Education has evolved in the digital age. Nowadays, you can skip the typical classroom and learn a new skill online from the comfort of your mobile phone or laptop. According to statistics, 72% of K-12 students use cloud-based tools to learn in addition to this, the number of students that are on online learning platforms has increased significantly through the years. From 16.5% in 2008, it has jumped to 45.6% in 2016.
Online learning even became more popular during the pandemic. To minimize face-to-face interactions, Zoom meetings became the norm in the business world and educational institutions. Just how effective is remote learning? There is a study that describes its effectiveness.
However, to make remote learning effective, it is important to have a good platform. And like we mentioned, post-pandemic, all types of different educational businesses, be it boot camps, coaching institutes, tutoring, etc. everything has to have a digital presence to reach out to their students, and for that, you need an Education website like this: https://oppida.co/
So how do you make an education website? Here are steps that can help you build one from scratch.
Step 1: Create Goals and Understand the Requirements of the Website
Before you worry about the technical parts of having your website, try to come up with goals, and objectives. In addition to this, list down the requirements of your website.
Keep in mind that not all education websites are the same. Some websites have more complex goals than others. For instance, some education websites would have video courses, others would have textual tutorials, and some other websites would have live class integration.
Some websites offer just one or two courses while there are sites that plan to cover an entire library of courses.
Step 2: Choose a Platform
The next step is to choose the right Content Management System (CMS) for your website. You have Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress as your popular options. These are easy-to-use platforms that have customizable options. This could make the website scalable especially when you expect to grow members on your site. You also get plugins that make it easier to use the update and maintain the website.
You can also go with some new CMS like Graphy by Unacademy, then there is Teachable, etc.
Step 3: Decide How You Want to Build Your Site
Are you faced with the decision of coding everything from scratch or utilizing a site builder? If you're pondering the choice of the ideal site builder, it's crucial to factor in reviews. One such review on Squarespace by Ezequiel Bruni offers valuable insights about Squarespace. Here, you can explore low-cost website builders that provide quality on a budget.
However, always bear in mind that it's prudent to be prepared for manual code checks when using a site builder. In many instances, site builders may still exhibit some imperfections. You may have to learn HTML and CSS if you are serious about having a good website.
Step 4: Design a User-Friendly and beautiful Website
Design and the functionality of the website should always go hand-in-hand not only in an education website but in any website for that matter.
For aesthetics, your design should reflect what your educational platform stands for. However, it should be intuitive as well, making it easy to use for all users. Put yourself in the shoes of first-time users. Do you think that first-time users can immediately figure out the website?
It might be a good idea to have testers who can test the layout of your site so that you can get transparent feedback before launching your site.
Step 5: Optimize Function
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Next, it is important to check the functionality of the website. Try to see if it loads fast enough, and if the loading time is affected by the location of your user. This is especially important if you have a wide base of users on your website.
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Another important concern when it comes to modern websites is their compatibility with mobile devices. It should be tested on different screen sizes from tablets to mobile phones.
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Next, the website needs to become visible to its relevant market. You can improve the site's visibility and ranking by utilizing the latest search engine optimization strategies. This includes creating high-quality blogs, integrating the right keywords, and utilizing high-quality backlinks.
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And of course, you want to make sure that you are going to prioritize your user's security and privacy regardless if it is being used by students and/or teachers.
Step 6: Create Useful Content
As an educational website, content is at its core. You will need to have content that fits the agenda of your users. If you're catering to professionals with zero experience, then your materials should start from the most basic before they evolve to the more complicated topics.
Another important consideration is the different types of learners that would access the website. This means that you should also have tools that can facilitate learning such as multimedia including photos and videos.
Do you choose to have downloadable videos on your platform? Or do you plan on having video streaming? In most cases, it is easier to maintain videos outside the website. Uploading the video on Vimeo is a common strategy used by those websites with limited capacities. Images are another category of site content that you need to get serious about. They have to look good, be properly formatted and have undergone compression to avoid adversely impacting page load speeds. If you don't have the time or the skills to dedicate to this, then this is the AI-powered photo editor you need.
You also want to organize your content in such a way that it makes everything easy to find. This is also good for the site's ranking.
Step 7: Make the Website Engaging
Part of what makes any educational website or platform successful is its ability to create a community for its users. It should have an ecosystem wherein users can engage in discussions that can facilitate learning.
This means that you should encourage users to write down their thoughts. Having a comment section on your blog can open up possible discussions.
You should also consider creating a newsletter wherein your users can receive your announcements on their email. This makes it easier to track new uploads and other updates on the website.
Conclusion
Learning a new skill is no longer limited to the traditional face-to-face setup. Nowadays, it is common for students to learn on their devices. Not only does it save time, it is sometimes cheaper to study remotely.
However, it is equally important to have a good platform that can facilitate learning. That’s the reason why having a good educational website is a must.
