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A strong partnership starts with the right fit
Redesigning your institution's website is a major undertaking, and picking the right partner can make all the difference to your university's digital presence.
It's not just about a fresh look.
kIt's a chance to raise the profile of your school's digital brand, streamline user journeys, and meet strategic goals—from recruitment to reputation building.
But to get there, you need the right partner. Not just a design agency, but a strategic partner that understands the complexity of higher education and works as an extension of your team.
And we know it's a giant task, and one that's difficult to do when you have to juggle all the competing priorities.
So, what should you look for in a higher ed digital agency?
Start with your higher ed goals and pain points
Every redesign should begin with a clear sense of purpose.
Are you trying to boost enrollment? Modernize your content management system (CMS) or digital engagement platform (DXP), for example)? Improve accessibility or streamline content governance?
Before you reach out to any agency, make sure you're clear on your institutional priorities and leadership buy-in.
What's driving this redesign?
You can document both technical requirements and broader ambitions, like improving the brand experience or reducing bounce rates.
For example, some universities may need to now prioritize WCAG compliance due to recent regulations, while others need multilingual support for international recruitment or will specifically want to focus on integrating campaigns.
Defining your goals early helps you shortlist agencies that specialize in what you need.
Some may focus on storytelling and brand. Others bring deep expertise in SEO, accessibility, or system integration.
Many excel at one thing and outsource the rest.
Bring stakeholders into this conversation from the start—marketing, admissions, IT, content owners—and map out key priorities.
And if you're not clear on these yet, the right agency can help you shape the strategy—but only if you find one with strong discovery and consultation capabilities.
Look for higher ed experience—and proof
Working in higher ed isn't like working in other sectors, we all know this... but does your design agency?
So your web partner needs to understand academic governance, multi-stakeholder input, how prospective students research their options online, and how all your university systems work together.
Look for agencies that can show case studies from similar institutions, experience managing large, content-heavy websites, familiarity with higher ed systems and integrations, and knowledge of accessibility, compliance, and SEO best practices (and especially nowadays, AEO experience).
Ask the agencies how they engapge stakeholders, manage feedback, and keep projects on track.
Do they run workshops? User testing? Content audits?
Institutions often underestimate how long it takes to prep, clean, and migrate content. An experienced agency knows how to build this into the timeline.
And don't forget about student expectations.
Gen Z (and soon Gen Alpha) expect fast, mobile-friendly, personalized web experiences.
Your agency should bring insight into what works for these future students.
Prioritize collaboration and communication
Strong agency relationships are built on communication. Without it, even the best-planned redesign can run off track.
Prioritize collaboration and communication. A strong agency relationship feels more like a partnership than a vendor transaction.
And that partnership depends on clear, consistent communication.
One of the most common pitfalls in higher ed web redesigns is communication breakdowns—particularly with decentralized input or changes in institutional priorities mid-project.
The best agencies know how to manage this complexity with flexibility and responsiveness.
Choose an agency that not only values collaboration but has processes to manage complex input—from faculty to admin teams to external vendors.
- Ask about their project management processes (Agile? Waterfall? Hybrid?), the tools they use to collaborate (Trello, Basecamp, or Jira—are these compatible with what you use?).
- Ask if you'll have a project manager dedicated to you?
- What do the meeting cadence and milestone reviews look like, and how does the agency handle scope changes and late-stage feedback (these also happen!).
The best higher ed partners know how to keep projects moving while balancing the complexities of institutional politics and consensus-building.
Consider value, not just price
Cost matters, of course, but we feel value matters more.
Instead of getting a quote for costs, see if you can turn the conversation to finding out about what you'll get in return instead.
A great agency should be able to demonstrate ROI through improvements in user experience or accessibility, in increases in applications or inquiries, or in end-user satisfaction (e.g. reduced time-to-publish for web teams), better content governance, and improved search rankings and visibility.
Ask for benchmarks and performance metrics from past clients.
And if your redesign includes a new CMS/DXP make sure they're recommending platforms that empower your team—not ones that require constant outside help for updates.
Plan for the long haul
A website redesign doesn't end at launch. That's actually when the real work begins.
The agency you choose should offer—or help you plan for—ongoing support.
This includes training and documentation on their chosen CMS/DXP, post-launch performance monitoring, maintenance and security updates—and very importantly, a scalable architecture that grows with your institution!
Also, consider how future-ready the design and CMS/DXP will be.
Does the new system support personalization, multilingual content, or integration with emerging AI tools?
Will it allow any of your decentralized authors or teams to create content without compromising quality or compliance?
So it's more than a redesign—it's a reinvestment.
Choosing the right agency for your university website redesign isn't about picking a vendor.
It's about choosing a strategic partner who understands higher ed and shares your vision for the digital experience.
A well-chosen agency will help you build a website that doesn't just look great—it will work harder for you, connecting with students, supporting staff, and telling your institution's story in a compelling, accessible, and measurable way.
How is your institution approaching the selection of a digital agency? What's been your biggest challenge—or takeaway—from your redesign journey?