What should a study-abroad consultancy website include?

What families check first

Parents are about to send documents and money to people they have not met. Before they read about services, they look for proof.

• A physical office address in each country you work from, and a phone number that is answered
• The names and photographs of the counsellors
• Any certification or agent status you hold, stated accurately
• Accounts from past students, published with their permission

The pages the site needs

• Services, set out as the stages a student goes through: choosing a course, applying, the visa, travel and arrival
• Destinations, with what is different about each country
• Fees: what you charge the student, and what you do not
• A registration form that asks only for what you need to start
• About, with the team and the offices
• Advice articles that answer the questions students ask every intake

Make applying easy

Put one clear button, such as Apply Now, in the same place on every page. Offer WhatsApp beside it, because many students prefer to ask a question before they fill in a form. Tell them what happens next and how soon they will hear from you.

Mistakes that cost enquiries

• Promising a visa or an admission. No consultant controls either, and families know it.
• A long form that asks for a passport and transcripts before the first conversation
• Photographs taken from stock libraries where your own students should be
• No mention of fees anywhere
• A site that is slow or hard to read on a phone