One Minute School Website Check

With school starting in many areas, people will be flocking to school websites.  They will look for forms, events, schedules, menus and more! They will need the basics like phone number and address. They may wish to see photos  or videos of back to school events and news.  Perhaps they wish to connect with your school via social media such as Facebook and Twitter for easy access. Surely, they want a welcoming message from a teacher or administrator. There is an old Irish proverb which says, 'The eye of a friend is a good mirror'.  Why not get input on a regular basis for your school website to keep it fresh and engaging? Here are some tips and a handout to critique your site and to solicit feedback on your site from others.

One Minute Website Checklist

With the rapidly moving pace of the school year, how do you keep your school website up to date?  Here are a few tips and a handout, the  One Minute School Website Checklist

1. Take a minute to look at your school website. Look at it with fresh eyes.  Think of what a parent, student or prospective student might think upon seeing your site.
2. Ask five others to take a minute to look at it. Include a few parents, teachers and students in the process.
3. Make a take away list - Remove old events, old photos, former employees
4. Make an add list - Add new initiatives, events, photos, wish lists, new employees.  Update your contact info. Provide easy to find phone info, fax info, directions, maps, email addresses.
5. Make a connections list - What new and innovative ways can people connect with your school via your website?  These may include social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype?
6. Add Pizzazz! Add interest to your site with audio, video and photos. Use polls and gather website visitor feedback. Ask visitors to your site what they would like to see on the website by using an online poll such as this one created in Google Forms
7. Make Plans to Update immediately after the website check in
8. Schedule Regular Updates and Do a One Minute Check-in and Review at least once a month

Here are some other sites for websites and information channels for SchoolsBuilding School Websites E-howBuilding a Classroom Website - E-howCreating School Information Channels - Langwiches Blog