A mobile-optimized website is no longer a luxury that only the elite can afford. Mobile-friendly websites are crucial to your online existence. Many brands have taken the appropriate steps to make their sites responsive for all devices, but higher institutions haven’t been as quick to take the leap.
Much of the reason why higher institutions have been slow to update their sites has to do with time and money. If your website is outdated, it may need a complete rehaul with new content, visuals, and more. If your higher institution doesn’t have a dedicated team working on this, a mobile website might seem out of reach, at least at the moment.
Unfortunately, in today’s age, you can’t make the choice to be mobile or not. It’s a necessity, especially when you have a young target audience that relies on the internet for just about everything.
Let’s explore a few reasons why a mobile-optimized website is vital to your success.
Improve SEO for Higher Rankings
Even if you are not a digital marketing expert, you’re somewhat familiar with SEO and its role in the search rankings. Google has made changes to its algorithms that favor mobile-friendly websites. The reason for this is that Google wants to provide the most helpful, relevant results to users. Websites that are optimized for all devices take precedence.
Bottom line: If you want your website to show up in the search rankings and beat out your competitors, mobile friendliness is key.
Instill Trust for More Donations
According to this Higher Ed Live article, donors are 34% more likely to donate on a responsive website. Because donations are vital to your institution, you must have a website that is trustworthy, easy to use and capable of accepting financial donations from mobile devices. You can’t blame people for not wanting to donate if your website has tiny font, pinch-and-scroll content, images that won’t load, etc.
Lower Maintenance for Time and Cost Savings
It’s always ironic to see how many institutions don’t create a responsive website because it costs too much time and money. In reality, it costs less time and less money to have a responsive site.
Though it’s an upfront investment, it’s one that offers a huge return. You don’t have to be bothered with reformatting your site or adding features multiple times to accommodate your users. Everything is done on one site, saving you significant time and money.
Bring in More Leads to Increase Enrollment
Consider your audience, much of whom are part of Generation Z. They are young and have grown up alongside the internet. They will turn to your website to learn about your programs, faculty and campus environment. If your website is outdated, you’ll lose qualified leads. After all, how can students trust you to deliver a quality education when you can’t deliver a promising website?
Going mobile isn’t as hard, time-consuming or as financially exhausting as you may think! With SEMGeeks on your team, you can have a beautiful, responsive website created specifically for your unique audience. Call us today to learn more about our approach to higher institution marketing.
