Northwestern Medill
A Digital Strategy for a Premier Journalism & Marketing School
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Medill’s website served five distinct audiences through one platform, but converted at just 0.60%, with high bounce rates and fragmented journeys.
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Digital Silk led a full custom web design strategy, from competitive audits to a school-wide UVP, then carried it through to a complete redesign.
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The engagement delivered 10 landing page designs, 5 audience journeys, and a stat-driven homepage spotlighting Medill’s legacy.
The Challenge
Despite Medill’s century of authority, its website couldn’t serve five distinct audiences through a single platform.
Below-Benchmark Conversion Rate
The site converted at just 0.60%, below Higher Education industry standards.
High Bounce Rate Across Traffic
Overall bounce rate ran at 61.98%, climbing to 86.32% for paid traffic, against a 57.36% benchmark.
Slow Load Times & Weak PageSpeed Scores
Desktop pages loaded in 3.4 seconds, with Google PageSpeed scores of just 33 on mobile and 70 on desktop, against a recommended 90+.
Fragmented Journeys Across Five Audiences
Undergraduate applicants, graduate applicants, IMC professionals, IMC full-time students and short-course learners each had different needs and decision timelines, with no distinct path for any of them.
Accessibility & Competitive Gaps
The site fell short of WCAG 2.0 Level AA accessibility standards, while competitors like UNC, Berkeley, Columbia, USC, NYU and CUNY ran clearer conversion funnels and sharper positioning.
The Solution
Digital Silk led a full digital strategy engagement to reposition Medill’s website around its audiences, programs and competitive standing, then carried that strategy through to execution.
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Competitive & Audience Research
We audited competitor sites, benchmarked conversion funnels and value propositions, and built detailed personas for each program. -
Unique Value Proposition
We built a school-wide UVP anchored on Medill’s alumni network, real-world experience and career outcomes, plus program-specific value propositions. -
Website Planning & Navigation
We defined 10 landing page web designs, restructured navigation around each program, and built a sitemap organized around how audiences search and apply. -
Marketing Roadmap
We recommended social media tactics, SEO copywriting priorities, and retargeting and nurture campaigns for each prospective student segment. -
Full Site Redesign & User Experience
We built the complete website, translating a century of reputation into an elevated visual identity, mapping dedicated journeys for each audience, and bringing Medill’s scale front and center on a stat-driven homepage.
The Results
Digital Silk took Medill from strategy through a fully designed and launched website that speaks to each of its audiences on its own terms:
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5 Audience JourneysDistinct paths from undergraduate applicants to executive education learners
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A Legacy-Driven Homepage104 years, 5 campuses, 18,000 alumni and 32 travel programs
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Benchmarked Against 6 PeersUNC, Berkeley, Columbia, USC, NYU and CUNY
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A Scalable Template SystemBuilt to support Journalism, IMC, Executive Education, News and profiles long-term
Our Custom Web Design Portfolio
1000+ Completed Projects
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