The close of summer is slowly approaching, and it's time to get into that back-to-school rhythm. It's an exciting time, but just as it is every year, it's a little bittersweet.

You'll replace day trips with day planners, half-day Fridays with overtime Mondays, summer camp flyers with open house ads, and empty bleachers with cheering fans.

But before you get too busy and caught up in your day-to-day routine — and some of those fun things, too — it's important to take the time to evaluate and prepare your school's website for fresh content and a great user experience.

Preparing Your School Website for the Start of the Year

Here are some back-to-school website tasks that will improve the functionality of your school website's design and save you time in the long run.

Website Updates and Maintenance

Now's the time to thoroughly check your site and ensure all its features are functioning as expected. That includes updating any broken links, outdated images, and incorrect information. And with a wave of traffic headed to your site, test your site’s navigation to ensure all the pages load correctly, the links lead to the right pages, and the website is user-friendly on desktop and mobile platforms.

• Navigation Testing: Click through your site's menus and links to ensure they lead to the correct pages. Confirm that all buttons and clickable elements work correctly — especially on a mobile device.
   
• Form Function Test: If your website includes online forms for contact information, sign-ups, or feedback, make sure each form is working correctly, submitting information as expected, and that user inputs are being properly captured, stored, and forwarded to the best contact.
   
• SEO Check: Review your website's SEO parameters, such as meta descriptions, alt tags, keyword usage, and URL structure, to ensure it is optimized for search engine visibility.
   
• Broken Links: Use a link checker tool to identify any broken or dead links on the site, then correct or remove them.
   
• Image and Media Review: Check all visual elements, such as images, infographics, and videos, to ensure they load correctly and are up-to-date. If you're using Finalsite's content management system, Composer, use the Resource Module and filter by resources without Alt text to find which images and videos need additional information to be more accessible.
   
• Content Audit: Review all your website content for accuracy and relevancy. Remove or update any outdated content — like your graduation roundup that's featured as your lastest news post.

Keep Reading: Auditing Your Website: 4 Key Areas to Evaluate Annually

School Calendar Updates

Make sure your school's calendar for the coming school year is updated and prominently displayed. Include important dates such as school start and end dates, holiday breaks, examination schedules, parent-teacher meetings, and school events. Also, consider adding a downloadable version of the calendar for parents' convenience.

Emma Willard's calendar looks amazing, with filters to help sort academic, admissions, and community calendars. There are evens downloadable PDF versions too.

Updated Staff Directory

Verify that the faculty and staff directory is current. Update any new hires, retirements, or role changes. This should include email addresses and brief bios for each staff member. Make this directory easily accessible so parents and students can communicate with the right person.

Information for New Families

Devote a section of your website to welcome new families. Provide clear instructions on how to log in, access important information, and stay updated with school activities, events, and announcements. Include FAQs and other helpful resources that can ease their transition into a new educational environment.

Keep Reading: With Open Arms: Communications Tools to Make the Best Impression on New Families

Updated Curriculum and Course Information

Review and update the details of each curriculum and course for the coming year. Make sure that the latest syllabus, course requirements, textbooks, and other instructional materials are easily accessible to both students and parents.

The Langly School has a mobile-friendly curriculum guide for families to browse, and with filterable subjects, it's easy to find what you're looking for.

Keep Reading: Creating an A+ Online Curriculum Guide for Your School

School News Section

Regularly refresh your news or blog section with timely back-to-school articles, helpful tips for parents and students, as well as updates on school achievements and upcoming events.

School Contact Information

Double-check that all contact information, such as addresses, phone numbers, and emails, is correct and up-to-date. This should include emergency contact numbers and the school's social media handles, if applicable. 

Keep Reading: How to Improve Your School's Performance in Local Search

Training for Site Admins and Users

Schedule and provide training sessions for new site admins and users of your content management system. These sessions will help new users familiarize themselves with the website's tools and features and allow them to update and maintain the site more effectively and confidently. (With some helping hands this year, your job will be easier, too!)

School Store Updates and Uniform Information

Provide a detailed list of necessary school supplies, textbooks, and specific uniform requirements, and then send students and their families directly to your online school store to shop for school supplies. 

Take a look at Berkeley Carroll's online school store — they have everything students and fans need to head back to school in style. Don't forget to stock up on your most popular gear in the weeks before school starts!

Parent and Student Resources

Review and highlight the resources available to both parents and students. This section can include after-school programs, counseling resources, scholarship opportunities, school policies, and procedures. Regularly update this section to ensure that all resources are current.

Key Takeaway

As a wave of back-to-school traffic heads toward your site, a site that isn't up to date can represent poor school-to-parent communications. So, each year before the back-to-school and admissions season ramps up, take the time to add some new photos, noteworthy news stories, updated fast facts, and anything else that may start to seem a little stale. This way, your office can hit the ground running, and your website even gets a mini-makeover.

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.