Woodbridge School Website
An industry-leading website demonstrating the vision and values of this long-established and trusted private school.
Focus area
- Animation
- Consultancy
- Social Media
- Video
Industry
- Education
Overview
Founded in the 17th century, Woodbridge School is one of East Anglia’s most established, respected and trusted independent schools. Combining an exceptional standard of private learning with an acute focus on personal growth, its students grow to become well-rounded, self-reliant adults.
The School was looking to make a statement to the market with refreshed visual brand styling as well as a new corporate website, marketing campaigns and brand proposition. They needed a platform that would differentiate them from competitors in the region, act as a compelling gateway for existing and prospective parents and students, and amplify the School’s values and vision.
The challenge
The project objective was to relaunch the Woodbridge brand in a way that creates a positive impact with all those that interact with the School – primarily past, present and future parents and students, but also staff and the media. We needed to reflect their history, standards and values, show the dedication, dynamism and positivity behind the school experience, and to tell their story with considered new content. And, finally, ensure the website balanced form and function while delivering a CMS staff could easily manage and update as required. Challenges included:
Poor visual experience: Their dated design, static images and large blocks of formal messaging doubtless made for unappealing reading and put off many visitors.
Information visibility: The School’s existing site was very complex without much on-page aids for navigation, making for a poor visitor experience.
New student acquisition: Although supported by a trust, the School still relies on fees paid for students to attend. They wanted to increase applications, particularly for the Sixth Form.Â
In-house updates: While their team could manually create and update pages themselves, the process was clunky, with lacklustre results.Â
What we did
Woodbridge School needed to match and exceed the sleek appearance of their competitors’ branding and websites. To truly stand out, we needed to reframe what a school website could and should be and focus on delivering an inspiring user experience.
Brand manifesto: We worked closely with the Head and staff members to redefine the Woodbridge School ethos and experience – their vision, values, aims and behaviours – as well as their confidence, energy and fresh thinking. This acted as a focused foundation and guide for all the work to follow.
Refined brand styling: Through research, ideation and iteration, we noted the leading players in education and what they were doing, before defining what would differentiate Woodbridge in their sector while still staying true to their heritage.Â
New website: We built a strong statement piece that helps Woodbridge School stand out from the multitude of competitors both locally and nationally. The concept was ambitious, and matched the values and new direction for the School.
Enhanced customer journey: An easy-to-use side menu on the site brought an instinctive structure to the website and quickly showed visitors where to find what they needed, with fast access to the School calendar and new parent portal.Â
Excellent SEO positioning: The School’s site is the first actual school website listed in Google’s search results on ‘independent schools in Suffolk’, after a handful of entries for school listings or chart sites.Â
Having the technical excellence really makes you stand out from other marketing agencies – it is superb. As I said right from the start of the project, I had the right connection with the StrategiQ team. You absolutely understood us, engaged with the energy and direction of the school and put in some incredibly hard work to deliver us a fantastic website.
Looking to make more impact in your sector and win more business?
Talk to us and find out how we’d do it together.
Next project
University of Suffolk
