Website Refresh Project
2013
Why the refresh?
 Redefine target audience based on current research
 Increase use of social media, video and other resources
 Consolidate and streamline similar or related content
 Increase usability and enhance navigational elements
 Further automate routine content changes
 Address community concerns
Steps to a successful solution
1.
Defining an ideal website
2.
Website influence and statistics
3.
Design and content weaknesses
4.
Refresh tactics
5.
Proposed solutions
6.
Steps to completion
7.
Roadmap
Defining an ideal website
 User focused, not “us” focused  Provide engaging
 Meet the needs of target
audience as defined by
strategic plan
 Easy to navigate
 Intuitive
 Contain well-written content
experience
 Action-oriented
 Seamlessly branded
 Drive qualified traffic
 Compliant with
accessibility standards
Website influence
 One in three students surveyed said the campus website had
at least “somewhat of an influence” in their college selection
process.*
 One in five students said they removed a school from
consideration because of a bad experience on an institution’s
website.
 One in two students stated a bad experience on a
school’s website may have some negative effect on their
perception of the school.
* US News & World Report
The Online Expectations of Prospective College Students and Their Parents
Website influence
What are the top goals when visiting a campus website?
* 2012 E-Expectations Report: The Online Expectations of College-Bound Juniors and Seniors
Website influence
What are prospective students’ general attitudes toward Web design
and content?
Websites should
Students go to Web to
get
The most important part of a website
* 2012 E-Expectations Report The Online Expectations of College-Bound Juniors and Seniors
Website influence
What are students’ content priorities?
Web Content
First
Priority
Most
Important
Mobile
Academics
55%
47%
23%
Cost/Aid
23%
29%
17%
Admissions process
11%
11%
11%
Campus visit
5%
3%
3%
Campus life
3%
5%
4%
Athletics
3%
3%
3%
* 2012 E-Expectations Report The Online Expectations of College-Bound Juniors and Seniors
Current website statistics
 Home page
•
4,247,154 pageviews past seven months
•
20,128 average pageviews per day
 Website
•
10,499,199 pageviews past seven months
•
49,759 average pageviews per day
Heatmap results
This graphical representation of
data uses colors to indicate the
level of activity. Darker colors
indicate low activity and brighter
colors indicate high activity.
One-Day Report
April 12, 2012
Top pages
In order of frequency visited
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Homepage
Admissions
Academics
Library
About
Campus Life
Athletics
Site Index
Applying to the College
Employment
Financial Aid
School of Business
School of Education, Health,
and Human Performance
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
40.
54.
Explore the College
School of the Arts
School of Sciences and Mathematics
School of Humanities and Social
Sciences
Human Resources
School of Languages, Cultures, and
World Affairs
Giving
Honors College
Student Affairs
* Results provided from College of Charleston Google analytics from Aug. 11, 2011 – June 30, 2012
Statistical summary
 The information provided in slides 5-11 indicate that our website is
being used primarily by prospective students and their families.
 In addition, the experience they have with the website will either
dismiss the College as a viable option or will encourage them to
continue their connection with the College.
Design/content weaknesses
 Homepage Flash doesn’t provide clear instructions on accessing
feature stories and videos
 Lack of call to action, such as “Apply” and “Visit” links
 Require too many clicks to reach most frequently visited
information
 Lack of more informational links (videos, news articles, etc.)
 Not having a well-defined target audience
Refresh tactics
 Reorganize homepage
 Increase use of available resources
 Split current website: Internet and Intranet
 Replace homepage banner with more intuitive graphic feature
 Implement enhanced navigational menu
 Implement enhances footer
Homepage enhancement
 Reorganize homepage
Group similar information to simplify homepage
 Increase use of available resources
Easy and obvious links to resources such as YouTube videos, majors
and minors information and College of Charleston magazine
articles
Internet vs. Intranet
Divide current website into two sections:

Internet
a public network accessible to outside users

Intranet
a private network that is contained within an organization designed for an
internal audience
Internet and Intranet
Aspect
Internet
Intranet
Goals
Communication, support institutional strategic goals
Broad goals including, but not limited
to, communication of information
accurately while improving faculty,
staff and student efficiency
Audience
External users with a limited understanding of the
organization
Internal employees with a good
understanding of the organization
Efficiency
- Pages must display in a reasonable time
- Messages and graphics may be used to make a
good impression
- Primary goal is to improve efficiency
and communication
- Unnecessary content deters from
productivity
Size and content
Small to medium with minimal changes to the content,
possibly weekly or monthly on a actively changing site
Medium to massive with content
changing regularly
Content
Narrow, centered around key information and services
Broad, varied types and content
focused on the tools need to perform
their job
Presentation
Appearance and functionality very important
Consistency more important than
appearance
Authors
Often centralized
Often decentralized
© 2012 WEIDENHAMMER SYSTEMS CORPORATION.
Flash replacement
Replace homepage banner with more intuitive graphic feature
Mega dropdown menu
 Improves usability – easier to navigate
 Wider multi-column view allows users to locate useful information
faster
 Provides an area to headline special features
 Gives a cleaner, less-crowded header and sidebar
 Everything is visible at once - no scrolling, no submenus
 Navigation links can be divided into groups and structured with
layout, typography and icons
Menu examples
Abilene Christian University
Abeline, TX
acu.edu
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE
unl.edu
Menu examples
Ashford University
Clinton, IA
ashford.edu
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
byu.edu
Functional footer
 Assists the users to find information more quickly
 Serves the purpose of a multi-functional widget
 Provides a cleaner, less-crowded header and sidebar
 Helps keep readers involved on site through links and other content
 Provides additional space to place other elements that are
otherwise unfit on sidebars or headers
Functional footer examples
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
wfu.edu
Freed Hardeman University
Henderson, TN
fhu.edu
Functional footer examples
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
liberty.edu
University of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
uindy.edu
Recap
 A website refresh will strengthen both the internet and intranet
experiences ensuring a positive and more intuitive experience
allowing users to find the information they need quickly and
efficiently.
 The website experience should motivate the
external users to take action - a campus visit,
application process, etc.
Recommendations
Steps to completion
 Finalize wireframe for home page
 Wireframe for supporting pages and systems
 User Interface Designs – menus, footers, etc.
 HTML/CSS coding
 Content Management System templates
 Content Migration
 Deployment
Roadmap
 College of Charleston home page
 Primary pages (About, Academics, etc.)
 Secondary pages (Academic Programs, Departments, etc.)
 Tertiary pages
Resources

Collegewebeditor
An independent, popular, and influential blog about the Web, marketing, and PR in higher education

STAMATS Best Web Site Practices
Nation’s premier provider of integrated marketing solutions for higher education institutions

A Home[page] for All
5 tips to ease website redesigns
By: Ann McClure - University Business, Jan 2012

EduStyle
A web design gallery dedicated to higher education websites and powered by higher education web design professionals.

Noel Levitz
A higher education consulting firm that helps campuses achieve their goals in enrollment management and student success.