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Content Style

When developing content for external site visitors, it is important to consider what actions you want visitors to take, and how best to encourage them to do so. Web users are looking for definitive answers. A crucial audience for many sites, including academic departments, is prospective students. Many prospective college students will check out a college’s website, then decide whether to visit, apply, request information, meet with an admissions representative when s/he comes to the prospective student’s high school, or visit DSU at college fairs. Therefore, for academic departments, it is vital to explain why a prospective student would want to choose DSU if he or she wants to major in x.

Rather than simply state curriculum, credits, and links to the course catalog, it is smart to consider some of the questions that may arise in the mind of the site visitor. A national survey shows that the reasons students choose a college are academic reputation, cost and financial aid, size, personal attention before enrollment, geographic setting, campus appearance, and opportunity to play sports.

Reasons like academic quality/reputation and personal attention can be illustrated at the academic department level with messages, photos, and testimonials. For example, one bottom line way to show reputation is graduates’ job placement rate, typical jobs/careers, and graduate school successes. Personal attention and diversity (race, gender, age, etc.) can also be illustrated photographically. Using your website to encourage prospective student dialog with faculty and/or staff is often a great recruiting tactic.

Although it is necessary to deliver information, the method of delivery can easily be given a "marketing edge" or feel. A text-heavy site is unpleasant and cumbersome. Using an adequate supply of graphics and images in your site works very well. One factor to consider is your site colors. The current trend is to use pastels rather than high-contrasting colors.

Consider that most people will scan a page before reading it word for word. Keep important material and content at the top of the page. Users prefer highlighted information such as a numbered or bulleted list as opposed to paragraphs of text. In summary:

The best websites keep a "marketing edge" in mind.
The focus for information delivery is to appeal to prospective students.
Web users scan pages for relevant information.
An aesthetic blend of text and graphics balances out content and presentation.

An example of how we illustrate messages university-wide is at http://www.dsu.edu/whydsu.htm. If you would like assistance from University Relations in revising your website, contact Bruce Smith or Jona Schmidt at x5693.