In today’s challenging higher education landscape, with fewer prospects and heightened competition, driving enrollment is critical for survival. From admissions, to marketing, to deans the pressure is on across campus to attract new students and retain those who have already enrolled.
We know it can be tempting to chase the latest AI solution or tech trends in search of that one “magical” strategy, but most of our clients see notable results from first focusing on the foundational elements of smart website design—starting with understanding your audience.
While this may seem overly simple, it’s a fundamental for successful higher ed websites that is often not given enough attention. By understanding your audience you can tailor your content to the needs of the students you can best serve, make connections, and ultimately drive enrollment.
We at iFactory have been optimizing the enrollment funnel with thoughtful digital solutions for the past 30 years. What we’ve learned is this: Whether you’re a community college or an Ivy League school, understanding your audience is the first step for enrollment success.
A conversation: Learn about your audience
A website should be a conversation between you and your users–a place to begin what we hope will be a long-term relationship.
Knowing your audience and catering to their needs is critical to attracting right-fit students to enroll at your institution. Now that the competition is steeper than ever before, it becomes more and more important to identify what types of students are a good fit for you, to get to know them well, and to speak their language while also embodying your own brand..
By understanding the background, needs, and goals of your potential students, you can learn to see through their eyes in order to inform architecture, design, and messaging according to your prospective students’ mental model.
By designing for and speaking directly to your users, you can tell your school’s story on your website in a way that’s intuitive to access and relatable to users—ultimately showing students that your college is the place for them.
For example, if you know that your audience’s main priorities are to earn a degree and join the workforce quickly, you might lead with fast-track programs, job placement data, partnerships for workforce development, and student stories featuring employment outcomes.
Remember how the quote at the start of this section calls a website “a place to begin what we hope will be a long-term relationship?”
As in any relationship, it is critical to be yourself (know your brand) and be receptive. Continue to learn about your student prospects—set up feedback mechanisms and good data capture so you keep your finger on the pulse of behavior and priorities. That helps you make good decisions and respond.
Accessibility: Lower barriers & foster inclusivity
Did you know that more than 20% of undergraduate students have a disability? To ensure equal access, WCAG guidelines set the minimum standards that a website must meet to be legally compliant and accessible to everyone. Not meeting these standards can result in fines, lawsuits, and/or a loss of federal funding for higher ed institutions.
While it’s crucial to avoid legal repercussions, we believe accessibility is much more than a checkbox for compliance.
Accessibility is a fundamental element of your website that enhances user experience, promotes the culture of inclusivity, and also simply puts your content and your opportunities in the hands of more people who may want to engage.
Although accessibility standards were designed for individuals with disabilities, building an accessible website inherently removes barriers for all prospective students, and therefore should be a top tactic amongst your enrollment marketing strategies.
For example, let’s consider first-generation college students. About one in five first-gen students don’t find college websites helpful. Why? Because they don’t know what to look for or how the process works.
First-generation students face unique challenges and often lack the guidance of a college-educated family member to help them navigate the journey. Having an accessible website can bridge this gap by providing clear, user-friendly information and resources that empower them to succeed independently.
This includes everything from using accessible language to creating an intuitive path through the site to improve user experience. A common issue we encounter is schools organizing their external website based on organizational structure and using too much internal language.
Challenge yourself to think like a student
To create a more user-friendly experience, it’s important to think like a student when deciding where to place content on the website. It doesn’t need to match your internal organization—it needs to make sense to the user and how they are looking for what they need..
And remember, not everyone understands terms used inside a college. Think about the names of forms, offices, and processes. Would a new student understand what they are? Would a first-generation student? If in doubt, use a more recognizable name, or make sure the content surrounding that name is clear.
For example, Bursar’s Office may not be immediately recognizable to some students. But if you use a header like, “Manage Your Student Financial Account,” then users know that the Bursar’s Office is where they need to go to pay tuition and take care of other financial matters.
SEO: Serve your audience what they seek
Search engines are the number one method students use to find college websites.
Having an effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategy helps your school be seen by prospective students and appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPS).
What this means is that—apart from the fact that a sound SEO strategy is critical for institutions with enrollment goals—many students will not enter your website through its homepage. It is important to plan for user journeys through many different gateways into your site.
While some search for the name of a specific college or university, nearly half of students grades 10-12 search for a specific major or program, making these pages—and optimizing them—just as important as thoughtful planning for your homepage.
Optimizing program pages and career pathways for search engines helps prospective students find your program and institution in a sea of other colleges. One way to make sure it is your program pages prospects find is to be strategic when you craft a title tag and meta description for each page.
This title and description is what the search engine uses to crawl and rank your page. It’s also the information that appears on the search engine results page—your “elevator pitch” to entice users to click through to your website.
Your title tag should be concise and include a relevant keyword and the name of your school. The meta description (your “elevator pitch”) is a brief summary of what’s on the page. It should be short and include compelling content written in a way that encourages your users to click.
Mobile: Meet your users where they are
Mobile is not the future, it is the now. Meet your customers in the environment of their choice, not where it's convenient for you.
With about 85% of Americans owning a smartphone, and research indicating that mobile dependency increases as education levels decrease, it’s crucial to meet your audience where they are—on their mobile devices.
Understanding this behavior is key to engaging your prospective students effectively, which is why a mobile-friendly website is essential.
A mobile-friendly website should be quick, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Effective mobile sites typically feature:
- Responsive Design: Ensures the website adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes, including media, navigation, and forms, providing a consistent experience across devices.
- Fast Loading Times: Achieved by optimizing images and content to keep users engaged and reduce bounce rates.
- Clear Content Hierarchy: Prioritizes and prominently displays the most important information, ensuring it’s easily accessible on smaller screens.
- Mobile-Friendly Navigation: Simplifies browsing with touch controls, swipe gestures, and minimal clicking, making it easier for users to find what they need.
Designing with mobile in mind isn’t just a necessity for engaging today’s college-bound audience—it also encourages better design decisions for larger screens.
Many students begin their journey on mobile devices and later transition to desktops for more complex tasks, so ensuring a smooth, cohesive experience across devices is key to reaching your audience on their preferred platforms and guiding them through the enrollment funnel.
The power of audience focus in enrollment marketing
When it comes to your enrollment strategy, it’s important to first lay a strong foundation and get the fundamentals right on your website. Prioritize maintaining an understanding of your audience and its preferences, and ensure access for everyone. By making your content relatable and removing barriers, you’ll promote inclusivity, expand reach, and simplify the process to enroll for prospective students.
To improve your college’s SEO, optimize program-specific pages for search engine visibility, and acknowledge the prominence of mobile. With a focus on responsive design, fast loading times, and mobile-friendly navigation, your college’s online presence will not only be seen, but will also engage and cater to the preferences of prospective students.
Your website is the hub of your digital ecosystem and plays a critical role in converting student prospects into enrolled students. Thoughtful attention to the fundamentals of website design for colleges and universities can make a dramatic difference at the end of an enrollment cycle—just as it has with our clients! We love to work toward that goal in partnership with our clients and to celebrate their success.