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OmniUpdate Announces New Research on College Web Site Content

Co-Sponsored Report Summarizes the Attitudes of Prospective College Students

Camarillo, California – June 8, 2009 - OmniUpdate, Inc., the leading provider of web content management systems (CMS) for higher education, announced today the availability of a new research report, Scrolling Toward Enrollment: Web Site Content and the E-Expectations of College Bound Seniors.  This research project was conducted during 2009 in cooperation with Noel-Levitz, James Tower, and the National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA). 

Published by Noel-Levitz as part of their E-Expectations research series, the report uncovers interesting new findings affecting admissions marketing and the higher education Web site:

• 80 % of students said the content presented on a college or university Web site is more important than how the site looks. 
• 88% of students said they would drop a school from their search or be disappointed with a school if that institution’s Web site did not have the content they needed.
• 57% of students said if they noticed the content or text on a school Web site was out of date, incorrect, or unhelpful, they would probably take it off their list.
• 79% of students said they would read all the content on a Web site about admissions, even if it meant scrolling, and 74% said the same about cost and financial aid information. 

Prior to the study, there was a perception among institutions that students were unlikely to read much online content, so the results of the study were eye-opening. The new findings verify that the majority of prospective students find web content crucial in their enrollment decision, and they are willing to read and scroll, if necessary, to get the desired information.

The study affirms that the Web site plays a vital role in a higher education institution’s recruitment effort and that a negative content experience could reduce a student’s interest in a school. Lance Merker, President and CEO of OmniUpdate, expressed the company’s excitement when asked to participate in the 2009 study, although he was not surprised by the results. “OmniUpdate understands that web content is critical to the success of college and university admissions marketing and that a web CMS, like our OU Campus product, is essential. Because most admissions marketing efforts today are designed to drive prospective students to the college Web site for more information, keeping Web site content relevant, current, and easy to find is paramount to the success of the institution.”

Download a complete copy of the report.

About OmniUpdate
For more than 25 years, OmniUpdate, Inc. has been a leader in desktop, client-server, and Software-as-a-Service applications. Today, OmniUpdate’s web content management products are used to manage more than 500 college and university websites. The company also provides social media and information portal solutions.

For more information, visit www.omniupdate.com.