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Evaluating Your Institutional Website
The document discusses best practices for improving institutional website effectiveness, emphasizing fast task completion and simplicity. Key points include the importance of addressing users' primary tasks, ensuring quick access to information about programs, costs, and admissions while avoiding clutter and distractions. Additionally, it highlights the significance of mobile speed and recommends keeping inquiry forms concise to enhance user engagement.
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Evaluating Your Institutional Website
- 1. EVALUATING YOUR INSTITUTIONAL WEBSITE ©ROBERTE.JOHNSON, PH.D.2015 Improving Your Strategic Recruitment Communications Plan Academic Impressions Houston, TX June 1-3, 2015 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 1
- 2. KEEP. IT. SIMPLE. Whatdo most people want from your website? Fast task completion. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 2
- 3. Let Google helpyou… https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 3
- 4. Attention to JakobNielsen… http://www.nngroup.com/articles/university-sites/ Top 10 Design Guidelines… My favorites… • #5 • “Make it easy to view a list of majors and programs.” • #8 • “Follow the user journey: check the main tasks for each of your audiences.” • #9 • “Beware the perils of making your website ‘cool.’“ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 4
- 5. Nielsen review ofBucknell website… http://www.nngroup.com/articles/breaking-web-conventions/ The Nielsen review… The Bucknell website… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 5
- 6. Keep reading levelslow… http://www.cam.ac.uk/research University of Cambridge Research Grade 10 Reading Level Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 6
- 7. TOP TASK DESIGN… 3to 5 tasks are usually dominant. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 7
- 8. MAJOR REASON PEOPLEVISIT YOUR WEBSITE… Complete a task… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 8
- 9. THE GOLDEN RULE… <5seconds to connect Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 9
- 10. Top tasks forfuture students… • Top tasks at the start… • Find the programs you offer • Visit the academic program(s) of interest • Learn what you will cost • See if your grads are successful (AKA, “outcomes”) • Other important tasks • Who enrolls at this place? • What’s required for admission? • Where are you located? Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 10
- 11. Not top tasksfor future students… • Try not to clutter a web page task completion obstacles to a smooth task completion journey: • Reading mission statements… for the university or for individual administrative departments. • Reading messages from deans and presidents. • Learning when a college was founded. • Scanning news story headlines. • Watching home page carousels unfold. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 11
- 12. BETWEEN SPEED &BEAUTY… Always pick speed. Especially on mobile. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 12
- 13. Slower than moston mobile… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 13
- 14. THE HOME PAGE… Mostpeople come to a home page to leave it as quickly as possible. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 14
- 15. 4 center-stage toptask links… http://www.uottawa.ca/en Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 15
- 16. Direct path tocosts & scholarships… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 16
- 17. 8 easy-to-scan linkclusters… http://sydney.edu.au/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 17
- 18. Direct path toacademic programs… http://www.stedwards.edu/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 18
- 19. THE ADMISSIONS PAGE… Toptasks differ over the recruitment cycle. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 19
- 20. Tasks grouped bycycle stage… http://www.esu.edu/admissions/index.cfm Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 20
- 21. A Canadian example… https://www.lakeheadu.ca/future-students BobJohnson Consulting, LLC 21
- 22. Opening with keyquestions… http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/ • One missing question: • “What programs do you offer?” • Use analytics to discard or replace questions of little interest. • Ask recruiters about college night questions. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 22
- 23. ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OFFERED… Bob JohnsonConsulting, LLC 23
- 24. One option… bigimages, small text https://majors.stanford.edu/ • 99 programs with interactive searching by alphabet and “interest.” • Images usually match the major. • A long way to scroll • Especially on a phone Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 24
- 25. Or just analpha list of programs… http://www.stedwards.edu/academics/bachelors/programs Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 25
- 26. How fast onmobile? https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ Stanford University… 54/100 St. Edward’s… 72/100 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 26
- 27. ON AN ACADEMIC PROGRAMPAGE… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 27
- 28. A first focuson outcomes… http://www.nait.ca/program_home_78110.htm • As the page opens… • Career options • Employment rate • Salaries • All text does not mean fast on mobile… • 72/100 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 28
- 29. “REAL” VIDEO STORY TELLING… BobJohnson Consulting, LLC 29
- 30. Short alumni “experience”stories… http://blogs.davidson.edu/afterdavidson/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 30
- 31. Introducing (mostly) students… http://viewbook.enrollment.cmu.edu/site/viewbook/profiles.html BobJohnson Consulting, LLC 31
- 32. ESPECIALLY FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS… Toptask: how many credits will transfer to your school? Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 32
- 33. Self-help for transfercredit value… https://www.franklin.edu/transfer-credit-college-course-equivalency-tool Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 33
- 34. INQUIRY FORMS… The longerthe form, the fewer people will complete it. Guaranteed. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 34
- 35. Blessedly brief inquiryform… http://bit.ly/OqbqFY Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 35
- 36. Asking permission totext… http://online.gannon.edu/request-more-information Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 36
- 37. Professional schools keepit simple… http://bit.ly/1aDruV9 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 37
- 38. Give people areason to use your form… Cornell University • "Join our contact list and receive emails, electronic invitations to programs, and important admission updates by completing the form below." American University • “To receive additional information for Undergraduate Programs at American University, please complete and submit the following form. To use this form, you must have Java script enabled in your web browser. AU is sensitive to privacy issues and will not sell or otherwise distribute information obtained from this form. If your browser does not support forms, send mail to afa@american.edu to request application materials.” Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 38
- 39. Can you reallypersonalize response? http://www.calvin.edu/admissions/contact/request/ • “Tell us more about yourself, and we’ll keep you up to date about what’s going on at Calvin in your interest areas.”
- 40. Request for socialsecurity number? https://www.applyweb.com/public/inquiry?s=umuginq Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 40
- 41. An unusual autoresponse… https://www.findlay.edu/admissions/Request-Info
- 42. AT THE END… BobJohnson Consulting, LLC 42
- 43. 6 key pointsto remember… • People visit websites to complete top tasks. • Let tasks guide navigation. • Marketing-focused content is dangerous. • Often creates speed bumps on the visitor journey. • Speed gives competitive advantage with impatient visitors, mobile or large screen. • Let people tell “real” stories, preferably in short videos. • Keep inquiry forms short. Really short. • Start a content reduction plan. Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 43
- 44. THANKS FOR BEING HEREIN HOUSTON! Bob Johnson, Ph.D. bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com @highedmarketing Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC ... @HighEdMarketing 44