How To Create an Educational Website: TOP 5 Designs [With Step-by-Step] How To Create an Educational Website: TOP 5 Designs [With Step-by-Step]
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How To Create an Educational Website: TOP 5 Designs [With Step-by-Step]

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By Industries
24 Dec 2023
12 min read
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We often see education as just learning knowledge and skills. To do something well, you need to go to school – that kind of stuff. However, schools are also a type of business. Education is a service provided for payment, right? To function successfully, it needs to be presented, promoted, and advertised to potential customers. The best place to do this nowadays is the internet, so you won’t do well without a website. And one of the biggest elements is design. How to create an educational website? Let’s find out! 

Importance of education website design

To do a good job designing a school website, pay attention to all the elements, including school web designs. A good image is half the work. However, a school website design isn’t only about how it looks but also about the feeling and overall user experience.

Educational websites are used by many different people, such as future students, current students, professors, parents, job seekers, those looking for a  new career, etc. It’s hard to say exactly who the target audience is in this case, which does make a website design for a school quite an interesting task.

Designers often do an awesome job, but when it comes to creating the best education website design, many get stuck. The task is to satisfy all possible needs: to tell students about news, persuade parents that it’s a trusted institution, and introduce new programs that would be interesting for high schoolers. When you create a web design for educational websites, there’s far more to think about than mere aesthetics.

All the sections should be balanced, and everything should be well-organized so users can easily find what they need. Not many design companies actually work with school website designs. However, those that do have specialists in school website design services know what they’re doing.

If you’re wondering how to design a school website, you’ll find here some tips and tricks from the best website architecture that might help you understand the general tendencies of the industry. This way, you’ll know what to pay attention to when you create an educational website.

How to create an educational website design that will stand out

There are many details you’ll need to know to better understand how to make a school website. However, we’ll only pay attention to some that aren’t so popular. By now, it’s generally known that each landing page has to have a call-to-action, a balanced color scheme, and a responsive design for smartphones is an absolute must. The list of obvious advice is quite long, but we’ll try to come up with something more original and less mainstream.

1. Minimalism is not your best friend here

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For the past several years, you’ll have probably heard a lot about website minimalism and how much people like it. Of course, they do. However, when you look for information, you need more data. You don’t want to scroll through a half-empty page forever. You don’t want to see program descriptions shortened to fifteen words. You don’t want to see only one picture of the campus and the suggestion to “join us right now.” This is why, when it comes to school website design ideas, minimalism takes a back seat.

What you want is data, course schedules, potential jobs for during or after graduating, and detailed descriptions of each subject. That’s something that can actually sell a program to potential customers who are considering studying there. Try to get them to the important information they need on your website right away; they’ll find everything to help them make an important decision.

2. Build information hierarchies

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This tip naturally follows the last one. With crazy volumes of data, it’s essential to organize it better than anywhere else. The best university website design is the one that provides access to well-structured information. If the educational institution can do this for its website, then it can do it for the whole educational process.

Make sure that all the important sections are accessible from the homepage. It might sound easy, but organizing information for a college or university is a big task. Not only should the designer be involved, but also somebody who knows how all the info should be grouped and positioned within the website structure. It’s essential not to overload, but at the same time, you need to provide potential customers with all they really need.

3. Use videos with actual information

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How to create an educational website that will engage your visitors? Here’s a solution. Many people prefer visual materials over traditional texts. While you shouldn’t completely eliminate text copy from the website, some information can be transmitted through videos. Instead of pages of letters, make one video with all the essential details and make sure people understand what they will find there. However, remember that not everybody will enjoy it, so leave the option of downloading the brochure with written information or something similar.

What can be shown in a video:

  • Campus tour
  • Program presentation
  • Details for getting a degree
  • Course description
  • Student experiences
  • Library demonstration
  • First day of school

Videos can also be great for creating emotional content. For example, show how nicely teachers interact with students. Show off cool places on campus or beautiful areas in the college backyard. Let current students make a video for potential newcomers saying why they’d recommend that college or university. This is a sure bet for any higher education website design.

There are a great number of scenarios you can use for an educational website design.

4. Keep it agile

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In-demand programs or events change quite fast, and your website needs to be ready for any of these changes. Top interesting stories about learning are to be represented in various ways so they don’t get boring for readers. This means a lot of testing and optimization to figure out which information layout works better. Also, it might be a good idea to feature materials on pages designed especially for these materials. A good provider of school website design services will help you figure out the best way to do it. 

If it’s not a college or university website but instead just any teaching website design, the ideas remain the same. Trends change fast, but the audience should stay engaged. Don’t lose people because the approach of other websites has become simpler. Just be ready to rearrange the information in your design frame. Make an educational website that will be alive and dynamic to show that you’re ahead of the educational game.

5. Make it for everybody

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Nowadays, most educational institutions accept students from around the world. And this means that people of different cultures and backgrounds research those websites and want to find the required information. Providing a service and wanting people to buy it, colleges and universities have to do a very good job persuading their potential customers. Education fees are quite high, which means that credibility has to be on the top level as well. The best educational website designs today take all this into account to provide the best possible experience to everyone. 

How to create an educational website that caters to all audiences? In design, different factors are to be considered. For example, there should always be an English version of a website in addition to a local language one. Also, some information might be provided in two different ways – for local and international students. This can give the website a competitive advantage in the international arena.

How is education website design different from other industries?

Though they might not seem so different from other business websites, some key distinctions set an educational facility website design apart:

  1. Information prioritization — providing clear information about campus facilities, academic programs, faculty, admission procedures, and campus life is crucial.
  2. Admissions and enrollment are in focus. Schools demand that admission criteria, enrollment procedures, and details about academic programs be prominently displayed, guiding prospective students through the application process.
  3. Interactive campus maps help visitors navigate easily and locate buildings, departments, and key facilities.
  4. Faculty and staff directories emphasize the expertise and qualifications of educators, communicating value to the prospective audience.
  5. Security and compliance information needs to be clearly communicated, including campus security measures, compliance with educational regulations, and safety protocols.
  6. Dedicated portals for parents and students to access academic resources, grades, and other relevant information are common and expected.

The best education website design

In this section, you’ll find five examples of educational websites that might give you some inspiration. Check out these best website designs for edtech samples and see how some tips and tricks are being utilized by colleges and universities. 

Washtenaw Community College

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This is an interesting example of structuring information. Users coming to the website are mostly interested in academics, programs, activities, and other useful information. They can find everything in a matter of minutes. Washtenaw’s school website design agency did a great job.

Douglas College

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Nicely designed, this website is the main touchpoint for international students. In this education web page design, you can see the balance between nice graphics and a good representation of information. No doubt, users can easily find whatever they’re looking for without feeling overwhelmed.

Evangel University

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This is one of the best educational website design examples with an interesting approach to using graphics. Overall, it looks like a nice template that was used as-is. However, everything is clear, and the information is nicely organized. For sure, users will find what they’re searching for in this education website design.

Bridgewater State University

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The somewhat unusual color scheme makes this university website stand out. The next thing you see is a navigation system of different levels in this educational website design. It seems like everything is right there on the home page. You can research programs for future study or pay your bill right on the spot. When you make an educational website, this is the approach to keep in mind. 

Associated Students Inc, Sacramento State

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This website’s designers seem to have used all the trends of the modern world. In this educational web design, you can see videos, good pictures, well-structured information, and clear navigation. Whether it’s overcrowded or not, each user can decide for themselves. However, everything that needs to be on the website is right there.

Create an eLearning website using these trends

It would be weird if innovative website-making tools didn’t make their way into school websites first. You’re working with the most novelty-demanding audiences here, so make sure to include some of these in your online creation. 

If you’re using a website builder, you will probably find most of the elements you’ll need in it. Go for the website templates made with educational businesses in mind.  

  1. Immersive virtual tours help showcase the college’s campuses, facilities, and student life, offering a firsthand experience to potential students and parents.
  2. Dynamic video content, from campus highlights to student testimonials, captures the energy and ethos of the college.
  3. Alumni success stories create a narrative of triumph, inspiring confidence and trust in the college’s value.
  4. Social media integration fosters community engagement by sharing real-time events, student achievements, and campus buzz.
  5. Personalized admission portals guide prospective students through the application process. 
  6. Campus events calendar showcases campus happenings, open houses, and special events. 
  7. The interactive alumni network section illustrates the breadth and depth of connections that endure beyond graduation. 
  8. Creative faculty spotlights humanize the academic staff with a glimpse into the caliber of educators at the college.
  9. A simplified application process encourages potential students to take the first step.

Final thoughts

Are you still thinking about how to design an educational website? Any specific designs can be tricky, but don’t let yourself be scared of that. Any college or university you can find online has overcome all the problems. We hope that by reading this article, you’ve found some valuable school website design ideas. 

However, if you feel you’d like to create a user-friendly educational design, get more tips, or even order a custom design from a school website design agency, let us know at Fireart.Studio. We’ll be glad to help you!

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