Images can convey a lot—sometimes even more than words—and this is especially important when it comes to a Web site, including the YU site.
Often, your school’s Web site is the “first look” at your school by many prospective students, our #1 audience. It’s the equivalent of meeting someone for the first time—as in an interview—and immediately forming opinions of the person based on how he or she looks, fairly or not. Turn people off, and chances are, they’ll never give your site a second look.
As you can tell, it’s nearly impossible to underemphasize the importance of the content and images on your school’s landing page.
What Should My School’s Main Image Convey?
The main image is the first—and the largest— image that people see when they go to your school’s site: the one above the four smaller content boxes. Often it’s accompanied by words but not always.
The main image on your school’s site should:
- Articulate who your school is
- Connect with your target audiences—potential students being #1
- Result in desired actions, namely, making a visitor to your site curious to learn more about your school by delving deeper into the site
- Be active and not static: i.e., show people interacting (students/students or students/professors, etc.), campus life or otherwise conveying the rich academic offerings that your school has. Let’s not just say that Yeshiva University is on the move and provides a dynamic and transformative experience: let’s show it!
What Should I Avoid for My School’s Main Image?
The main image on your school’s landing page should not be:
- Anything featuring an upcoming event that doesn’t include potential students. Remember, you have four smaller content boxes to do just that, not to mention a News & Events menu.
- Anything that already duplicates what you have in one of your four smaller content boxes
- Anything that has only words with no accompanying image
- Anything that would exceed the space currently allotted for the main image
What Happens If My Image Doesn’t Meet the Above Criteria?
- CPA will lock the content manager’s account and e-mail the user notifying him/her of the following:
- That the user’s account has been locked
- That the pages the user recently edited are being reverted to a previous version
- CPA will also inform the content manager what guidelines/rules were broken and overall reasoning for the actions listed in #1. (Hint: see guidelines/rules above.)
- The content manager’s account will be reinstated in 48 hours
The CPA Office realizes that many content managers have responsibilities other than just overseeing their Web site, and mistakes happen under the best of intentions. That’s why we’re here to help you, answer any questions you may have and provide guidance and support along the way.
We don’t expect you to achieve the goals of your site by yourself—we’re your co-partner on this journey.