When parents are looking for extracurricular activities such as dance, swim or gymnastics lessons to enroll their children in, they aren’t just looking for the best classes taught by the best instructors- they are also looking for the most appealing and easiest-to-use website. 

So if your facility’s website hasn’t been updated since it was created, it probably isn’t doing your business any favors. The truth hurts, but we’re here to help soften the blow. That’s why we’ve put together a list of tips to help update your youth activity center’s website. 

Get started updating your youth activity center’s website: 

1. Keep visitors on your website with clear calls to action

A well-functioning website isn’t worth a hill of beans if it doesn’t create engagement and increase revenue for your business. 

Every person who lands on your website is a potential customer, regardless of if it’s their first time visiting yourwebsite[dot]com or their one hundredth. They came to your website for a reason, so it’s your responsibility to ensure that effective calls to action make it easy for visitors to accomplish the goal that landed them on your site in the first place. 

Tools such as new student enrollment forms and online registration should be clearly defined on your website. This effort will help visitors enroll and pay for classes with a few simple clicks. Ultimately, establishing clear calls to action on your website will help convert visitors to customers. 

Other types of calls to action to include on your facility’s website include: 

• A comprehensive listing of classes available at your school 
• Informational video clips on your facility
• Registration forms and other options to get started as a student at your facility 
• An option to learn more about your facility, via email or newsletter request form

(Watch the most recent webinar showing how you can host registration on your website ->)

2. Incorporate killer content

When it comes to creating a website that converts, content is everything. So it’s no surprise that when updating your facility’s website, you should put a lot of effort into creating killer content. 

What does that mean exactly? Well, content comes in many shapes and sizes. There are keywords, metadata descriptions and dynamic video that should all be considered when updating your website’s content. Let’s look at each a little closer. 

Keywords

Ever heard of SEO? (That’s search engine optimization, if you answered no.) Here’s an example from 30,000 feet up of why keywords are so important in terms of SEO.

Example: If your school focuses primarily on swim lessons for preschool-age children, then your website’s content shouldn’t be riddled with copy about the importance of teaching adults to swim or vice versa. Focusing on key phrases such as ‘preschool swim lessons in [your town’s name here]’ will attract the right kind of person who your website can convert into a paying customer. 

Metadata descriptions

These short descriptions help increase your site’s opportunity to rank in search engine rankings. Embed keyword-rich metadata descriptions in the content of your website to make it easier for search engines like Google to know what your business is all about. 

The more search engines know about the services you provide, the more likely they are to rank your site above your competitors. 

Dynamic video

In the world of digital content, you’re losing what really sells your facility — you! Add the human element back into your website by creating short, easy-to-digest videos of what your youth activity center has to offer to attract new and returning students. 

True or False: Videos help build your domain authority with search engines? 

It’s true. 

Don’t forget to include that helpful metadata description on your videos, too. 

3. Use reviews to help sell your classes

We live in a time when huge brands are using the voices of influencers to sell their products. You may not have the same size marketing budget as Coke, Nordstrom or Nike to employ social media influencers, but you do have a pool of advocates who can help attract potential students– your current customers. 

Don’t be afraid to post reviews and testimonials from current parents and students on your facility’s website. The words of a happy customer, along with the logos of any community alliances or associations you are associated with do more to boost your business’s credibility than you know. 

4. Maintain a modern design

An out-of-date website is the digital equivalent of a mullet. It’s confusing to look at. 

(Let me apologize now to any of the readers who may be sporting a business in the front, party in the back hairstyle. I know you’re a great person, it’s a figure of speech.) 

When updating your youth activity centers’ website, make sure it’s easy to navigate and looks sleek. Keeping your page layout simple will help achieve your main goal of converting visitors to students. 

Make facility information, class schedule, pricing, registration links, etc. easy to locate. And while features such as online registration are great time-savers for facility owners and staff, don’t underestimate the number of people who visit your website to talk to an actual human. Make your contact information easy to find, too. 

Maintaining a modern website isn’t just about information. High-quality images that convey the services your studio provides should be updated routinely, too. Stock images that feature students from 2005 aren’t going to give visitors the greatest first impression of your facility. 

There are many things to consider when it comes to freshening up your facility for the new year. If implementing cloud-based class management software is part of your strategy for 2020, be sure to start your Free Trial of Jackrabbit Class today!