When was the last time you updated your school website? One of the unique side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the incredible rise of online activity. Since then, a lot of families have relied on online research when looking up schools in their area where they might admit their children. If you haven’t done it already, now’s the best possible time to consider getting your school website up-to-date, and here’s why.
A Better User Experience, Leading to More Inquiries.
One of the best things about up-to-date technology is how much it improves your user experience. As a user, you should expect to be able to visit a website and immediately find the information you need, presented to you in an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-navigate way.
A 2021 study by digital marketing solution provider WebFX found that a staggering 94% of first impressions depend heavily on a website’s design. It means that people decide to leave or stay on your website based first and foremost on how it looks. What’s more, more than half of these searches come from mobile devices, according to digital data insight provider Similarweb.
So your school website needs to be updated to not only be compatible with multiple devices but also have clear, easy-to-understand information and a visually appealing user interface. That’s how you keep people engaged, leading to more of them contacting you with inquiries.
To Guarantee That Everything is Running as it Should.
The world of technology is an ever-evolving landscape of updates that affect website usage across various platforms. Most of the software in place to keep your school website running releases updates fairly regularly. These updates affect compatibility, performance, loading speeds and much more.
Failure to apply them could result in poor functionality or sections of your site becoming entirely unresponsive. You may find that it fails to load on certain browsers, devices or operating systems. An up-to-date school website that functions correctly no matter the platform maximizes its potential reach, making your school even more accessible to the world through the internet.
Updates Improve Your School Website’s Search Engine Rankings.
In a world where increasingly more searches are conducted online, it is in the best interest of your school if its website appears more frequently on search engines. Did you know that search engines tend to prioritize websites that are regularly updated? SEO industry research leader BrightEdge reported in 2023 that 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic searches. These are people guided purely by search results and not advertisements.
Consistently adding new content to your site or even going back and improving on what already exists on it appeals to these kinds of users. Fresh content prompts search engines to rank websites higher, attracting even more traffic from organic searches. It’s like starting a cycle that only keeps going the more you keep updating your school’s website!
It’s a Marketing Investment With Long-Lasting Results.
There are many ways to get the word out about your school, but few have as much longevity as an up-to-date website. It is easy to spend money on paid digital advertisements and publications, and the truth is that they often produce results, but here’s the catch. These kinds of ads only generate traffic in the span of time that they are active. An updated website, however, is always ranked highly by search engines and is always appealing to organic search users. As long as it remains up-to-date, it maintains a steady flow of traffic.
The amount spent on updating a website is typically less than the amount spent on paid advertisements on a monthly or quarterly basis. You only need to upgrade your school website once every few years, but you may be spending thousands of dollars on marketing every month. One of these is a gift that keeps on giving, and it’s not the paid advertisements!
Conclusion
However you look at it, the most up-to-date website always wins. It will always get better search engine rankings, more consistent user activity and a generally steadier rate of conversions. If it’s been a while for you, don’t worry; we’re here to help get you back on track. Contact us and find out more about how we can help you revamp your website today.