Quick, check out the JC school website. It’s been turned into a time portal. Oh wait, that is just the lack of updating that occurs on the site.
As you go to the homepage of the school website, the first thing you are greeted by are pictures of students who graduated three years ago. It makes you wonder, why are you looking at a picture of your friends when they were freshmen even though you are now seniors?
Could it be that newer photographs haven’t been taken that could be used to update the website? Have only mediocre things been happening the past four years?
While the pictures capture a wide array of events and people, they are events and people from years ago. Yearbook, sports teams, and clubs are taking new photographs all the time. The pictures taken around the school by different organizations could easily be added to the website.
The pictures are not the only thing that needs to be updated. The main page hasn’t been remodeled since it was first created, in 2005. The website looks nice and is better than many high schools’ websites. But why stop at average?
Website layouts and designs are always changing, so why not switch it up? The main page should highlight the school’s greatest attributes. There should be large graphics about the competitions teams are involved in, special events advisories are doing for the holidays, and events that the school’s clubs are sponsoring.
The news bar on the side is updated regularly, which is great, but it shouldn’t be the only gadget on the home page showing what is happening around school. The website is one of the school’s best advertising tools, so the maximum amount of effort should go into producing a quality website.
To attract prospective students, the website needs to focus on aspects of the school that set it apart from other schools in the area.
The main page should have a link or graphic advertising the International Students Program. No other schools in the area have as an extensive of a program as JC does.
The opportunities that JC provides is a strong asset that should be advertised. Community-active clubs, champion sports teams, and award winning publications are a few things that the school should take time to showcase on the site.
The website could also play up the fact that it is one of the few co-ed private schools in the area. The main page currently has a video about that, which is a step in the right direction. Similar updates need to be made on the rest of the website for the benefit of the school.
Emily Clarke is the Print Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.