Survey of College Executives Highlights Need for More Effective Web Content Management

Systems Alliance, Inc., a software development firm and systems integrator providing high-value IT and business consulting services, today announced the results of a survey of college executives it conducted last month which assessed opinions about how Websites influence recruitment and enrollment. A report outlining survey results is available from the SiteExecutive Website: http://www.siteexecutive.com/sem/survey_rpt.html.

“Our survey indicates most college administrators are interested in growing enrollment yield and believe their school’s Websites play an important role in the admissions and enrollment process,” said Ric Hughes, president and CEO, Systems Alliance. “As they seek ways of making those sites more effective, many recognize a need for improving the quality, delivery and management of site content and choose our SiteExecutive Web content management solution.”

According to survey results, 96 percent of respondents believe a college’s Website plays an important role in influencing admissions and enrollment decisions. Although 81 percent of respondents believe their own sites are effective for this purpose, 92 percent believe they can increase enrollment without lowering admissions standards.

To grow enrollment, some schools are employing specialized, stand-alone accepted student Websites. Though only 28 percent of survey respondents have already deployed one of these sites, 68 percent agreed the concept was increasingly important for influencing enrollment decisions.

The survey suggests one reason schools may put off creating an admitted-student site is the added complexity, cost and effort associated with site production, ongoing maintenance and content updates. A majority of respondents indicated they were falling short when it came to utilizing student-generated content, such as blogs, video blogs and spotlights, and providing content for parents – commonly used content on the accepted-student sites. Commenting on this issue, one university president stated, “I am not sure about the merits of a separate Website. We have a difficult time maintaining our current Website.”

About SiteExecutive Web Content Management Software

SiteExecutive Web content management software reduces the complexity, cost and effort of building highly effective Websites for organizations of all sizes. It gives non-technical personnel the means to create and publish Web content and deploy Websites in real-time, while enforcing compliancy with organizational processes, branding guidelines and industry best practices. To learn more visit: http://www.siteexecutive.com.

About Systems Alliance, Inc.

Systems Alliance, Inc., founded in 1993, is a Maryland-based company that provides business and technology consulting services to leading corporate and public-sector clients, including Baltimore County Government, Condé Nast, Johns Hopkins, Random House, Loyola College in Maryland, and the Maryland Department of Transportation. To learn more, visit http://www.systemsalliance.com.