Optimization is critical to your website’s continued success
By how much? An un-optimized website typically has a meager 3.1% conversion rate (verticals vary of course). When conversion rate optimization is executed correctly, it can increase conversion rates between 50 and 200 percent, and there are occasions when resultant increases are higher (King). GearyPMG has your quick tips and a whitepaper to help optimize your site and dramatically increase your conversion rates. Read More
Landing Page Optimization is always a tricky task for education marketers. Our landing page optimization expert, Mike Bowen passed along these tips.
1. Value Propositions - These are the key to winning over users. The best value propositions will appeal to prospective students’ emotional and logical sides. Answer questions like “What do I need?” or “What do I like?”
2. Call to Action – Don’t confuse students about what their next step is. Instead, aim to direct them to where you want them to go on a given page.
3. Content Simplicity – Content needs to be easy to remember and scan. Your user’s attention span is short, so make the most of it by using bullet points and staying away from long paragraphs. (case and point: this blog post)
4. Form Length and amount of required fields – Sometimes people get carried away with the amount of information that they want to collect. Ask only for what you need. Remember prospective students are providing information before they get anything from your institution. Make it easy.
5. Layout / Style – There are thousands of schools of thought about web design. However in my experience, sites work best with a strong banner headers, text to the left with a form to the right. It’s a classic for a reason.
6. Shuffle Different Promotional Offers – Try different offers to see what converts best.
7. Imagery - Some images work better than others. When selecting a visual for a site, think about how it will make students feel. Can they relate? Does it portray your brand in its best light?
8. Test, Test, Oh Yeah, Then Test Again – After implementing these steps, don’t forget to test everything. What works this month, may be passé next month, and vice versa.
You remember those “For Dummies” yellow books that decipher complicated instructions like how to get a home mortgage, master Microsoft Excel or file your own taxes?
We think there should be a guide for how universities can design their websites. It would cover how to build a useful website with a focus on successful home pages. The goal would be to present useful information, not just the most impressive.
This funny cartoon appeared on the website XKCD, addressing the challenges University marketers face when trying to create the best home page.
While tongue in cheek, this depicts a common problem education marketers face. They have several distinct groups visiting their websites that range from students to prospective students and alumni to the media. In many cases, the school clutters the homepage with information aimed to reach each group or they choose which to feature.
A better solution is to allow site visitors select the information they are interested in. On the homepage, clearly designate user paths that align with key audience segments. For example, have a button calling out “Member of the media? Click here.” This removes the clutter of a homepage and creates intuitive paths for users to follow that leads them to the information they’re actually interested in.