Are These Websites a Match?

With all the recent regulatory happenings in the For Profit education sector, there have been many good questions raised. One making a significant impact is that of website vs. program relevancy; what makes a website a good fit for representing specific curricula? In addition to traffic sources, marketing methods, overall quality, and content, there are a couple other pieces of the puzzle to look at.

First we have to consider of the purpose of a website. There are many sites out there that are general directories providing information about a gambit of career fields, educational programs, and higher learning opportunities. These sites tend to be a good fit for most educational institutions as they are intended to be used as informational resources.
When we look at websites that are referred to as niche-sites, focusing on a specific career field or program, no one expects to read about medical billing and coding on a website exclusively geared toward criminal justice. This wouldn’t make any sense. The two career fields lack any sense of correlation. Oddly though, a website geared toward automotive technology could be a great fit for aviation programs. Although the aviation field is different from the automotive field, many potential students have interest in both. These two different programs and fields of study are what we would call complimentary. They attract a similar student. This can also be seen with programs such as Personal Training and Massage Therapy. Very different career paths, but often times both are considered as possible careers by a single applicant. The list of complimentary career fields and programs could go on for days.

Another factor, one of the most accurate ways of gauging relevancy in fact, is conversion data. Often times it is easy to assume a URL that includes a specific program should only attract visitors wanting information about that one field of study, but the data doesn’t lie. For example, a site focused on surgical technology, when looking at a list of enrollments, could be responsible for generating the inquiries that lead to a number of enrollments in a Medical Assisting program. Again, the complimentary factor comes in.

It is about more than a URL or the way a website looks. When deciding where to allow your Institution and brand to be represented, consider the whole picture; both what your eyes see on your screen and the data in your hands! With this combination, the path ahead can lead to a world of opportunity and achievement.