The University of Nevada, Reno has launched a new website design specifically catered for prospective students. The majority of the University’s nearly half-million monthly visits to the site, unr.edu, are prospective students looking for information about admissions requirements, campus life and degree program offerings. These findings helped drive the strategy, design and functionality of the site. The University collaborated with KPS3 Marketing, a full service marketing firm based in Reno, Nevada, on the site’s design and development.
The new website homepage showcases the University as an attractive option for prospective students nationwide and worldwide highlighting the excellent level of education offered by the Tier I University. It also highlights the kind of experience a student can expect to have on campus as well as the bountiful opportunities the University and our region offer students in terms of career development and actual hands-on learning experiences.
“The new design adopts modern design trends, most notably with streaming background video,” said Brandon Stewart, Integrated Marketing project manager at the University of Nevada, Reno. “This creates a more engaging site, plus it allows prospective students to see we offer a rich, traditional university experience and a beautiful campus setting.”
Site data also showed that current students, faculty and staff heavily use the University’s site. With these audiences in mind, the website was developed with these groups’ most frequently viewed pages a single click away off the homepage to keep often-used information easy to access.
The website was built to be responsive to the screen it is being viewed on, whether a desktop monitor, tablet or mobile device. Devices with smaller screens will still provide a visitor with access to all of the same content as the desktop view, but with a customized view for easier browsing without having to zoom in to read. The responsive version will also include simplicities to make browsing on a small handheld device easier.
“Of the 450,000 average monthly visits to the website, the clear majority of visits are prospective-student related,” said Stewart. “More and more Internet usage is migrating to smart phones and tablets, especially among this target audience, and our new website features a fully responsive design intended for use across all devices, including mobile devices.”
The website also offers visitors an extensive search functionality, as well as options to contact the University via phone, email or live chat in order to find the information being looked for with the goal to get prospective and current students the information they need quickly.
Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s land-grant university, the University of Nevada, Reno ranks in the top tier of best national universities. With nearly 19,000 students, the University is driven to contribute a culture of student success, world-improving research and outreach that enhances communities and business. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University has the system’s largest research program and is home to the state’s medical school. With outreach and education programs in all Nevada counties and home to one of the largest study-abroad consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.
KPS3 is full-tilt marketing, wicked smart digital execution and energetic communication. Their mission is to move people to action. To keep up on all things KPS3, visit KPS3.com, follow them us on Twitter or like them on Facebook.
