Higher Education Website Design Agency for Colleges and Universities

”The web is the great equalizer and new opportunity creator for all” was my response to our very first website client back in 1995. Thirty years later, the web has moved from the margins to heart of modern life. Now, it’s the digital soul of an institution. All roads lead to it.

For us, a prospect-centered website, re-imagined and remade for prospects is powered by these principles:

1. Outsmart, Not Outspend. (Mirror institutional strategy/optimism).

2. Produce Great Content/Creative That Wins. (Play to win).

3. Make The Students the Hero of Your Story. (Be memorable).

4. Prioritize Page 1 Google/AI Search Results (Drive enrollment).

5. Position the Institution as an Investible Idea. (Aim higher). 

Best Practices We Use for Website Design Projects

Goals

Grow university enrollment, endowment and reputation. Create an inflection point for the university with a new website that realizes its tactical goals and strategic vision gathered by an in-depth discovery process.

Wise Strategy

Bake revenue strategy, communication strategy and search/generative engine ranking strategy into every aspect of a new website.

Beautiful Design

Strategy is invisible. Good design makes it visible. Milton Glaser once said “There are only three reactions to a piece of design: no, yes or WOW! Wow is one to aim for.” We agree. We build a responsive, adaptive, ADA compliant, mobile first website that is beautiful and deepens meaning, delighting all 10 stakeholders and influencing the Google and Generative AI bots to rank a website on page 1.

Smart Technology

Deploy the right CMS with seamless integration with third party systems, support rich interactive features the right systems architecture for content management, the right level of customization for various internal stakeholders, and the right coding to fortify Google/Bing/Generative Engine rankings.

Talented People

Use a craft-minded team of specialists to pay meticulous attention to details, to collaborate effectively internally and with the college team pushing each other to up each other’s game and liberate greatness, training the college team, and providing training guide.

Rational Process

Use deft diplomacy to involve and align key internal stakeholders, devise a smart content plan, modernize institutional brand story, manage critical site launch details so past SEO rankings are migrated forward while new ones are secured, manage the project via project milestones and weekly status calls, and providing ongoing hosting and support. 

What Makes Elliance Websites Distinct and Unique

Elliance designs and builds new websites with the goal of raising college revenue and reputation trajectory. Our approach is to:

Build it Smarter

Thousands of human visitors and several search engine bots visit a university’s site daily. Each brings specific needs. Elliance marries visible content and underlying code so that each page has the best chance of converting prospects and ranking on search and generative engines.

Build it To Convert

First impressions and repeat visits depend on pages that inform and delight. Elliance resists shortcuts and assigns top writing, design, and UX talent to create something persuasive and memorable.

Build it To Last

In a smartphone world, websites must load fast, stay accessible and responsive, and leave a lasting impression. Elliance builds its code in-house to avoid fatal mistakes, meet WCAG 2.2 and ADA standards, and win Google rankings. 

In a nutshell, Elliance websites deliver better quality students, stronger conversions, more Google page one rankings, increased Generative engine rankings, improved alumni engagement and staff satisfaction.

Examples of Recent Higher Ed Website Launches

Recent website launches include Olds College, Saint Vincent College, University of the Incarnate Word, Hartford University for Peace and Religion, Capitol Technology University and Seton Hill University.

If you are seeking a transformative higher education marketing agency or a college website design agency, please see our work and consider partnering with us.