How to Choose The Best Design for School Website
Every school today needs to have a school website because we live in a digital-fast world. People no longer have to travel all the way to an institution to make simple inquiries about courses. Even though what people care about the most is the quality of education a university offers, the quality of the website design also matters. No one wants to suffer through a boring website design in the name of staying loyal to a particular university.
There are so many institutions of higher learning today that people can choose from. A school that wants to attract the best students has to work on their school website design. It is best to work with experienced web designers who?ve created several school websites before. Leaving such a crucial task to the experts guarantees that it will be done the right way.
We have all encountered a badly designed school website at some points. We all know what makes a bad website design. It could be that you want access to computer science homework help, but the link you click on does not direct you to the right page.
Since elements that make a bad school website design are so easy to spot, what makes a good website? Read on to find out.
Have a Useful Homepage
The homepage is the first thing visitors see when they come to a school website. You need to create a useful homepage so that people start off on a good foot. Nothing is as frustrating as scrolling on end just to find what you?re looking for.
The homepage should have only relevant information to avoid overcrowding it with too much content. Anything that doesn?t need to be on the homepage should be removed. You don?t want to include a link to computer science homework help on the homepage. Clean homepage design is appealing, and it gives people an easy time navigating.
If your website visitors linger for too long on the homepage, it means you?ve included a lot of irrelevant information. Here is how to achieve a useful homepage;
- Keep Everything Simple
When it comes to website design, you need to try too hard to impress. Simplicity is the way to go because it keeps everything clean and easily accessible.
Cramming too much information on the homepage is a common mistake school websites make, and you should avoid it.
- Include the School Calendar
Since the school calendar is the center of all information, you need to include it on the homepage. Be sure to update it to avoid any miscommunication regularly.
Have a Responsive Design
What exactly does this mean? Well, responsive website design is one that is compatible with all devices. Whether a visitor is loading the school website using a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, it should load at the same speed. Responsive design is one that automatically resized based on the device a person is using to view the site.
The Website Should Meet Accessibility Requirements
Last but definitely not least, a school website should meet accessibility requirements. If you haven’t heard of this before, it simply means the site should follow the WCAG 2.0 AA standard.
An ADA compliant website is one that accessible to all individuals with disabilities. Some of the disabilities the guideline covers include;
- Blindness and low vision
- Hearing loss and deafness
- Cognitive limitations
- Photosensitivity
- Limited movement
- Speech disability
There is a wide variety of people that will attempt to access your school website. It is upon you to make sure the site accommodates everyone.
The Website should Have Easy Navigation
Navigation plays a crucial part in a website’s quality of design. Working with a professional web designer ensures that the school achieves a website with well-designed navigation. Navigation also determines where the usability of the site ranks.
Make sure you don?t overwhelm website visitors with too many links to choose from.
Conclusion
As you can see, you cannot achieve the best school website design overnight. A lot goes into ensuring a school has a highly-responsive, easy to navigate website. Make sure you work with expert web designers to achieve the best design for the site. No one wants to suffer through a dull and lifeless website.