The need for a great School Website Design

One of the most effective communication technologies today is the Internet. Though it takes resources and time to develop a high quality school website, the benefits to the school community are enormous when it is done right.

Goals for a School Website

Properly constructed websites are information systems. To provide visitors with insight and knowledge, they efficiently structure content. In order to better understand why your school needs a website, it is helpful to look at what goals websites achieve:

  • Showcasing Student Achievements – Whether it is works of music, writing, or art or other scholastic achievements, both global and local audiences can have an opportunity to view the great things your students are producing.
  • Introduction to the School – As parents are deciding which schools to send their children to, they look online at the school’s website to learn more about it. If your school does not have a website, parents will cross your name off the list as a potential option for their kids.
  • Major Data Warehouse – School websites can serve as virtual libraries or museums that provide rich data on curriculum related topics. This requires a significant time investment for upkeep, but it is an option for more ambitious schools.
  • Communicating Information – When there are school closings or other scheduling changes, this information needs to be readily accessible on the Internet. A website that parents can visit is the best way to do this.

School Websites as a Marketing Tool

According to one recent study, 97 percent of consumers research services or products in their area before making a buying decision. This should make it clear to you that every organization and business needs a website in the 21st century. Without one, you are alienating 97 percent of your prospective students. In addition to simply having a site, it must be informative and well-designed, since it will be seen as a reflection of the quality of the school. For the parents of many of your students, your website will be the first impression they get of your school.

School Websites as a Communication Medium

Parental involvement is essential to a student’s success in school, and school websites are the perfect tool for engaging parents. The website provides an outlet for parents to provide feedback to the school and to teachers. In addition, parents can also become more informed about their child’s education. By providing parents with an online calendar of upcoming activities and exams and resources that give tips for helping their children, barriers to parental involvement are removed. This enhances the learning experience. The website is also a valuable tool for teachers to share ideas with one another. And, externally, it can connect the school with the community as a whole building links between families, schools, and businesses. In this way, the website becomes an important resource for families relocating to the area.

How to Get Started

By now, if you are a decision maker at a school, you should be convinced that a professional website is essential for your school’s success. But, how do you go about it? There are a number of free or extremely cheap web design templates online, but you get what you pay for with these. None are specifically created for schools, and therefore, your site would give off an unprofessional aura.

The best solution for schools at this time is to hire a professional school web design team such as Lemongrass Media. We can ensure your website is a powerful tool that can achieve all of the goals mentioned above. In addition, they can make the site optimized for search engines, so it will rank well in search results when people Google schools in your area.

Get started now to have your website up and running in time for the 2014-15 school year! Give Lemongrass Media a call now on 0800 690 6250or email us at enquiries@lemongrassmedia.co.uk

Take a look at our School Website Design information.

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