RESOURCE CENTER

Websites for Schools

This resource center contains everything you ever needed to know about websites for schools. Here you'll find valuable insights on how your school website should be helping you work smarter, not harder—and how to get the best website for your school or district.

School Website Header Image

What questions can we answer?

Why do you need a better school website_
How can you find the right school website company_1
What is the difference between a website and a CMS_
How can I choose the best school website design_

 

Icon - Why-1
Why do you need a better school website?

Your school website is the first representative of your school or district that many visitors meet. Whether you’re looking to attract prospective students, engage current students & families, or just keep everyone in your community up-to-date on school events and information—your school website is your partner in these efforts.

Interview Website GIF Green

A strong school website is:

Easy to navigate for visitors with and without disabilities

Updated with the latest information your community needs to know

Integrated with the apps you use most frequently, like calendars and classroom updates

Easy to update on the back end, even without a tech degree

Your website should empower you to communicate with your audience both directly (through email newsletters and messaging integrations) and indirectly (through announcements, news stories, and teacher pages). Your website should fully support you in your communication, enrollment, and engagement efforts.

Hear from your colleagues:

“A lot of times, especially nowadays, everybody is looking at your website as a reflection of how you function as a school. By having a nice web presence, we're able to share what our kids are doing in the classroom. Edlio gets the information out there in the easiest way possible and makes it look as though we spent the time to make it look just right.”

Technology Coordinator, Divine Mercy Catholic Academy Branden Miller
Click here to read about how Saint Columbkille Partnership Schools website helps them engage prospective and current families.

 

Icon - Difference


What is the difference between a website and a CMS?

On the surface, a CMS is a website; your site visitors wouldn’t likely recognize the difference between the two. The real difference comes in the back end, where you and your colleagues operate and maintain the site. There, it becomes obvious that a CMS is so much more than just a website.

CMS stands for Content Management System.

Think of it like the back end of your school website, which is essentially a platform that allows you to publish pages and posts.
CMS

A CMS will also offer you the flexibility to:

Upload files and share them with your site visitors

Keep photo and video galleries on your site

Integrate forms and other applications you use regularly

Update your website without any prior coding experience

Edlio offers schools a robust CMS that is so much more than a website, because we know that for most schools, a basic website just isn’t going to have the flexibility or functionality they need.

Click here to read our blog post about the intangible benefits of a CMS

Hear from your colleagues:

"At first, I didn't know anything about making changes to a website. Edlio has made it easy to navigate the admin side of things. I was startled at the various ways we could contact our students and families through our website. We can connect our students directly to our teachers and staff and our families to our resources. Working with Edlio has been stress-free."

Academic & Career Advisor, Lake Erie International High School Wilnella Spivey
Kendra - Share

Share the love

How can your school website work for YOU and make your workload easier? Best practices, tips, & information here:https://learn.edlio.com/websites-for-schools-resource-hub #schoolwebsites @Edlio #websitesforschools #EdTech 

Button - Facebook
Button - Tweet
Button - LinkedIn

 

Icon - Find
How can you find the right company to build websites for schools?

You will have to decide as a school which features are most important to you when you’re choosing a new school website provider. However, there are some features you want to be sure to ask about in the vetting process.

Ease of Use

Can your staff easily update the website on their own once it’s built?

Ease of Navigation

Can your stakeholders navigate the website easily?

Integrations

Does it integrate with your LMS, SIS, and calendars?

Accessibility

Is the design mobile responsive, translatable, and accessible to all visitors?

Extras

Do they provide additional features such as online payments, a mobile app, and forms?

Principal Searching

Hear from your colleagues:

“Personally, I'd never want to run a website if it wasn't through Edlio. The entire process, from building the website to launching it, has been such an incredible one.”

4th Grade ELA Teacher, Elaine Wynn Elementary School Jordan Ellicoe
Click here to watch our Webinar on How to Interview a Website Company!

 

Icon - Design
Where can I get started with the best school website design?

Starting a new school website or a website redesign is a daunting task. Here are some thing to consider:

   Design the site so it’s mobile responsive, not just mobile friendly

Create a site that's unique to your school, reflecting your school brand

 Have quick links or buttons on the home page for easy call to actions

Build easy-to-read menus (such as mega menus)

Mobile Responsive Design

Mobile Responsive vs Mobile Friendly

Mobile Responsive vs. Mobile Friendly

Mobile responsive means all design aspects are viewable from a mobile device. It also means the mobile device is viewing the site from the same URL. When a site is just mobile friendly you will usually see a www.schoolname.com”/m “ 


 

With an Edlio CMS, you get...

Icon - Website-3

A user-friendly website that’s easy to operate on the back end and navigate for visitors

Icon - Images

An online portfolio to showcase your students, activities, and school spirit for your whole community

Icon - Marketing-1

A communications platform that unifies your messaging and powers your marketing

Icon - Payments

The option to add online payments and a branded mobile app

All Websites for Schools Articles and Resources