Educational institutions are seeing an increasing use of the Web not only by prospective students, but also by the general public and current school body. Thanks to its ease of use, the Internet is now available on portable laptops and handheld communication devices. Instead of sending for college catalogs, those wishing to attend the college or university of their choice can simply go online and search the Web site. For this reason it is important for educational institutions to provide an opportunity for Web site visitors to preview the schools offerings.

Find the educational institution of interest on the Web. The best way to do this is by using a search engine like Google, Yahoo, Bing, Lycos or AOL to find the Web pages of the college or university that you are interested in. Then go to that Web site and check the address of the page to make sure you are at the opening page.

Visit the opening or welcome page to see how the information is arranged. Visitors should be able to view an uncluttered page, where all the options are clearly visible. Drop-down menus ought to be easily accessed and provide numerous additional choices.

Analyze the page by page navigation. This means that you should be able to go from the index or welcome page to the other parts of the website and then easily find your way back to the main page or other important parts of the Web site.

Evaluate the content. This is the most subjective portion of the process, where you read and examine the pertinent section to see if the information is helpful.

Check out the visual presentation. This is the least important of the evaluation process, but still a poorly designed Web site can be an eyesore and thus detract from the viewing experience. In general, Web sites should have soothing colors and easily readable fonts and text, along with a good overall arrangement of images and graphics. When page layout is done correctly, finding the desired information comes easier.

Colleges and universities are not the only type of educational institutions that provide a Web site for the general public. High schools, junior high schools and even elementary schools may have an official website. These Web sites can be used to instruct students or as a simpler means of communicating with the student body.

A legitimate educational institution will always have the ".edu", tag included as part of the IP address.