Parchment Schools' New Web Site Popular
February 14, 2009
Source: Kelle Barr
Department: Kalamazoo Gazette
Web surfers are visiting the new Parchment School District's Web site at more than double the rate of other K-12 districts.
The newly refurbished site, the latest step in a rebranding that began with new logos unveiled last fall, was revealed to the public on Jan. 17 at Gym Jam at Parchment High School and to the Board of Education at the Jan. 26 meeting.
The site, created by LKF Marketing, of Kalamazoo, went live on Jan. 15, and by Feb. 3, had received 21,295 page views.
"This number is 60 percent higher than the industry benchmark, which is a global standard that was developed by Google," said [url=page.php?page_id=18,title=Sarah Morgan, LKF Marketing]Sarah Morgan[/url], of LKF. "It's incredible."
Within that number, there were 1,728 unique visitors, each of whom clicked their way through an average of 7.6 pages per visit, compared to an industry average of 3.16.
The new site, according to Morgan, has a comprehensive search function that the previous Web site lacked.
"The homepage is designed to have a 'wow' factor - to be different than any other school site, while still being a quick and easy source of information," Morgan said. "It needs to act as a salesperson of sorts. For families considering moving to the area, the Web site is most likely their first source of information."
"These are excellent numbers, just phenomenal," Morgan said, of the significant traffic the new site has generated. "Especially considering the size of Parchment - it really shows what a strong community this is."
Superintendent Matt Miller was impressed.
"This site has RSS feeds. These allow you to get notification of news items posted to the site without having to rely on e-mail," he said. "There's also an alert notice - we'll post a notice on the Web site when school is canceled or delayed."
It also has a searchable staff directory, a comprehensive events calendar for each school as well as a district wide calendar, and a resources link. Future plans for the site include the addition of an alumni section allowing Parchment alumni to access classmate information.
Combined service
Together, the members of the Parchment School District's Board of Education have 36 years of service. They are: Trustee Rhonda Newman, one year; Trustee Deb Bryant, three years; Trustee Rob Thayer, four years; Secretary Dale Pominville, four years' Treasurer Joel Shaffer, five years; President Steve Gibson, eight years; and Vice President Nancy Lenz, 11 years.
School board recognition
At the January meeting, Miller also recognized the board members, who collectively, have served Parchment for 36 years, in honor of School Board Recognition Month.
"Please join me in saluting these education advocates as they provide vision, and leadership for student achievement, academic programs, district funding, and school facilities." Miller said. "Thank you for your leadership; thank you for creating a collegial environment which enables all of us to take risks for the betterment of our district. Thanks for caring."
LKF Marketing is a full-service marketing communications agency located in downtown Kalamazoo. Since 1989, LKF has helped businesses and organizations achieve their marketing goals through strategic planning, results-driven creative execution, and communication tactics.
