Program pages are increasingly important to higher ed marketing. Schools are adjusting education marketing strategy to become more engaging. Here are 5 best practices for building better program pages.

1. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 1
5 Best Practices For Building
Better Program Pages

2. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 2
1. Create a seamless experience
2. Make the case with relevant data
3. Anticipate what prospective students are asking
4. Humanize with visuals and testimonials
5. Optimize your program page for SEO
Overview
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

3. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 3
 It can definitely be challenging trying to simultaneously optimize
multiple program pages, but some colleges and universities that
are investing time and resources on these pages are beginning
to show results.
 The University of Manitoba recently restructured its website to
provide users with consistently informative and visually dynamic
content.
 It was a labour-intensive process to create but Jeff Adams, director
of student recruitment, believes providing "all of the information we
can, in a simple manner," provides users with the maximum
information in a minimum of clicks.
 All program page information was provided by faculties and then
formatted to have a common voice and style.
 Students are able to click to apply directly from each site.
1. Create a seamless experience
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

4. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 4
The University of Manitoba includes for each
program:
 a program description
 degree options
 interesting courses
 unique opportunities (co-op and exchange
options), career choices
 admission requirements
 prerequisites
 links for each program
1. Example: University of Manitoba
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

5. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 5
 Great program pages not only provide necessary functional
information but, if possible, relevant data that convinces
prospects about a particular degree's value.
 Career-focused students are seeking employment rates
within the first year of program completion and median
starting income.
 If you don't have access to this data, it might be time to start
collecting it.
2. Make the case with relevant data
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

6. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 6
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology makes everything
very clear to prospective students: their ROI (Return on
Investment), along with quick facts, fees, application deadlines,
and a handy "apply online" button.
2. Example: Northern Alberta Institute of
Technology
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

7. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 7
 Prospective students will generally have a few common
questions regarding a particular program and it is your task
to provide the answers as clearly as possible.
 Questions could include:
 What is the demand for graduates of this program?
 What positions are graduates qualified to apply for?
 What have other graduates done with the degree?
 How much is it and is there financial aid?
3. Anticipate what prospective students are asking
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

8. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 8
 Make it easier to finish the application process by offering
immediate next steps related to enrollment on each
program page.
 Consider that the average high-school student may have
only the vaguest idea of what they want to study, so links to
related majors will make navigation within your site more
fluid.
 It is ideal to present helpful information such as a course
calendar and specific benefits that result from completion of
the program in an uncluttered manner, with relevant links to
further details.
3. Anticipate what prospective students are asking
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

9. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 9
 Centennial College has an excellent layout on their program
pages that provides a lot of content in an easily digestible
format.
 The program overview, resulting eligibility for
certification, admission requirements and application process
are all tastefully presented, and a comprehensive program
outline even features links to each course description.
3. Example: Centennial College
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

10. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 10
 Despite a growing focus on careers, choosing a school is
still a decision about where a student can envision
themselves spending a significant amount of time.
 Adding relevant pictures with written and video testimonials
to program pages gives prospective students a better idea
of the intangible feel of a place, while encouraging users to
explore more of the website.
4. Humanize with visuals and testimonials
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

11. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 11
Carleton University features text, pictures and videos on their main
program page, while each specific program has a testimonial and
sometimes a head shot to further personalize the content.
4. Example: Carleton University
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

12. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 12
 Preparing each program page for SEO will better your
chances of targeted leads arriving there through search
engines, so:
 Keep the content regularly updated
 Integrate the right keywords, with unique page titles and clear meta
descriptions.
 If a major website overhaul is too much, try starting with five
degrees or programs with the highest enrollment.
 Continue to test for fluid site navigation as you make
updates, remembering that the easier you make it for
students to understand your academic offerings, the more
likely they are to apply.
5. Optimize your program pages for SEO
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

13. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 13
What features on program pages have you found
most effective for student recruitment?
Source: Higher Education Marketing – 5 Best Practices For Building Better Program Pages

14. 5 Best Practices For Building Better
Program Pages
Slide 14
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