whether that be in layout or in the school branding itself.
To determine if your school website might need a rebrand, check out our blog on school rebranding and redesigning and find out how we could help you to give your school the best possible online aesthetic.
Synchronise Your Site With A Dedicated App
On-the-go browsing has never been so important. So what better way to support that than through the simultaneous launch of a dedicated school app that can provide the entire school community with easy and instant access to the information they need. A school app, such as the Cleverbox School Connect app is a solution which connects your school with those it needs to be in contact with – delivering updates and relevant news stories directly to people’s phones in an engaging way.
Look Outside Your Website
While your website is a crucial touchpoint in the online journey of your school community, it is not the only online platform that parents and students will turn towards. It’s also certainly not your only chance to make a good first impression. A high quality school prospectus presents an opportunity to put the spotlight on what makes your school such a supportive and engaging environment for pupils and for the wider community. Blending visual immersion with all the information that potential parents and students might need, it makes the perfect compliment to your new website and ensures the school branding is consistent throughout your various touchpoints.
Whether your school prospectus is an online or physical document, our experience shows that it is the prospectus which brings together all of the four former points in one stimulating celebration of what your school has to offer – and we can help you to achieve that with our prospectus design service.
The Takeaway
If you’re planning to launch a new school website in 2022, consider the 5 points above to make sure that your website does not become lost in a crowd of online experiences.
For more advice and to see how we could help, get in touch with the Cleverbox team today!