Update to university’s home web page


December 12th, 2023

The university is making some iterative changes to our homepage to provide an exceptional online experience for our users.

These updates are designed to enhance engagement, simplify navigation, and ensure that our flagship content around recruitment and research takes centre stage.

What’s new

User-centric design: More than 60% of our homepage visitors want to explore study options, rising to more than70% during high recruitment periods like Clearing. We’ve revamped the design to create a clear and intuitive navigation path tailored for key audiences—students, parents, and teachers.

Streamlined experience: Embracing good user-experience (UX) principles, we’ve eliminated heavy-loading content to enhance page speed and reduce size. We have removed the video to prioritise a more interactive and user-friendly experience to drive engagement rates.

Strategic priorities: Our homepage now serves as simplified and attractive shop window, focusing on key strategic priorities – student recruitment, course search, popular links, campaigning, and a hero message.

Research and reputation: Homepage visitors keen to engage with our research will now see one hero story and three research priorities. This helps them to navigate direct to our research landing page and microsite.

Essentials: A simplified top navigation and footer with News and Events. Stay informed with key stories and events, linked directly to their respective homepages.

Nicola Anderton, Director of Digital and Marketing, said: “Our goal is simple – to provide an attractive shop window that not only showcases our strategic priorities but also ensures a swift and enjoyable journey to the content our users are seeking.

“By enhancing SEO across our site, improving engagement rates, and reducing bounce/exits, we’re confident that this revamped homepage will be a go-to gateway to all things recruitment, research, and beyond.”

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