Online University Grows with SiteExecutive

Client: American Public University
Industry: Education

Services Delivered:

• SiteExecutive WCM software
• Web architecture and design consulting

Benefits:  

• Reduce cost of Website development and administration
• Eliminate Web content publishing bottleneck
• Increase ROI on PPC advertising
• Strengthen APUS brand
• Improve service delivery to students and prospective students

Challenge:

Working through a period of astounding growth, members of the American Public University System’s IT staff responsible for maintaining the University three core Web properties were falling behind on content updates. Facing growing pressure from Marketing and other content owners, IT set out to find a Web content management solution that could be rapidly implemented, launching before fall semester.

The required Web content management solution would also empower non-technical personnel in Marketing and various academic programs to build, update and manage the University’s Websites with minimal assistance from IT. Furthermore, it would also enforce a common look and feel among across the Sites, protecting and strengthening the University’s brand.

Solution:

After a thorough evaluation of Web content management applications, APUS selected SiteExecutive. Working closely with the APUS IT and Marketing teams, Systems Alliance led the SiteExecutive implementation, rolling out three new Websites in only eight weeks. The project encompassed Site design, the creation of templates and style sheets, importation of existing content and end-user training.

As expected, SiteExecutive ended the content-update bottleneck. It also empowers content owners to get even more value from APUS Web properties:

• Smarter Marketing: Today, APUS marketers are using SiteExecutive to build more effective pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns. SiteExecutive lets non-technical personnel build keyword-specific landing pages and Web forms in minutes. By leveraging this capability, APUS has increased site traffic by as much as 50 percent, dramatically increasing the ROI on its PPC investment.
• Student Self Service: In addition to using SiteExecutive as a marketing engine, APUS end users have also integrated SiteExecutive with the University’s Student Information System and Course Catalog, making it easy for students and prospective students to find the information they need, 24/7.

Following the success of the first phase of its SiteExecutive implementation, APUS is working with Systems Alliance to plan additional SiteExecutive deployments, including migration of the School’s Intranet and integration of data delivered via the Extranet into the content management system.