Higher Education Conversion Rate Optimization Tips for colleges and universities

Essential higher education conversion rate optimization tips

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Higher education marketing is competitive and a strong website is more important than ever. This is often the first place where visitors are introduced to your campus, culture, and programs. But it’s not enough to have a website with a great story and pictures – you need one that attracts visitors and converts them into enrolled students. This is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) comes in.

CRO is a strategic way to maximize the number of website visitors who take that crucial next step. Optimizing your site for CRO takes some legwork, but it pays off in better qualified leads, increased revenue, and lower acquisition costs. This article defines our top three essential higher education conversion rate optimization tips and ways to get started.

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Conversion rate optimization 101

Conversion rates are a widely used metric to assess the effectiveness of your higher education marketing strategy. Conversion rates show what percentage of visitors on your site have taken a targeted action. For instance, as a university or college, you probably want to achieve these common marketing goals:

  • Increased leads for campus visits (in-person or virtual)
  • Registration for events
  • Information requests for educational programs
  • Application fills for prospective students or current students applying for graduate programs

If this sounds familiar to you, keep reading for tips to get you started.

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Keeping forms near the top of the page is a higher education conversion rate optimization tip

Higher education conversion rate optimization tip #1 – Place forms near the top of the page.

If a visitor needs to scroll down to find important information, like a lead capture form, the webpage is not optimized for conversions. Our top CRO tip is to keep forms above the fold. However, there’s an art form to placement. If you pester users for information right away, they may be scared off and leave. Remember that you’re trading the user for their information, and you must ensure the trade is attractive to the user and beneficial for you.

Instead, place forms near relevant content so there is context to what they’re filling out. Don’t leave users guessing – they should know exactly what they are getting for giving away their contract information. Along with context, remember that the text on your button should tell the user exactly what they are going to get. Avoid generic CTAs like “Submit” and instead make the button text active, such as: “Download the brochure” or “Schedule your time.”

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Leveraging blog content is a higher education conversion rate optimization tip

Higher education conversion rate optimization tip #2 – Leverage blog content.

We may sound like a broken record, but we’ll say it again – blogs are a massive conversion opportunity for colleges and universities. In addition to publishing thoughtful and helpful content, a blog can use CRO to convert readers into leads. There are a few ways you can optimize blogs for higher conversions.

Sprinkle in calls-to-action (CTA) throughout an article. Or, use lead magnets to invite readers to trade their email for specialized content. Remember – it’s important for lead magnets to provide value. If you’re stumped by higher education lead magnets that could be valuable to visitors, we’ve brainstormed a few ideas for you below:

Higher education lead magnet ideas

  • Digital guides on educational programs 
  • Budgeting/Financial aid worksheets tailored to prospective students 
  • Access to download or watch a pre-recorded webinar
  • Campus visit checklist 
By putting time and effort into these lead magnets, you’re showing prospective students that you’re a credible and trustworthy institution. 
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Using landing pages is a higher education conversion rate optimization tip

Higher education conversion rate optimization tip #3 – Use landing pages.

Since landing pages are designed for visitors to take a specific action, it only makes sense that they help improve conversion rates. However, just because you’re using a landing page doesn’t automatically mean it’s optimized! Using a landing page and getting the user there is one part of the equation. To make the conversion successful, stick to landing page best practices to improve conversion rates. Some higher education landing page best practices include:

  • Simple design
  • Optimized for mobile
  • Focused page content
  • A clear CTA
  • Optimized lead forms

If you’re still on the fence about whether landing pages are worth the investment, check out our top 5 compelling landing page stats here.

By putting time and effort into these lead magnets, you’re showing prospective students that you’re a credible and trustworthy institution. 
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Bonus higher education conversion rate optimization tip

Change one thing and one thing only. Any kind of optimization is best when you make a single change, record the result, then try something else.

For instance, suppose you decide to try change the button color on your form from blue to green. If you also change the position of other elements on the page you don’t know what change is responsible for performance fluctuations. Change the button to green, and see how it compares to when the button was blue. If performance increased (more button clicks) keep the change. If performance decreased, remove the change and try something else. Continue to do this and take the best performing ideas to all your landing pages.

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Conversion rate optimization helps achieve higher education goals

Now that know some ways to start optimizing your higher education marketing, you may be wondering how you know when you’re ready to start the process. If you have the tools in place and a plan of action, why not start now? If you feel a little overwhelmed, or have some lingering questions, consider reaching out to marketing experts. MPP has helped educational clients of all sizes optimize their marketing efforts. We know CRO is an ongoing process and will set you up for success.

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Want to put your higher education marketing to the test?

Contact MPP today!