Chosen because Nanjing International School won Gold for Website Homepage Redesign in the 2023 Brilliance Awards. Kyle Bueschlen, Head of Communications and Marketing, takes us through the process of redesigning the website.

“This was a great example of best practices. It not only included an amazing visual presentation but also truly presented clear benefits and engaging content about the school.”

— Brilliance Awards Judge's Comment

Step 1: Set the Bar High

Nanjing International School’s (NIS) goal was to create a unique, world-class website that not only served as an effective admissions funnel but also a vibrant, visual embodiment of the school’s mission and strategy. “We wanted to transform our old site from ‘acceptable’ to ‘exceptional’ using the latest website design and best practices, as well as professional photos, videos, and copy,” says Kyle Bueschlen, Head of Communications and Marketing. “The site needed to be imaginative, inspiring, and authentic.”

“We wanted something new, unique, and bespoke to NIS. Like our school, it needed to be a modern fusion of East and West. ”

— Kyle Bueschlen, Head of Communications and Marketing

Step 2: Assess The Existing Site

The old site was created before NIS had a Communications Department, so while well-meaning, it wasn’t strategic in its purpose, design, or content. For example, there wasn’t a map or more than a single photo of the campus facilities.

“After my team was created,” says Kyle, “our extensive efforts to optimize and improve the site eventually maxed out due to the limitations of the design itself.”

Step 3: Set the Foundation

With NIS’s successful rebranding and the start of the school’s 30th anniversary year, it was time to launch the redesign project. Kyle led the build of an award-winning website redesign at another international school and was confident he and his team could do even better at NIS.

They formed a small team of decision-makers and developed a streamlined site map for the main site and a revamped Parent Portal. Ease of navigation and accessibility was key, and they wanted to create a mobile-first site, as analytics showed most of their current and prospective users view the site on phones. NIS already knew from marketing surveys what prospective parents were looking for in their market and what was effective and translated that into the design – international, community, great academics, co-curriculars, university acceptances, and student-centered.

“Despite a huge amount of planning, the design still went through a couple of major iterations before it eventually settled on the bold colors and iconic brushstrokes present throughout the site,” says Kyle. “Fantastic, innovative design combined with best practices in layout, navigation, content, and general user experience was a winning formula.”

While we had much of the content on hand from the old site to be transferred over, each page and section still needed to be specially designed. The homepage was mocked up on paper and digitally after a thorough amount of research and brainstorming.

Step 4: Work with a Trusted Vendor

NIS is a Finalsite school. There was no question that NIS would go with the top-tier Best-in-Class design package, which would give them the most customization and freedom to realize its website redesign vision.

“Strive for perfection and achieve excellence” was a good mantra for this project, according to Kyle. “We were very agile because of the extremely small group of decision-makers, and the trust and support of senior leadership very much helped to make this possible,” Kyle says. There was a high degree of autonomy.

Kyle was the main person who worked on the website, both leading the project and building the site once the design was finalized and programmed into the CMS. While this was a lot of work, his expertise and experience made it a smooth and successful process.

“A website redesign is probably the most complex, resource-intensive, and time-consuming MarCom project there is for a school.”

— Kyle Bueschlen, Head of Communications and Marketing

From contract sign to launch, the entire project took over 9 months. The site went live just as NIS’ 30th anniversary year ended, so it was a nice gift for our community and a fitting way to end the celebrations.

Abbreviated Production Schedule

October 2022 – Brainstorming, planning, and prep work begin.

December 2022 – Kicked off design project with Finalsite.

October 2023 – New website launched.

Step 5: Proof points in Analytics

NIS has seen increased metrics across the board in just 3 months:

Increased traffic (+25% average)
Increased engagement (+30% average)
Increased conversions for applications (+15% average)
A world-class user experience
Vastly improved admissions experience for prospective families
Vastly improved parent experience in MyNIS parent portal
Vastly improved recruitment experience for prospective educators
Enriched, mobile-friendly experience

Anecdotally, NIS heard that new families and educators became interested in joining the school simply because of the new website experience.

Step 6: Reflect on Budget

The budget that was set was sufficient to achieve all the features, functionality, and level of design that NIS wanted. That said, they economized by using professional in-house video, copywriting, and design assets. By having their re-branding already finished and content updated over the past two years, they didn’t need to outsource anything other than web design with Finalsite.

“Colorful and inviting, your homepage just makes the user want to explore more. High marks especially for your video testimony carousel. The animation on scroll functionality gives your site a unique and interactive feel that is becoming more popular, but you’re on the leading edge of this functionality. Well done!”

— Sample Brilliance Awards Judge's Comment

Step 7: Advice for Small Schools

“Technically, we are a small shop!” says Kyle. Here are his suggestions:

Go with a provider/developer like Finalsite. It’s a good move because they have access to some of the best web designers and programmers in the biz and continue support after the project is finished.
Don’t just push to have it done, as this is a signature achievement for any MarCom team. A website redesign is probably the most complex, resource-intensive, and time-consuming MarCom project there is for a school. Plan accordingly and keep your deadlines very realistic.
Don’t do this by committee. A website project can easily fall victim to too many cooks in the kitchen. The design of the website is best left to marketing, with collaboration and approval by senior leadership. While the content for each department should follow certain guidelines and an overall strategy, the build and content input phase is a better time for collaboration with multiple non-decision-making stakeholders – once the design is finalized.
It’s better to have a marketer with some understanding of tech than an IT person with some understanding of marketing leading this project from your side. Just because you go with an outsource provider doesn’t mean the work will magically be done for you. Design and programming are just the beginning. The build is up to you! If you’re a smaller shop without access to someone with expertise in marketing and design, consider hiring an outside consultant expert to lead the project.
Don’t settle. Once the site is launched, this will be your school’s website for 4-6 years. Content can be updated but the design’s not going anywhere. The homepage is important because this will be the landing page for most users. It needs to wow, it needs to draw them in, and it needs to differentiate you from all others. There are so many school websites nowadays that are very cookie-cutter and could belong to any school, anywhere. Dare to be different, and don’t settle for ‘good enough’ with a project as big as this one.

Step 8: Enjoy Community Comments

“The website left me with a sense of pride to be part of this community, warmth, joy, and gratitude. As a parent, and for my kids to be part of this inclusive learning environment. I can only imagine the hard work that went into creating this and the most challenging part is always ensuring that the DNA of the school, the things that make us unique, are woven into every single detail. And this was successfully done.”
— NIS Parent
“Our website is our face to the world. We wanted to capture the atmosphere on campus at NIS which should reflect two key elements: community and inclusion. Our diverse student body are the heart of our school, and they are truly given voice in our website.”
— Laurie McLellan, School Director

“I had hoped that we would create an award-winning site, but to win not one, but two Golds from the InspirED Brilliance Awards is a huge honor that makes all the hard work truly feel worthwhile.”

— Kyle Bueschlen, Head of Communications and Marketing

Congratulations, Nanjing International School! You are brilliant!

TEAM
Kyle Bueschlen, Nanjing International School, Head of Communications and Marketing
Finalsite

See All the 2023 Winners

Did you win a Brilliance Award and want to be featured on the By Example case study blog? Send in your questionnaire or ask Liza for another one to get the process started.

Want more brilliant ideas and brain food to make your job easier? Sign up here.