Why many schools make this costly mistake

By |Published On: 15/07/2020|

They bury their key forms

We know the primary goal of your website is to capture leads; we have presented the advantages of a central database; we have identified the top lead source as being your web forms.

So, now you have to make sure these forms are easy to find.

Today, families are online, so make it easy for them to find what they are looking for online. Don’t make the costly mistake of burying critical information, like event registration, deep on your website under a menu or several clicks in: will they know where to find it?

So, how easy is your website to navigate?

Ask someone who does not work at your school, to perform each of the big four:

  1. Register for an event;
  2. Request an information pack;
  3. Book a 1:1 personal tour; and
  4. Make a general enquiry.

Watch them perform each of these, let them do it themselves, and see if they can quickly complete the task. Get honest feedback and make changes to your website based on what you have discovered.

Take a look at these before and after images of a school’s home page. One asks visitors to call and makes it hard to find those ever-important links, while the new version makes it easy.

Which one are you?

[images style=”0″ image=”http%3A%2F%2Fenquiry-tracker-backup.local%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F07%2FFig-4-Before.png” width=”1920″ caption=”Before%3A%20Avoid%20prioritising%20other%20audiences%20such%20as%20current%20parents%20and%20alumni.%20Don%E2%80%99t%20bury%20important%20information%20deep%20in%20your%20site” align=”center” top_margin=”0″ full_width=”Y”] [images style=”0″ image=”http%3A%2F%2Fenquiry-tracker-backup.local%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F07%2FFig-5-After.png” width=”1920″ caption=”%20After%3A%20Make%20sure%20top%20sources%20are%20front%20and%20centre%20for%20future%20families%20to%20find%20easily” align=”center” top_margin=”0″ full_width=”Y”]

Before: Avoid prioritising other audiences such as current parents and alumni. Don’t bury important information deep in your site

After: Make sure top sources are front and centre for future families to find easily

KEY TIPS

  • 1

    Make your key web forms easy to find and easy to use

  • 2

    Consider adding them in a prominent position in your website header

  • 3

    Get some friends to provide feedback on find those key forms and completing the tasks

The Result: More leads = more applications for your school