Does Your Web Site Send the Right Message?

Thanks to its partnership with publisher Eye on Education, EducationWorld is pleased to present this advice from The School Leader's Guide to Social Media, by Ronald Williamson and J. Howard Johnston. In this article, learn about the importance of a school's Web site and ways of improving its effectiveness.

Your school’s Web site is often the first contact families may have with your school. As use of the Internet has grown, people increasingly rely on your Web presence to provide them with information about your school, its programs and activities, as well as basic contact information (phone, email, directions). While most individual school Web sites are governed by district policies and fit a unique format, many districts provide a link from the district page to your own unique Web page. Here are some tips for developing your school’s Web site:

Keep it fresh and original.  One of the most important things about a Web presence is the need to keep it fresh and original. Updated content is absolutely critical. People visit sites to gather information, and the presence of fresh, original content will bring them back again and again.

Know your audience.  A good Web site recognizes the audience that will be using it and provides content that is relevant to the audience. Choose headlines and text that align with your audience’s needs. Remember your audience and use a human voice when writing content. A conversational tone is better received than the use of educational jargon and a formal tone.

Make it easy to navigate.  A good Web site has content that is easy to locate and use. Name pages and links so that people will easily understand. Routinely check to see that links are working and make sure most content is no more than a single click away from the home page. Include a search box so that visitors can easily find what they are looking for.

Clean, simple, professional design.  Pay attention to the look of your site. Be sure colors contrast well and the font of your text makes reading easy. Remember that too much text can make it difficult to locate information. Use sub-headings or bullet points to improve the layout.

Expand the content through links.  Include links that will take users to additional content. For example, you might link to a parent resource center or information on college admissions that makes your site the “one-stop parent resource” on school-related issues. Providing unique and interesting content is a sure way to get families and community members to return to your site again and again.

Related resource

Build a Better School Web Site

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