Have you ever navigated to a school's website and found yourself dazzled by the array of information, catchy headings, and visually appealing animations, videos, and buttons? That's likely the homepage you're staring at. But then later, you click on an ad or follow a promotional link and get taken to a focused, single-purpose page — a landing page in action.

For many, the line between a homepage and a landing page is a bit murky. Both are crucial players, but they play entirely different games.

It's about crafting a story with purpose, one that engages visitors and meets specific objectives. Let's explore the intricate dance between design, user experience, and the specific roles these two pages play in engaging your families.

How to Create a Compelling School Website Homepage

The Purpose of a Homepage

As a central hub, your school’s homepage greets prospective students, parents, and staff, offering them a panoramic view of your school and its mission. Think of it as your school's virtual main entrance: inviting, informative, and representative of your school's character.

Homepage Content

Your school’s homepage content provides a snapshot of what your school is about. It showcases academic programs, celebrates achievements, advertises upcoming events, and more. For example, a prominent school might use its homepage to highlight its recent national sports championship win or to introduce a newly launched STEM program through a news section or a slide in its main header area.

Your School Website's Homepage Design

The homepage design isn't just about aesthetics; it's also about storytelling. Through visuals, content, and layout, a well-thought-out school website design for the homepage incorporates elements that reflect your school’s brand, values, and vision.

Bishop Lynch’s homepage design covers many aspects of the campus experience, with multiple branches to veer off and learn more. Its comprehensive and focused on storytelling, and the user experience is intuitive, complete with easily navigable menus and a responsive, mobile-friendly design.

Homepage Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

The homepage serves multiple purposes, but it also pushes for deeper engagement, encouraging visitors to schedule a campus visit, inquire, or learn more. While the homepage can host multiple calls to action, the goal is to pique curiosity and keep your visitors engaged so you can capture their interest and start building a deeper connection with families.

Keep Reading: 13 Schools with Attention-Stealing Homepage Introductions

Your School Homepage’s Audience and User Experience

From a parent looking to enroll their child, a current student searching for resources, to an alumnus checking out upcoming reunion events, the journey should feel seamless and intuitive. This means clear navigation menus, easy-to-find information, and a responsive design that looks great on any device.

The Best School Website Landing Pages

How to create a high-converting website for schools

While the homepage tries to cater to everyone, a landing page has a laser-focused mission. Imagine a school launching a new online course or hosting a virtual visit day. A landing page would be the perfect platform to drive these specific campaigns, focusing purely on the intended action without the distractions of the full website.

Content for a Landing Page

Unlike the catch-all content of the homepage, a landing page hones in on one subject or action. It could be a call to sign up for a webinar, register for an upcoming school event, or even an invitation to participate in a fundraising campaign. The content here is concise, direct, and built around the campaign's main objective.

For instance, a “Why Old Trail?” page answers that question with sections on academics, supporting testimonials, information about its whole-child approach, and more. It’s a great overview of the school, and it could even be used for an ad-landing page, as it’s admissions-focused with calls to action to inquire, visit, and apply. 

Your School's Landing Page Design

Simplicity is important, and the design for landing pages should be streamlined and distraction-free. Bold visuals, punchy headlines, and a clear path to action are often what make an effective landing page.
The goal should be clear: enhance user experience in a way that maximizes conversion. This might mean removing the usual website navigation to ensure users remain focused on the campaign, or it might involve using compelling visuals and testimonials for them to take action.

Keep Reading: The 5 Best Landing Page Designs to Copy for Your School’s Website

Landing Page Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

The landing page's main job is conversion — getting a visitor to take action. This could be anything from capturing email addresses for a newsletter to driving registrations for an upcoming school open house. Every element on the page funnels toward your specific goal, so your CTAs should use clear and direct language, be it "Register Now," "Download Our Viewbook," or "Donate Today."

Park Tudor’s Open House landing page removes its navigation and keeps things super simple. They focus on event registrations with big, stand-out CTAs and clear language.

The Landing Page Audience and User Experience

A well-crafted landing page should be a streamlined user journey, and landing pages, by their nature, are tailored for specific segments of your audience. If your school's campaign is about a scholarship program for students interested in financial aid, the landing page will target potential applicants and their guardians, providing them with the precise information they seek.

On the other hand, a landing page geared toward getting first-time gifts from young alumni should include information about the importance of giving and how to make a donation.

Should Every Page Act Like a Landing Page?

While both types of pages have distinct roles, sometimes their role might overlap. The primary advantage of a landing page is its focus on conversion, but you can incorporate landing page best practices into other pages across your site to encourage specific actions more effectively.

For instance, if your school's primary goal for a semester is to increase admissions inquiries, the homepage can be tweaked to display an admissions-focused CTA prominently.

However, it's essential to strike a balance. While it can adopt some landing page attributes, your homepage should stay as an overview of your school or district.

If your school frequently hosts events or campaigns, it might be beneficial to rotate your homepage's focus, focusing on the most timely or crucial CTAs, much like a landing page would. However, your homepage should always keep its broader links and information, so it benefits all types of visitors.

Combining Your Homepage and Landing Pages for the Best School User Experience

Crafting individual homepages and landing pages is only half the battle. How you integrate these spaces can help your school's digital footprint. Let's explore ways to bridge the two for an immersive user-friendly experience.

The art lies in directing your target audience seamlessly between the homepage and specific landing pages. When someone wants a broader view of your school's offerings, culture, or values, your homepage should provide that.

However, for specific campaigns, events, or specialized programs, guiding your website visitors to dedicated landing pages ensures they receive a concentrated dose of information without unnecessary distractions.

Best Practices for Your School’s Website

The relationship between the homepage and landing pages should feel organic and fluid. Blending elements of your landing pages into your homepage can enhance user engagement. Here are some actionable tips:

• Featured Sections: Consider showcasing your top landing page campaigns as highlighted sections on the homepage. A "Featured Programs" or "Upcoming Events" section could act as gateways to respective landing pages.
   
• Testimonials and Success Stories: If a landing page contains powerful testimonials or success stories related to a specific program, weave these into your homepage narrative. It adds credibility and gives prospective students or parents a glimpse of what to expect.
   
• Rotating Banners: Utilize rotating banners or sliders on the homepage to spotlight landing page campaigns. This not only garners attention but also ensures that timely campaigns or events get the spotlight they deserve.
   
• Design Consistency: Ensure that both the homepage and landing pages share consistent design elements, fonts, and color schemes.
   
• Backlinking: Strategically interlink between the homepage and landing pages. For instance, if your homepage discusses various academic programs, link these mentions to their respective detailed landing pages.
   
• Optimized CTAs: Your homepage might have broader CTAs like "Discover Our Programs," which can lead to a specific landing page. On the other hand, landing pages should have precise CTAs, such as "Enroll Now" or "Book a Campus Tour," pointing users directly to the action you want them to take.

Key Takeaway

Both homepages and landing pages play instrumental roles in your school website’s structure. While the homepage provides a holistic introduction to the school, the landing pages drive specific campaigns with laser-focused intent. Use these pages effectively, and create a user experience that's both informative and actionable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.