By Doug Carroll
Communications Staff
A completely redesigned website for Grand Canyon University is less than a month from being up and running.
The new-and-improved www.gcu.edu, in the works for most of a year, officially will debut during the week of June 27, according to Senior Marketing Manager Suzanne Lyons. An extensive review of the site will take place during the week of June 13.
“We’ve constructed this website in such a way that it can grow with the University,” Lyons says. “I think people will like the way it has integrated our online, campus and prospective students. There will definitely be a sense of community.”
Visitors to the site will notice dramatically improved navigation, and the site’s flexibility will allow changes to be made swiftly. Components such as photo slideshows and video will be much more prominent.
The site also will emphasize Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to help with marketing to prospective students.
“We looked inside and outside the education space at what made a good website, and we also responded to what our internal staff said they wanted,” Lyons says. “We asked, ‘What would be the student’s expectations when they came to our site?’”
Community outreach efforts such as the Fall Festival and Canyon Cares will be easier to find on the site. There will be an “accolades” section, which Lyons sees as a way to share unique stories about GCU and its people, and eventually a full faculty database will be available.
“The site will bring to life the GCU community,” Lyons says. “It will be much more dynamic and engaging.”
Lyons singles out several individuals for their work on the redesign, including Robert Gay, Tai Dang and Louie Coté of IT; Miranda Hildebrand and Dave Basham of Academic Web Services; and Eric McHaney of General Marketing/Creative Services.
“It’s been a nice collaborative process working with the various departments on their areas and content,” Lyons says. “Thanks to everyone for their time and patience with this project. After the launch, we’ll continue to build out the site and make it even more dynamic.”
During the upcoming review period, there will be ways for users to supply feedback. Watch for those details in GCU Today and Herd on Campus.
Reach Doug Carroll at 639.8011 or [email protected].
