How can an education website help users choose the right course?

A training catalogue quickly becomes difficult to browse when every programme is given the same priority. The website should help users progressively reduce the options and compare the programmes that genuinely fit their goals.

A training catalogue quickly becomes difficult to browse when every page has the same level of priority. The website should help users progressively narrow down the options.

Start from the way candidates actually search

A future learner may begin with a profession, a skill, a level, a campus, a learning format or a career objective. A web agency for education should therefore structure the journey around these real search behaviours rather than the institution’s internal vocabulary.

Categories should reflect the way users search.

Offering several entry points by objective helps candidates start from their own project rather than from the school’s terminology.

Standardise comparable information

Duration, level, pace, cost, prerequisites and career outcomes should appear consistently.

This standardisation makes comparison easier.

The website should mainly help candidates move from a broad catalogue to a short list using genuinely differentiating criteria: level, subject, campus, learning pace, intake and career goal.

Use filters that genuinely help

Too many filters can complicate the decision.

Keep only the criteria that actually change the choice.

Filters should help users quickly exclude programmes that are incompatible with their level, campus or desired intake.

Create in-depth programme pages

Objectives, skills, content, teaching methods and admissions should be detailed enough.

A PDF brochure should not be the only source of information.

A programme page should answer decision questions before developing the brand message.

Offer an action that matches the user’s maturity

Brochure download, appointment, application or registration can coexist depending on maturity.

The main CTA should remain clear.

Measure the journey

Internal search, filters, programme pages and applications help identify points of friction.

Data should guide catalogue improvements.

Measuring the transitions between comparison, programme pages, appointments and applications helps identify the real breaks in the journey.

Performance dashboard

Which criteria should save candidates time?

The website should eliminate incompatible options as early as possible according to level, campus, pace or desired intake. Good selection criteria reduce the catalogue without hiding important differences between programmes.

What an education website should help users decide before applying

The journey should help candidates start from their own goal, compare a few credible options and then understand the chosen programme precisely. Website quality is therefore measured by its ability to reduce hesitation and orientation mistakes, not by the number of filters or pages available.

Helping users choose starts with making programmes comparable

An education website can contain a lot of information while still leaving future learners unable to choose. This often happens when every programme is presented with the same promises and without clear comparison criteria.

A web agency for education should therefore structure the website around the decision: level, objective, duration, pace, format, cost, career outcomes and prerequisites should be visible before the form.

Create understandable categories

Categories should match candidates’ questions: subject, profession, level, format or objective.

Internal labels can remain in the content, but they should not be the only navigation method.

Visitors should be able to reduce the number of options quickly.

Present comparable training cards

Catalogue cards should use the same criteria.

Title, level, duration, format and objective can be enough for an initial selection.

Secondary information should remain on the detailed page. This principle is explored further in our article on how to present a training catalogue without losing the user.

Use useful filters

A filter should genuinely narrow the choice.

Format, level, duration, city or subject can be relevant depending on the catalogue.

Avoid filters that apply to only a handful of programmes or taxonomies that are too technical.

Plan an internal search function

Candidates may know the profession they want without knowing the programme name.

Search should therefore return a course from related terms.

Queries with no results can reveal editorial or catalogue gaps.

Create complete programme pages

Every page should answer the main questions: who is it for, what is it for, how does it work, how long does it last, what is the pace, what are the prerequisites and what are the prospects?

A page that is too short forces candidates to download a brochure or contact the school just to understand the basics.

The brochure should complement the page, not replace it. See also what a training page should include to convince a prospective learner.

Explain differences between similar programmes

Two programmes can share a subject while targeting different levels or objectives.

The website can create a comparison table or a “Which programme should I choose?” section.

This reduces misdirected applications. It also requires the institution to make the educational offer clear for students and parents.

Present progression paths

Some programmes may lead to a specialisation or further study.

The website should present these pathways only when they correspond to genuine possibilities.

A simple visual can help candidates understand possible trajectories.

Treat prerequisites precisely

Required qualifications, experience or level should be distinguished from recommendations.

This distinction helps candidates know whether they can actually apply.

An important condition should not appear only in a PDF.

Present study formats

On-campus, remote, hybrid, apprenticeship, full-time or part-time formats strongly influence the decision.

This information should be easy to scan.

Candidates should quickly understand whether the organisation fits their situation.

Explain funding

Cost and funding possibilities should be presented carefully.

The website can explain available schemes but should not imply that they apply automatically.

Candidates should know who to contact to confirm eligibility.

Show career outcomes

Roles, skills and further-study options should be connected to the programme.

Employment figures should be contextualised.

A school-wide figure should not be attributed to one specific programme without evidence.

Create journey profiles

Without locking users into personas, the website can present a few situations: career change, continuing education, upskilling or apprenticeship.

These journeys help users identify suitable programmes.

They should remain grounded in courses that genuinely exist. The Formateurs Parisiens website, for example, distinguishes two journeys: companies looking for providers and individuals financing training through CPF, France Travail or an OPCO.

Offer several CTAs

A user may want to compare, download a brochure, attend an event or apply.

The website should prioritise these actions.

An “Apply” CTA shown too early can create friction.

Optimise comparison on mobile

Wide tables work poorly on smartphones.

Differences can be presented in cards or accordions.

Candidates should be able to compare without switching to desktop.

Measure how users search for courses

Filters, internal searches, compared pages and CTAs help reveal selection criteria.

This data can expose categories that are poorly understood.

Admissions teams can complement the analysis with recurring orientation mistakes.

Checklist for helping users choose a programme

• Understandable categories.
• Comparable cards.
• Genuinely useful filters.
• Complete programme pages.
• Explicit differences between programmes.
• Visible prerequisites.
• CTAs adapted to maturity.

Create a simple comparison tool when the offer justifies it

If several programmes are close, a comparison tool can help visualise the differences.

It should focus on a few genuinely differentiating criteria: level, duration, pace, prerequisites, format and outcomes.

An overly detailed comparison tool becomes as difficult to read as the original catalogue.

Plan for users who are still undecided

Some visitors do not yet know which profession or subject to choose.

The website can offer orientation content, simple questionnaires or interest-based journeys when the institution has suitable resources.

These tools should guide users toward real programmes without creating the impression of an automatic diagnosis.

Explain bridges and equivalences

When certain courses allow progression, parallel admission or specialisation, these possibilities should be explained precisely.

Guaranteed pathways should be distinguished from options subject to conditions.

This information can be decisive for candidates choosing between several routes.

Present differences between formats

The same programme may exist as full-time, apprenticeship or remote study.

The website should explain differences beyond the label: pace, support, calendar and entry conditions may vary.

Well-structured pages prevent users from assuming it is exactly the same journey.

Use admissions feedback

Questions received by phone or email often reveal what remains difficult to understand.

This feedback should be used to improve programme pages and filters.

If the same confusion appears repeatedly, the website should address it before adding more content.

Plan editorial recommendations

When users view one programme, the website can suggest a genuinely close alternative or a complementary course.

These recommendations should be based on objectives, level or format, not random logic.

They can help candidates who discover that a programme does not fit their profile.

Manage temporarily unavailable programmes

A programme can be suspended, full or not opening for the next intake.

The page should explain the situation clearly and suggest a relevant alternative when one exists.

Deleting the URL abruptly or leaving an active form creates a poor experience.

Make it easy to return to the catalogue

After viewing a programme page, candidates should be able to recover their filters or selection without restarting the search.

This continuity is especially important on mobile and in large catalogues.

It reduces frustration and makes comparison between several programmes easier.

Help users compare without opening ten pages

When several programmes are similar, a table or a few common criteria can make the choice easier: level, duration, pace, format, certification and main career outcomes.

The goal is not to reduce a programme to a few boxes, but to allow an initial selection before going into detail.

Provide a next step for users who are still unsure

A visitor who cannot immediately find the right programme should be able to ask for advice, download a catalogue or access a simple orientation tool.

This intermediate step avoids pushing too early toward an application and helps the institution capture prospects who are still considering their options.

Keep choice criteria up to date

Programmes evolve: content, pace, format, prerequisites and outcomes may change. Filters, comparison tables and category pages should be updated at the same time as the detailed pages to avoid inconsistencies.

FAQ