A New Website Drives Engagement, Visibility, and Awareness

+700%

increase in request information form conversions

+64%

increase in apply button clicks

Traffic, engagement, and conversions soar with a redesigned website that showcases how The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) inspires and empowers the entire region.

dotCOMM Award Winner

A student-centric website empowers prospects to engage with UT Tyler’s expansive offerings.

As a mid-sized location of a large, public state university system, UT Tyler had a lot to offer—a breadth of program offerings, R2 classification, and a new medical school—but the website wasn’t telling the full story. Content-heavy and difficult to navigate, the site failed to convey Tyler’s value to prospects and the East Texas region as a whole. We helped design a new site to tell a multifaceted story and guide audiences to relevant, informative resources.

The Challenge

The University of Texas at Tyler needed a new website to better communicate its vital role in the East Texas community. With so much to offer, the site had become dense with content. This made it difficult to navigate and obscured key information and updates, like the launch of its new School of Medicine. They needed streamlined navigation and structure, and a content strategy that centered the university’s mission.

Our Approach

During discovery, we realized that UT Tyler’s rich offerings were an untapped opportunity to showcase why the school is such a great destination for prospective students. We translated UT Tyler’s “Rise as One” strategic plan into a dynamic digital experience, focusing on the institution’s identity and the student journey.

We centered the experience around prospective students, creating an information architecture with a clear hierarchy. This encouraged exploration and steered audiences toward information they’d need to make decisions. We also designed a program finder that not only showcased the full breadth of UT Tyler’s offerings but was easier for students to navigate and use. Across all pages, we added new content that highlighted the campus experience and alumni outcomes. Finally, we rebuilt the backend of the website to ensure usability for employees so that it would remain relevant for years to come.

What Worked

Dynamic, highly visual, and structured pages populated by engaging copy communicate UT Tyler’s story and highlight the student experience.
Strategic emphasis on UT Tyler’s initiatives highlight its School of Medicine, transfer pathways, and research and outreach activities.
Restructuring the information architecture created a clear and streamlined hierarchy, encouraging exploration and action and steers audiences to the resources they need to make a decision or take action.
Integrating the UT Tyler Health Science Center from its initially separate website onto the school’s main domain builds authority and a cohesive experience.
A newly designed Program Finder showcases the full scope of UT Tyler’s degree offerings in one location.
Incorporating personalization through student profiles and quotes adds a firsthand perspective on campus life and career outcomes.
A rebuilt backend ensures the site’s long-term scalability.

The Results

We launched the new UT Tyler website with 150 optimized pages of content. Over the next couple of months, we watched Google index these changes, while visibility increased and organic traffic skyrocketed.

During user testing, prospective students noted their appreciation for the visible facts and distinctions on top landing pages, images showcasing the school’s diversity, Spanish-language resources, new program page structure, and the outlined application steps and dates on the admissions pages.

Additionally, the site was recognized as a Gold winner at the 2024 dotCOMM Awards, an international competition administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals that recognizes excellence in creative and digital communication.

+83%

increase in visibility and corresponding impressions from organic search on optimized pages

+200%

increase in clicks and organic traffic

+8%

increase in engagement rate on optimized program pages

93

program pages optimized

+700%

increase in request information form conversions

+64%

increase in apply button clicks

Carnegie transformed UT Tyler’s website into a dynamic, user-friendly platform that clearly communicates our mission and impact. Their strategic approach resulted in a significant increase in engagement, organic traffic, and prospective student interest. We are thrilled with the outcome and how it has strengthened our connection with our community.

Laura Waits Assistant Vice President for Digital Strategy and Web Development University of Texas, Tyler