Marketer Website Scorecard
Education

RSW/US and RSW/AgencySearch have been reviewing agency and marketer websites for a good part of their 17 years in business.

This is the first in a series of reviews of marketer websites. We use the same criteria to evaluate marketers sites as we use to evaluate agency websites.

Below you’ll see scorecards for Brown University, Walsh College, and Relay.

RSW/US has been supporting marketing agencies’ new business efforts with our outsourced agency new business/lead generation program and has been helping marketers find best-in-class marketing agencies. To learn more, click here.

Brown University

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User Experience

Easy to navigate?

Overall, the user experience is only ok. Brown throws a lot at students – which may be fine for the typical Brown student who really wants to peel it back and look at every possible angle of the school – but there has to be a more fluid and user-friendly way to accomplish this same end.
The site simply doesn’t make it easy to move back and forth between parts of their website. There really isn’t a clear and well-defined path for site visitors to take.
I pretended like I was an entering Freshman trying to learn a little bit about the University, and not only did I find myself “stuck” in sections like “Brown|RISD” with no way back to the main site except to hit the “back” button, but I found that moving between disciplines carried me into a land of inconsistency across schools and types of study.
And while the search function for undergraduate programs is seemingly useful – as they let prospective students filter by “Academic Divisions”, “Your Interests”, and “Life After Brown” (not really sure what that means)–once you’re in a “Life Science” program, you have to go all the way back to “All Programs” to start again. Would be nice if, when a prospective student went to “Biology” (as an example), they could easily see other “Life Science” programs offered via a list that would allow them to more easily click from program to program. Right now, it’s just a bit clunky.

Clarity

Gets to the point?

The Brown University site only kind of gets to the point. The home page opens with a statement of celebration of all the great things about Brown but doesn’t really pay it out. Personally, I’d rather see the section on “The Brown Difference” follow the top of the fold. At the very least, this section does try to paint a clearer picture of what makes Brown unique in a very organized and deliberate manner.
If this section that I recommend above followed the opening of the home page, it would send a clear statement of what makes Brown different: Its innovation, its impact, and its collaboration.
However, rather than sending students down the “economics” or “public health” path, when they click on the link at the bottom of the “innovation”, “impact”, or “collaboration” sections, instead let these descriptions stand on their own and simply define the overall point of difference for the University. Right now, the way it’s set up, one is led to believe that the only place where there’s “innovation” at Brown is in the “economics” department. We suspect that “innovation” is a cornerstone for most of what Brown does/delivers for students.
Following this section, it makes sense to showcase the “Academics” section as it’s presented, followed by the student testimonials, all working to support the university’s point of difference.

Positioning

Defines what brand does and how unique?

Not really certain what Brown’s positioning is – based on the way the site is laid out today. It appears that it’s all about “making an impact”. They talk about “Deploying knowledge to address critical and complex problems in the world” and “academic excellence, intellectual freedom and making an impact, centers all we do.” The issue with this is there really isn’t anything that fleshes that out or provides any kind of support for the positioning.
If they are all about addressing critical and complex problems in the world, show the prospective student more than the Rugby team winning the tournament. Doesn’t really feel like they Rugby team solved a big world problem by winning the tournament!

Legitimacy

Instills confidence in brand?

As noted above, there really isn’t anything presented on the site as a solid reason to believe why Brown makes an impact on society. There are a few examples presented, but other than a local archeological dig conducted by some students, there aren’t any substantive supporting points to back up their value proposition.
We suspect there are plenty of things that Brown as a university, as well as Brown students, do to make a difference. Offering more testimonials sooner on the site, and creating a landing page that speaks to “difference makers” and offers examples of where Brown students have helped solve complex and meaningful issues – or how their study prepares them for this–would go a long way in making the claim feel more legitimate.

Consistency

Tells a cohesive story across site?

The website isn’t very consistent across its different schools. Different schools have different looks. It’s almost as if there were either multiple agencies involved in this build or someone on the inside at the different schools were responsible for building their page for their school.
This lack of consistency makes it more difficult to clearly and concisely deliver a message of excellence.
And while I know that consistent branding isn’t nearly as important as solving complex world problems, delivering a consistent look/feel/character is important in convincing consumers of a brand that you’re serious about what your promise is.

Walsh College

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User Experience

Easy to navigate?

Generally speaking, the user experience on the Walsh site is good.
One suggestion we have is rather than overwhelm student applicants with every single program under the “Admissions” tab, showcase just the four categories of programs (i.e. “Undergraduate”, “Graduate”, etc.) and then let the student click through to each landing page. It will be easier for the prospective student to digest than throwing it all at them on the main page.
It would also be helpful for prospective students that are trying to learn about different study paths, making it easy for them to move back and forth between programs, versus having to back out after reviewing each. It will make for a smoother experience.
And while this last point isn’t so much about user experience in the sense of creating a seamless experience for prospective students, it is about the overall experience of being on the Walsh site. Having “apply now” and “learn more” (that basically take you to a “contact us” page) makes it feel like they are hustling more than they are informing, inspiring, and selling the College.

Clarity

Gets to the point?

The Walsh website is direct and to-the-point. It lays things out in an organized and simple manner.
One thing that isn’t terribly clear, however, is the picture of what student life looks/feels like. There is a “Student Life” tab in the footer, and that only shares some of the experience. If there is life beyond academics, Walsh might want to do a better job of painting that picture, versus only focusing on the academics.

Positioning

Defines what brand does and how unique?

A prospective student coming to the Walsh College site would walk away from a quick look not really knowing much about the school.
Putting some of the language in the “About Us” section up front at the opening of the home page would be good. As an example, “Not Your Typical Business School” and “The fuel you need” are solid ways to help set Walsh apart from other Colleges and Universities.
And paying that all out with the suggestion they make that they are a unique combination of “theory and application” would help support their claim of being a different type of school.

Legitimacy

Defines what brand does and how unique?

A prospective student that is considering Walsh because they like the “Not Your Typical Business School” positioning isn’t offered anything after the positioning statement in the “About Us” section to substantively support the positioning (other than suggesting they are a combination of “theory and application”).
If Walsh were to move that statement (or parts of it) up front on to the home page, the site could follow with the alumni testimonials to support the value of Walsh. Would be nice if there were also current student testimonials to back up the claim.
Also, sharing data somewhere on the home page to pay out the success of their programs would help build confidence among prospective students that taking the Walsh path will deliver solidly for them.

Consistency

Tells cohesive story across site?

The site is very consistent in look/feel throughout. They do a nice job of maintaining the Walsh brand across all pages on the site.

Relay

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User Experience

Easy to navigate?

Relay makes it very easy for prospects to navigate throughout the site, making it very simple to move back and forth between programs.
And the thought leadership section of the site (“Articles”) gives visitors the ability to easily identify the content that is of most interest to them.
The only suggestion we have is to remove the “What to Expect” page from the site as it offers next to nothing for prospects – only suggesting that they call to get more information. As a prospective student, I might wonder why the school couldn’t spell out expectations – might raise more questions than it answers.

Clarity

Gets to the point?

The site very clearly defines what it is they do, who they do it for, and what makes them better. Information is neatly broken up into simple, bite-size chunks, so prospective students can get what they need simply and efficiently.
The only issue we have is in the “About Relay & History” section. While it does a nice job of talking about the philosophy, approach, etc. as it relates to the school, this portion of the site says nothing about the actual history of Relay – which could prove to be a good selling point – knowing that there is some rich history, and the school has some staying power.

Positioning

Defines what brand does and how unique?

Relay has done a nice job defining their space and the value that they can bring to prospective students. The “Join the Relay” headline is a great play on the brand and the collaborative, supportive role that the school plays in helping students achieve their goals.

Legitimacy

Instills confidence in brand?

While the testimonials are solid, it would be great if there more data was made visible for prospective students to see the successes graduates have had.
We suggest moving the stats presented at the bottom of the home page more upfront, possibly following the top of the fold on the home page.

Consistency

Tells cohesive story across site?

The site does a nice job of presenting itself with a very consistent look and feel. The branding of the site is solid, which creates a sense of confidence that the school is organized and thoughtful in terms of its offering to students.

Marketer Website Scorecard
Education

Brown University

Walsh College

Relay

Brown University

User Experience

Clarity

Positioning

Legitimacy

Consistency

Walsh College

User Experience

Clarity

Positioning

Legitimacy

Consistency

Relay

User Experience

Clarity

Positioning

Legitimacy

Consistency

Connect With RSW/US

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Marketer Website Scorecard Education

Brown University

Walsh College

Relay

Brown University

User Experience

Clarity

Positioning

Legitimacy

Consistency

Walsh College

User Experience

Clarity

Positioning

Legitimacy

Consistency

Relay

User Experience

Clarity

Positioning

Legitimacy

Consistency

Connect With RSW/US

Site Map

Follow Us

Marketer Website Scorecard
Education