The accommodation landing page is the main ‘shop window’ for all accommodation content and has significantly increased in importance in recent times as a lack of events and open days has impacted the ability to visit accommodation in person. Applying to live in university accommodation is a key factor in the overall student application process and subsequent student experience, and living in halls is often one of the lasting memories for many students in their first year of study.
The accommodation landing page should showcase the quality and variety of your student residences, student experience activities and customer service expectations which students will receive when they become a resident, and putting the students’ requirements at the centre of what information is presented is key on this page. Whether the student, or their parent/carers, are at the enquiry, application, firm, clearing stages etc the information needs to be presented in a concise easy to access format with the key information for the relevant time of year front and centre.
A good mix of well-selected imagery, content menus/buttons and video content should cater for all enquiry and research needs with more detailed pages signposted to second tier pages to showcase the individual halls, details on how to apply, virtual tours, prices, processes and timelines will lead to a straightforward enquiry or application process and fewer queries.
As outlined in other sections, it is key to ensure the structure is mirrored around the primary audiences needs in relation to the specific time of year and accommodation application activity. Regular checks on content relevance and overall messaging should be scheduled to ensure information is kept up to date and accurate all year around. Visitors should be able to find the information they are looking for within 2-3 clicks of being on the page, so it is worth testing this with some willing volunteers or a student focus group to ensure that the structure, menus and overall signposting is as intuitive as possible.
Creating bespoke sections or pages for postgraduates, international students, parents/carers, students with disabilities and any other groups, are a simple way to aid the overall navigation and content structure to ensure the relevant information is easily accessible. Content which is applicable to all audiences should also have their own pages and be easily signposted on the relevant menu of information, such as the residence pages, virtual tours, FAQs and maps.