They say a picture paints a thousand words, so why not use images to paint a story about your school and its unique brand? Using a website gallery page, your school, college or university can promote its facilities, students, staff and events.
What is a school website gallery?
A school website gallery is a website page dedicated to images that are relevant to the school and its pupils. The best school gallery pages are organised into different topics, such as school facilities, specific events such as sports days or charity fundraisers, as well as school trips and any other noteworthy occasions. A gallery page may even include a section on staff, so that parents can put a face to a teacher and work as a sort of pre-introduction.
Whenever a school gallery page is created, using first-class and standardised images is important. You don’t want to cheapen your website, and your school’s brand, by using homemade pictures or low-quality images. You can of course use images taken by non-professionals but it is best to have these images touched up or enhanced to maintain quality, and your school’s image.
What are the benefits of having a gallery on your website?
The benefits of having a school website gallery can be broken down into three main areas. First of all, it is beneficial for students to see their school acknowledge and recognise their achievements, such as team sporting events or academic accomplishments. Secondly, it benefits parents who are considering applying to the school because this page allows them to see “inside”, including a look at facilities and the type of events the school runs and participates in.
Including a gallery page on your website also has benefits to the website itself. These pages increase website engagement and the amount of time website visitors remain on the website before leaving. This timeframe is known as the “bounce rate” and it is better for your SEO performance to extend the bounce rate as long as possible. Thus, by making your website more engaging – such as including a gallery – you can contribute to a better search engine ranking which in turn can increase website visibility and enquiries.
Important things to consider
Website pages comprised of lots of images can make two potential mistakes. They can:
- Become too cluttered and displeasing on the eye
- Slow down the website
Luckily, a competent web developer will ensure your gallery page both looks great and doesn’t slow down website loading speeds. Another key consideration is permission. You will need to collect permission from anyone who features on an image within your gallery website. Our team can help you navigate all considerations to create a multi-beneficial gallery website page.
