There’s no doubt that digital technology has made a big difference to the modern world. Whether you’re a business trying to find customers or a school that wants to impress parents and stand out from the crowd, making sure you are up to speed when it comes to your website is important.

School heads know that good communication is key and one the easiest ways to stay connected to parents and pupils is through the school website.

Lack of time and lack of money can often mean that this method of staying in contact with the wider world is neglected. Ideally, websites need to be updated at least every three years if you want them to have access to the latest advances in digital technology.

The good news is that undertaking a website review and updating your online presence is not as complicated or time consuming as many heads believe. Neither is it as expensive as it used to be.

What Are The Benefits?

1. An updated website puts you ahead of the competition and allows you to stand out better. One key aspect of web design that has changed a lot and becomes more sophisticated over the last few years is UX. This important part of the design process looks at the usability of your site – for instance, how easy it is to navigate and whether it delivers on your parents’ expectations or not.
2. You have the opportunity to better brand and design your school website so that it really looks the part. Organisations such as Ofsted are very keen on schools developing their online presence to improve engagement with stakeholders like parents. A new website gives you the opportunity to boost your profile and deliver on those expectations.
3. If you’ve had your existing website up for a while now, the chances are you will have out of date information and documentation that needs to be changed. You may also have issues with your website security that can be improved with an update.
4. One issue that many school heads aren’t aware of when it comes to websites is mobile readiness. Most of us nowadays are accessing the internet via our smartphones, often while we’re on the move. If your website hasn’t been coded to be optimised for mobile then the majority of people who visit it will not be able to see your site properly. There’s an easy way to check. Look at your school website on a mobile phone – if it looks the same as on your desktop then you are definitely not mobile ready.
5. Finally, having your website updated makes it more engaging. This gives you the opportunity to build in more content, organise things better and engage parents more effectively.

At Parentapps, our dedicated team can help you develop a new school website that really stands out, meets stakeholder needs and ticks all the right boxes for your next Ofsted inspection.

If you’d like to find out more, contact our team today and discover how we can make your site the best it can be at a price you can easily afford.