The Australian RTO market is very competitive, with thousands of training providers across the country. Attracting new learners relies on various channels, and your RTO’s website plays an enormous role in this.
Part of operating a successful RTO is having a well-designed, highly functional, and visually appealing website. At the very heart of this is the user experience.
Ask yourself:
- How does my website look?
- Is it on-brand?
- How quickly do its pages load?
- Is it easy to navigate?
- Does it provide the answers/solutions/experience its visitors seek?
- Does it make engagement and conversion easy and desirable for its user?
- How does it make its visitors feel?
All of these factors (and more) underpin your website’s design and resultant user experience.
What is UX in Website Design?
UX refers to “user experience”. It incorporates an array of web design features including:
- Site usability (navigation, speed, eCommerce, etc)
- Content management (relevant textual copy, images, onsite blog, landing pages)
- Graphic design
- Interaction design
- Information architecture
- User testing
- and more
UXD, or user experience design, primarily relates to how using a website feels as opposed to simply how it looks.
A well-developed website will incorporate UX into its design from the outset. This ensures the visitor will enjoy a positive experience when browsing and interacting with the website, with simple navigation and engagement, relevant content, etc. Achieving this relies on the advanced accessibility and usability of the website and a robust focus on anticipating, understanding, and responding to the needs of the audience.
Why is having a positive UX so important in website design? Doing so can significantly help your RTO:
- increase leads
- boost conversions
- enhance sales
- improve customer satisfaction
- foster customer loyalty
How to Leverage Your RTO’s Website for Success
Online Student Management System – have your students enrol online for fast, streamlined, paperless student management. Digital enrolment and integrated learner details storage are part of the overall automation of student and course management that enhances your processes.
Course Showcase – broadcast what you do! Appealingly present your course information and concisely provide the relevant details that visitors seek when considering enrolment. Provide links to access further information.
Search Engine Optimisation – in the competitive modern RTO marketplace, you can’t afford to ignore the requirement for SEO on your website. A practical and effective SEO strategy is the way you increase your visibility online. This is critical and is far more effective when conducted by a professional SEO expert. In terms of your website, it must be designed with SEO ranking factors in mind and includes relevant, high quality internal and external links, SEO-optimised landing page content, having an on-site blog, and actively positioning yourself as an authority in your industry niche.
You should also:
- Ensure your URL is as simple and memorable as possible
- Check whether your webserver requires upgrading
- Centralise customer engagement, enrolments, and queries with a CRM system
- Minimise clicks between the home page and course landing pages
- Add an eCommerce plugin so that you can process online payments
- Add an easy-to-use calendar-booking feature
- Ensure your page speed is optimised
- Install Google Analytics for better website management
- Optimise your website for mobile for both Android and iOS across a wide array of devices
- Include video and text testimonials
- Create content for your target audience – speak in the type of language they will understand and focus on readability. Strike a balance between the textual requirements for SEO purposes and user attention spans.
A Final Word
Any website is the face of its business online – a literal “digital shopfront”. It must attract and captivate its target audience and, as an RTO, it needs to professionally reflect the high standard of competency of the training you offer. It should also maintain and convey your brand identity.
So ask yourself, “Does my RTO website need an upgrade to compete online?”
Contact RTOWeb Today!
We specialise in the design and development of websites for RTOs and we are experts within the VET Industry. Let us help you harness the untapped power of your website to grow your RTO.
