Evaluating Your Institutional Website

Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC 1

EVALUATING YOUR INSTITUTIONAL WEBSITE

©ROBERT E. JOHNSON, PH.D. 2016

Improving Your Strategic Recruitment Communications PlanAcademic Impressions

Atlanta, GAJune 6-8, 2016


KEEP. IT. SIMPLE.

What do most people want from your website? Fast task completion.


Attention to Jakob Nielsen…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.”• #6

• “Provide information about job placement after graduation, and link to it from the alumni section of the website.”

• #8• “Follow the user journey: check the

main tasks for each of your audiences.”• #9

• “Beware the perils of making your website ‘cool.’“


Use Google mobile, desktop check…https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/


Keep reading levels low…http://www.cam.ac.uk/research

University of Cambridge Research Grade 10 Reading Level


Opinion can differ… Bucknell University

CASE Gold Award 2015

• Institutional Websites• 88 entries• Gold Awards• Bucknell University (Pa.)• “Bucknell University reimagined and

redesigned its institutional website to attract students who are leaders, entrepreneurs, and collaborators. This site, which encourages exploration and stimulates curiosity, is also populated with factual and practical material for conducting the business of a university.”

Google Evaluation… 34/100

http://www.bucknell.edu/

http://www.bucknell.edu/


Nielsen review of Bucknell website…http://www.nngroup.com/articles/breaking-web-conventions/

The Nielsen review… The Bucknell website…


TOP TASK DESIGN…3 to 5 tasks are usually dominant.

MAJOR REASON PEOPLE VISIT YOUR WEBSITE…

Complete a task…


THE GOLDEN RULE…

<5 seconds to connect



Top tasks for future 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?


Not top tasks for future students…• Try not to clutter a web page with obstacles to a smooth task completion journey:• Watching home page carousels unfold.• Reading mission statements… for the university or for

administrative departments. • Reading welcome messages from deans & presidents.• Finding the year a college was founded.• Scanning news story headlines.


BETWEEN SPEED & BEAUTY…

Always pick speed.Especially on mobile.


Slow on mobile…


THE HOME PAGE…Most people come to a home page to leave it as quickly as possible.


A most unusual home page…http://www.xavier.edu/


Priority for academic program path…http://www.callutheran.edu/


Carousel co-existence…https://www.vu.edu.au/


“Estimate cost and aid”…http://www.lynn.edu/

http://www.lynn.edu/


4 center-stage top task links in 2014…http://www.uottawa.ca/en


Today, task approach is gone…


THE ADMISSIONS PAGE…Top tasks change over the recruitment cycle.


Tasks grouped by cycle stage…http://www.esu.edu/admissions/index.cfm


Opening with key questions…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.


ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OFFERED…


One option… big images, small texthttps://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


Or an alpha list of programs…https://wayne.edu/programs/


How fast on mobile?https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

Stanford University… 53/100 Wayne State… 73/100


ACADEMIC PAGES…


A first focus on 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

Top tasks for study abroad…http://studyabroad.arcadia.edu/



Important faculty details…http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/enam/faculty


Success after graduation…http://www.colgate.edu/distinctly-colgate/success-after-colgate


“REAL” VIDEO STORY TELLING…


Introducing (mostly) students…http://viewbook.enrollment.cmu.edu/site/viewbook/profiles.html


Short alumni “experience” stories…http://blogs.davidson.edu/afterdavidson/


Increasing enrollment conversion…http://askawildcat.davidson.edu/


ESPECIALLY FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS…Top task: how many credits will transfer to your school?


Self-help for transfer credit value…https://www.franklin.edu/transfer-credit-college-course-equivalency-tool


And the fastest mobile tested… 93!


INQUIRY FORMS…The longer the form, the fewer people will complete it.Guaranteed.


Once upon a time… and today


Brief forms increase inquiries…https://admission.stmarytx.edu/#contact


Give people a reason 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 [email protected] to request application materials.”

mailto:[email protected]


Request for social security number?https://www.applyweb.com/public/inquiry?s=umuginq

An unusual auto response…https://www.findlay.edu/admissions/Request-Info


AT THE END…


6 key points to 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 ... @HighEdMarketing 49

THANKS FOR BEING HERE IN ATLANTA!Bob Johnson, [email protected]@highedmarketing

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Evaluating Your Institutional Website

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