Planning An Education Website Around Students And Parents

An education website should help students and parents understand their options, find current admissions information and know what to do next. Start with those decisions before choosing a homepage animation, campus video or new design style.

Picture a parent comparing schools after work, or a prospective student opening a course link on a phone. They need more than an attractive introduction. They need to work out whether the institution fits their needs, what the next step involves and who can answer a question.

For a marketing team, the aim is a website that supports those conversations without making every visitor call for basic information.

Separate Different Visitors' Needs

Prospective students, parents and current students do not all come for the same reason. Staff and alumni may have different destinations again.

List the main tasks for each group. Then choose clear routes through the website. You do not necessarily need separate websites or personalised experiences; well-labelled pages may be enough.

Adapt these examples to your institution. A primary school, training provider and university will not need identical content or application journeys.

Give Each Course A Useful Home

A course page should bring together the information needed for a decision rather than scatter it across news posts and brochures.

Depending on the programme, that may include what students will study, entry requirements, qualification awarded, mode and location of study, intake information, fees and whom to contact. Use a consistent structure so that people can compare programmes without learning a different layout each time.

Do not publish an accreditation, recognition or career outcome claim without the institution's approved source. If requirements depend on an applicant's circumstances, explain where they can obtain a confirmed answer.

Brochures can provide additional detail, but avoid making a download the only way to discover basic information. Keep important text readable and easy to update on the page itself.

Explain The Next Step Honestly

Make it clear whether a button starts an application, sends an enquiry, registers interest or opens a separate system. Those are different actions.

If applications are handled elsewhere, label the destination and tell people what they need before they leave the page. Do not make an enquiry form look like a completed application.

For example, a useful introduction might explain which documents to prepare and where applicants can ask about eligibility. Use only the instructions the admissions team has confirmed.

Keep forms proportionate to the task. A request for a prospectus should not automatically become a full application. Agree how submissions will reach the right team and what response the visitor can reasonably expect.

Help People Imagine Studying There

Photographs and student stories can make an institution easier to understand. Choose them for what they show: learning spaces, facilities, activities or the experience of attending a class.

Use images you have permission to publish, and check that captions are accurate. Approved student or alumni quotations should keep their original meaning.

A video can add context, but essential course and admissions information should remain available without playing it. Add accessible alternatives where needed rather than making important information depend on sound or motion.

Avoid letting a large visual push the main decision-making information so far down the page that visitors struggle to find it.

Decide Who Keeps The Information Current

An attractive course page becomes less useful when its intake, fees or contact details are out of date.

Assign an owner for each type of information and agree who approves changes. Set review points around admissions activity and other relevant institutional changes, rather than waiting for the next redesign.

Check the same fact wherever it appears: a course page, brochure, banner and FAQ may all mention the same intake. A content system can help organise updates, but it does not replace someone checking that the information is correct.

Clear website navigation also matters. Visitors should be able to find a programme or support route without understanding your internal department structure.

Test With Real Questions

Before launch, ask someone unfamiliar with the site to complete a few ordinary tasks:

1. Find a suitable course or level of study.
2. Locate entry requirements and current fees.
3. Explain what the next application step involves.
4. Find the right person for a question.
5. Work out how to visit the campus.

Watch without explaining the intended route. Note missing information, confusing labels and links that lead somewhere unexpected. Repeat key tasks on a phone and ask your web team to review accessibility.

Planning a school or university website? Bring the questions your admissions team answers repeatedly. Discuss Your Website With Us.