Leverage Your Private School Website and Boost Student Enrollment
Parents look at a lot of things when they’re considering a school for their children. First and foremost, there are practical concerns such as distance from home, transportation options, and costs. If their children have physical, emotional, or learning needs that require special attention, then prospective schools must also have the facilities and programs to meet these needs.
There are also desired requirements, which ultimately depend on the educational and environmental aspects parents want to prioritize. Some parents are partial to schools that are focused on college preparation, while others may want one that uses a science curriculum or has a strong music program. This category may include the teacher to student ratio, facilities and amenities, and instructional model used by the school.
In short, parents and students have different requirements, and what they’re looking for right from the beginning is a school that is best prepared to meet their needs and wants. The challenge for the school is now this: What’s the best way of showcasing what your school has to offer, and how can you position your school as a perfect match for these families?
Make Your Private School Website Stand Out Online
A private school website serves as the school’s online resume. In order to retain current students and to encourage prospective students to visit your campus, your school has to look appealing online. Here are some of the ways you can use your school website to boost student enrollment:
Make a Good First Impression with Your School Website
Your school’s home page is one of the first things parents see when they’re doing a preliminary search for a school. Make your school memorable from the get-go by using contemporary layout and design elements that encapsulate your brand. Prominently display your colors and logo. Ensure that the aspects that distinguish your school are front and center.
If, for example, your school is known for or is building an academic reputation, then include a short but sweet mention of your academic achievements. If a lively school community is your strong point, you can include images of your latest activities and fairs. The intent here is to give students and their parents a general idea of the kind of environment that your school provides.
Once you’ve showed your prospective parents and students a glimpse of what your school is like, it’s time to present the details that support your school’s identity. Don’t cram information on your home page. A tab in your navigation bar should lead to a page where you can enumerate your school’s academic or athletic achievements, socio-civic engagements, extracurricular activities, or any other aspect that your school is known for. When writing the content for these pages, keep in mind what you want your visitors to see and what your visitors actually want to see.
Keep Your Website Updated
Additionally, the information on your website should stay current. Through constant, consistent updates, you are establishing your website as a reliable source of information for the rest of the school community, including the students. Plus, it shows that your school maximizes the use of technology and that the administrators make it a priority to keep the rest of the community up-to-date with the latest news. This can be done by using a calendar of events, maintaining blogs and online bulletins, and giving visitors the option to sign up for your newsletters.
Give Your Current Students and Parents a Bit of Space in Your Private School Website
The words of satisfied parents and students are second to none when it comes to winning over new enrollees. Parents who are still looking around for a school will want to hear the opinion and experiences of a student or parent from your school. What your current students have to say will influence the expectations of prospective students and their families.
It would be great if you could include a testimonial section in your homepage. In addition to featured reviews, you can also showcase parental satisfaction and strong parental involvement by directing visitors to a page dedicated to your parent-teacher organization. Alternatively, you can feature appreciative social media posts from parents and students on your school website and newsletter.
Encourage Questions and Make Finding Answers Easy
Once you’ve captured the attention of a parent, be ready to answer a lot of questions about your school and programs. Make sure that the facts parents want to see are found within the website itself. You can make the search faster through the use of a prominently displayed search button or a well-organized navigation. Many parents will also want to get in touch with you through the school’s contact page. Take this as an opportunity to boost engagement by answering their questions and encouraging them to tour your school and see your facilities and amenities.
Create Category Pages Specifically for Admissions
Your private school website is not only useful for attracting students, but it can also be utilized to make the enrollment process smoother. One of the best ways of doing this is by including an “Admissions” tab in your main navigation bar. This page must have a list of the school’s requirements for admission, dates to remember, and any other information a student will need prior to and during the admission process. Forms that need filling out should be made available online. This enables the students to download the forms and fill it out in the comfort of their home with help from their parents. Enabling online form submissions is also a big plus as it lessens the chance of misplacing or losing these important documents.
Make Payments an Effortless Activity by Allowing Online Payment Collection
Make enrollment a painless process from start to finish by allowing online payment collections. Parents will find this feature quite useful, especially if their schedule does not permit them to drop by the school during the enrollment period. At the same time, this will make the task of tracking and tabulating payments much easier for your school.
Your website plays a big role in making your school visible to parents and students. The information displayed on your website establishes the school as an ideal place of learning.
The website’s features, on the other hand, offer a preview of how your school takes every effort to meet the needs of the students and their parents. Make sure you’re maximizing the use of your private school website by enabling these features and functions.