Optimizing a Growing Small Business' Web Presence
Imagining a homepage and system of funneling customers towards segmented products for a growing Spanish education program.
Role
Managed the brand's website since June 2019 with major overhauls taking place in the last 2 years.
Involved
Requirements Gathering, Competitive Analysis, System Mapping, Web Design, CSS, Email Marketing
Collaborations
Lia - Founder, Paul - Video & Media Specialist
A Text Heavy Website with a Difficult Discovery Workflow
Language University is a Spanish education program for preschool to 5th grade that offers programs for families and schools.
The company's initial website was built quickly from a basic template and featured many long paragraphs and lists, making it difficult to scan the site to learn about relevant products.
Let's Hear from the Customers…
Parents & Families
"I need to be sure that the program is something my child will enjoy learning from. However, the offerings are mainly presented through text, which makes exploring them feel like a chore."
Teachers & Admin
"I'm always in need of new lesson plans and activities. Language U needs to layout their products for teachers vs schools and ensure they stand out and feel budget friendly."
Creating a Web Presence to Meet the Small Business' Needs
When I began managing the site in 2019, I worked to streamline the site so customers could more easily find the products and digital content they need and learn about Language U's "Spanish through Fun" differentiator.
This case study covers my efforts to redesign the website and email marketing strategy from 2019 to the present.
Project Question
How might we optimize the discoverability of Language University's offerings for parents, teachers, and admin to increase sales and viewership?
Project Overview
Part 1
Imagining an Engaging Homepage
Creating a landing page that embodies the fun spirit of Language U and drives traffic to key offerings.
Part 2
Guiding Customers Towards Content & Targeted Products
Utilizing catalogue pages, product pages, and a email customer journey sequence to connect customers with products tailored to their needs.
The Site Must Funnel Customers Towards…
Subscription, courses, and other product offerings tailored to parents, teachers, and schools.
Video content and music on Youtube and streaming services to increase viewership.
Joining the newsletter and following Language U on social media to keep customers informed.
Learning about Language U's mission to teach Spanish to children through fun rather than traditional bookwork.
2 Imagining an Engaging Homepage
Starting from a Monotonous Homepage
The homepage is the first impression on a user so it needs to align with the company's mission, aesthetic, and business goals. To assess where I needed to take the homepage, I started by analyzing its current state.
The homepage needed to be revamped to create more engaging call to actions to better funnel customers towards targeted pages.
Starting Point
Homepage from 2020
The homepage blends together due to its rigid grid structure and lack of prominent calls to action. Its text-heavy presentation does not align with the engaging essence of the program. Additionally, the highlighted offerings do not reflect the company’s current business priorities.
Investigating Successful Homepages from Competitors
Next, I researched two competitors in the education space with successful homepages in terms of engagement and funneling users towards their key offerings.
Based on my competitive analysis, I aimed to design a homepage that visually introduces the program, showcases key offerings, and closes with more info about program's mission.
Bilingual Birdies's Homepage
Bilingual Birdies prioritizes introducing the program with video content, then aims to send customers towards offerings for schools or parents. They also include mentions of business objectives to add new in-person classes and join their newsletter.
Ms. Rachel's Homepage
Ms. Rachel similarly introduces her program with video content and the recognizable titular character. She then funnels customers towards her main objective, Youtube playlists, followed by reviews and a breakdown of her program's benefits.
Homepage in 2022
As I began a major overhaul of the website in 2022, I began restructuring the homepage to funnel customers towards their targeted products and the company's Youtube content. To gain the trust of visitors, I ensured this was paired with visually conveying the company's mission through video and imagery.
Final Iteration
Crafting an Engaging Homepage to Orient Customers
In 2024, I worked to update the website to reflect the company's new branding and more succinctly direct customers towards targeted content.
The final homepage serves both new and returning customers, guiding them to pages where they are most likely to find what they need
It was important to give customers a taste of what the rest of the site holds, without bogging them down with the details.
1
Provide Overview
Introduce Language U visually before funneling customers to their targeted offerings pages.
2
Showcase High Priority Products
Link customers towards specific business priority products they are most likely looking for.
3
Encourage Engagement with the Language U Community
Present their socials and newsletter for to increase audience. Parent reviews highlight the program's strengths.
4
Present Mission to Gain Authority as Educators
Video and written content instill a sense of trust. Final links direct to a more detailed mission page and tailored offerings.
2 Guiding Customers Towards Digital Content & Targeted Products
Customer Funnel Solution #1
Cataloguing Offerings for Families and Schools Separately
Language U's 2020 offerings page contained options for both parents and schools in a long laundry list like format. Showcasing these products on a single page forces customers to spend mental energy scanning through some products that are not meant for them.
By splitting the Offerings page into two separate pages for parents and admins/teachers, the discovery process became better tailored to each audience's needs.
Starting Point
Offerings Page in 2020
The original offerings page aimed for simplicity by displaying all products in one place. However, as the number of options grew, customers struggled to find what was relevant to their customer segment, made worse by overly detailed descriptions of the products.
Bilingual Birdies's Offerings Pages
After analyzing a competitor's presentation of their offerings, I recognized that splitting the page into two separate pages for each customer segment would help users quickly find and compare relevant products. Providing a brief description of each product allowed customers to learn about the products at a high level, then determine which product they want to learn more about.
Offerings for Schools
Offerings For Families
Separating the Offerings Page to Address Each Customer Segement
Inspired by Bilingual Birdies, I restructured the offerings page into two pages for schools and families. From there, I organized each page by digital vs in-person options to optimize for scannability.
Final Iteration
Offerings Pages for Families & Schools
Discover the strategy behind each section of the offering pages.
1
Header Section
Banner confirms that the customer is in the right place. Buttons allow for quick navigation to digital vs in-person offerings.
2
Digital Offerings Section
Explore the main digital offerings followed by lower priority advertisements.
3
In-Person Offerings Section
Explore the main in-person offerings followed by lower priority advertisements.
Customer Funnel Solution #2
Verifying Product Fit via Product Pages
After the customer has scanned through the overview of offerings applicable to their segment, the product page confirms if the selected product fits their needs.
If the product doesn't seem right, then the product page should encourage the customer to seek similar products that may be a better fit.
Starting Point
Product Page in 2021
This early product page design begins to separate info into sections but could benefit from a clearer header hierarchy, more visuals, and an overview section.
Bilingual Birdies Product Page
Bilingual Birdies does a great job of incorporating visuals and clear headers to create an engaging and well organized product page. The succinct info it provides allows the customer to confirm their understanding of the product and return to the offerings pages if it's not a fit.
Final Iteration
Product Page
Discover the strategy behind each section of a product page.
1
Overview of Product
Presents the key details of the product before providing buttons to start the purchase.
2
Product Information Sections
Shows product details through concise text, icons, and video. Suggests related products should the current product not fit their needs.
Customer Funnel Solution #3
Welcoming Subscribers via a Email Customer Journey Sequence
While the website provides all of the info parents, teachers, and admin need to learn about the company's offerings, email marketing is another key factor in growing a small business.
Using MailChimp, I developed a sequence of emails to welcome new customers to Language U's mission and offerings.
Using this second channel, which is likely checked everyday, new customers are welcomed into the Language U community and guided towards tailored products by the founder, Lia.
Starting Point
Email Customer Journey in 2021
When I originally established the customer journey, it followed a single, generic sequence for parents, admin, and teachers for simplicity. The design system featured in the emails was underdeveloped due to business priorities being focused on the website. Our messaging sequence was inspired by the advice of a email marketing expert the founder and I met with.
Adding New Contacts to Language U's Initial Customer Journey
The first priority was increasing viewership of the customer journey. The website's sign-up form allows new customers to subscribe to the newsletter in exchange for a free product tailored to their segment. For in-person course registrations, their info is automatically sent to MailChimp upon form submission.
Website Newsletter Sign Up
In-Person Course Registration Form
Creating Separate Journey Paths
To better target messaging, I created separate journey paths targeting teacher & admin, general parents, and parents with students from in-person classes. Using segment filters, I sequenced a total of 21 emails, with 7 emails per path.
Final Iteration
Email Template For Customer Journey
Discover the strategy behind each section of the email template.
1
Main Message Section
Language U's founder provides helpful info to the new customer. Key callouts help the reader to skim.
2
Product Advertisement Section
After the message, the reader is provided with freebies and a sequence of tailored offerings.
3
Mission Section
To close, the company's mission is reinforced with a video, followed by links encouraging further exploration of the website.
5 Feedback & Results
A Successful Website for a Growing Small Business
While the website will continue to evolve with changing business priorities, its current design has received praise from both business consultants and parents.
Subscription and product sales have nearly doubled since 2020, though my work on the site continues as a side project.
"The website truly embodies Language U's brand and mission. It is warm and exciting just like the program. It establishes Lia as a trusted voice in Spanish education."
Nolia Roots Consulting
"The funneling methodology and improved design elements expertly direct customers towards the products meant for them. Super important when dealing with busy school admin and parents."
High Desert AI Consulting
"This site gave me a great introduction to what Language U is all about. As a parent of a student, I was excited to see so many options for continuing my child's learning after the class ends!"
Language U Parent
