Classical schools love depth—but their websites often feel shallow. You’re an exception: you design with intention, clarity, and formation in mind. But many of your peers keep repeating the same avoidable mistakes. Let’s fix that.

Mistake #1: Uploading the Entire Parent Handbook as a PDF

A massive PDF might check a compliance box—but it instantly signals: “Unreadable, overwhelming, bureaucratic.” Parents don’t click. They bounce. PDF’s don’t work on mobile. They’re a user-experience disaster.

✅ Fix: Convert the handbook into a browsable, mobile-friendly page with summaries, expandable sections, and clear headings. Use meaningful anchor links so parents can find what matters—without frustration.

A well-designed Parent Handbook page builds trust by showing you actually care about their time.

Mistake #2: Generic CTAs Like “Schedule a Tour” Everywhere

“Schedule a Tour” is fine. But when that’s the only CTA on every page, you risk missing families who just want to download a calendar, meet a teacher, or read stories first.

✅ Fix: Use layered CTAs based on intent. On blog posts about formation, offer resources like “Download our Seasonal Rhythm Calendar.” On admissions pages, mix “Schedule a Tour” with “Read Parent Stories.” These nuanced CTAs reflect your school’s rhythm and formation priorities.

Mistake #3: Bloated Navigation Menus

Massive nav menus overwhelm visitors. They don’t know what matters or where to go—so they bounce.

✅ Fix: Use 5–6 top-level nav items. Group related pages into folders like “Admissions” or “Community.” Always put formation-forward pages—like blogs or virtues—front and center. Simplified navigation sends a message: this school is clear, intentional, and personable.

Mistake #4: Invisible Formation on Core Pages

If your site’s mission and values are buried deep in PDFs or late in the “About” page, parents never see them.

✅ Fix: Insert formation cues throughout—homepages, admissions, and even tour pages. For example, link to your blog about formation directly from the admissions CTA. See how formation shows up in everyday content by looking at pages like blog strategy for schools—then echo that voice elsewhere.

Mistake #5: Hiding FAQs Behind Forms or PDFs

Got an FAQ PDF buried behind a login or inquiry form? That’s a barrier. Parents won’t search, they’ll bounce.

✅ Fix: Turn FAQs into a searchable, live page where parents can find answers instantly. Structure questions thematically and feature them on your admissions page. A visible FAQ isn’t just helpful—it signals transparency.

Mistake #6: Blog Feels Like a Bulletin Board, Not a Formation Asset

If your blog is a random collection of six updates, event reminders, and rhetorical blurbs—it’s not working. It’s not forming, converting, or ranking.

✅ Fix: Build a strategy-driven blog series (e.g., virtues in action). Anchor each post to real stories. Optimize for SEO. Group them by theme so parents can browse deeply. See how this can transform trust and clarity by looking at formation-focused series like virtues-in-action.

Mistake #7: Contact Page That Feels Cold or Generic

“Contact us” pages filled with multiple phone numbers, generic forms, and no personality = misses. That page can be a conversion magnet—or a trust turnaround moment.

✅ Fix: Include a personal note from the head of admissions, a one-sentence summary of your formation approach, clear next steps, and an invitation to connect. If you’ve already invested in staff bios or pastoral tone elsewhere—extend that humanity here.

Why Fixing These Matters

Every one of these “mistakes” signals something: clutter, opacity, generic-ness, or lack of formation. But when you fix them, your site becomes:

• 📞 **Trustworthy**—fast answers and clear pathways
• 🎓 **Formational**—showing your identity in every click
• 📈 **High-converting**—one CTA, one story, one step at a time

These are not just cosmetic tweaks—they’re posture shifts. They show parents your school is serious about formation—and serious about helping families understand that clearly.

What to Do Next

1. Audit your site: Where are PDF heavy-lifts, generic CTAs, and nav jams?
2. Make one small change this week—a handbook page, a layered CTA, a human tone in your FAQ.
3. Track: are pages loading faster? Are bounce rates dropping? Are inquiry forms seeing more starts?

If you want help auditing or implementing these fixes, we specialize in applying classical clarity *with purpose*. You don’t need a site that just looks good—you need a site that forms and converts.

Final Word

Your school has depth. Your online presence deserves to reflect it. Fixing these 7 mistakes is the fastest, highest-leverage way to move from generic brochure to formation-driven digital experience. Let’s get to work—to build a site that speaks your soul.