The following statistical data is from Alexa Information Systems' ranking system, which ranks sites from around the world by keeping a daily record of REACH (the percentage of internet users worldwide that visit a site) and TRAFFIC RANK (how many visits a site gets in comparison to all other sites). Here is data about the most popular sites of the ten California-based schools that are members of the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities. These figures are an average of traffic between 2/12/07 and 5/12/07.
Information with asterisks (*) comes from Mike Ward's 2002 texbook, Journalism Online, published by Focal Press. Information with two asterisks (**) comes from Ken Kelleher's research.
1. School: Biola University
Reaches: .00115% of internet users worldwide
Traffic Rank: 110,914 in world
Biola's site is not the most visually striking of these five. With no Flash media or dominating photos, the home page would likely not win the favor of Dave Siegel, author of How to Make Killer Web Sites.* The goal is primarily to inform -- rather than impress -- visitors. Siegel, on the other hand, encourages designers to create "virtual experiences," leading visitors down a linear path through a "front door" and various, tantalizing "entry tunnels" into the site.
With a guileless listing of links, a white background and Arial type, Biola's home pages are clear and content-based. Web expert Jakob Nielsen, whose philosophy is "remove graphic, increase traffic," would appreciate the university's focus on concise bits of text and brief paragraphs rather than colorful photos.*
2. School: Azusa Pacific University
Reaches: .00087% of internet
Traffic Rank: 125,740
A Flash slideshow of bold, striking photography dominates Azusa's site. This type of cutting-edge design adheres to Mike Ward's principal of "getting a user's attention when they first arrive," with the idea that each subsequent page will "take greater responsibility for holding the visitors' interest."*
The site also does a good job of funneling visitors based on their self-identity.** Prospective students are immediately drawn to their respective site regions, away from the technical language of, say, the faculty pages.
One of the site's downfalls is its use of light-colored text on a dark grey background. It's nowhere near as easy to read as Biola's black-on-white scheme. This page would also take longer to load on computers with slower modems, frustrating users with low-speed internet service.
3. School: Westmont (Santa Barbara)
Reaches: .00039% of internet
Traffic Rank: 233,952
While Westmont's site is clean and links are unmistakable, it is overly symmetrical and hardly artistic. The design does not take into account the power of contrast.* Had the page distinguished at least on of its columns with a color besides white, the site could better guide the reader through the page.
As Kelleher encourages, the page presents navigation bars horizontally and vertically. The horizontal bar presents "utility navigation," including essentials such as a campus map and and an ever-present pathway to the home page (centralized "home" link).** Ward applauds sites that allow the visitor to freely roam their pages without fear of "getting lost" and losing connection from the home pages.*
4. School: Vanguard (Costa Mesa)
Reaches: .00048% of internet
Traffic Rank: 253,887
Vanguard's site is slick and boasts a fresh, clean design. A Flash slideshow of striking, dominant photos carries on below a brief message about the school's mission and some common links. The design utilizes elements of contrast and repetition, which helps the visitor quickly distinguish between the news, calendar and menu sections.*
Critics of Vanguard's site might argue that the school's design distracts from clarity. Users can instantly read an Arial typeface with underlining on links. This design, however, opts for a more obscure, elegant font. It is more aesthetically pleasing, but compromises instant clarity and familiarity.
5. School: Cal Baptist (Riverside)
Reaches: .0003% of internet
Traffic Rank: 321,142
Cal Baptist keeps it site simple, with a dramatic background photo. Though the design is clean and striking, users are given a limited palette of options, forcing them to guess where to find features like a campus map. This breaks Steve Krug's cardinal rule of web design -- "don't make me think."* The site would do visitors a favor if more links were available on the home page.
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