As enrollment pathways become increasingly nonlinear, the campus website is no longer just a place to publish information. It’s the front door to the learner experience. Institutions that treat it as a dynamic, personalized guide can build confidence, support better decision making and help learners persist from first click to completion. In this interview, Hilton Guidry discusses how campus websites must shift from static information hubs to exploratory, guided experiences that help learners identify interests and navigate career-aligned pathways.
The EvoLLLution (Evo): As enrollment pathways are becoming way less linear, how should campus websites evolve from more static information hubs into a dynamic system actively guides learners from the discovery process to completion?
Hilton Guidry (HG): The first thing campus websites need to do is help learners figure out what they’re actually interested in. Many students don’t come in with a clear plan. They just know they want a pathway that leads to employment and long-term opportunity. So, the website can’t just be informational. It has to be exploratory. That means tools like simple assessments or guided questions that help learners identify interests and connect them to real career pathways.
From there, the site should stay with them—showing progress, flagging what’s next and offering timely nudges. Maybe it’s a reminder that you haven’t taken a required course yet or a prompt to talk to an advisor. It’s that ongoing interaction—part digital, part human—that turns a website into a true guide from discovery to completion.
Evo: With students expecting a self-service experience, where do you see the line between empowerment and abandonment, and how can the website content strike a balance to help avoid the abandonment part?
HG: That line really depends on who your students are. We’re a community college, and many of our students are first generation or coming from backgrounds where they haven’t been exposed to the college process before. There’s an assumption that younger students are automatically tech-savvy, but that’s not always true, especially if they don’t have the tools or context. COVID really highlighted this for us. Also, some of our students don’t have access to the proper technology, like laptops or reliable internet, which can vary by region in Louisiana. We serve students of all socioeconomic backgrounds with different levels of access to technology and education. Our state ranks as one of the lowest for education and on average our state population has a fourth- or fifth-grade reading level, so the website has to account for this.
When everything moved online, we asked students if they wanted the entire process to stay that way, and many said no. They needed some hand-holding. So, for us, empowerment doesn’t mean removing human touch. The website has to support self-service while clearly signaling where help exists. Students still want to call, come in or attend in-person registration events. The balance is offering digital pathways without making students feel like they’re on their own.
Evo: How can institutions leverage their website to unify a fragmented learner journey without creating digital silos for every audience?
HG: It’s really challenging, especially at a community college, because we’re often serving very different learners—and sometimes unintentionally competing with ourselves. You might have a traditional nursing program alongside a workforce certificate that gets someone into a nursing aide role much faster. That can create friction between academic and workforce sides, even though they’re serving different needs. Some students know they’ll never go the full RN route because of the science requirements, but a shorter workforce pathway makes sense for them. That’s still a valid career path.
For us, the website’s role isn’t forcing everything into one experience but clearly showing how pathways connect. Stackable credentials help. Start at an entry point, build skills, then decide if and when to take the next step. Other students will bypass that and go straight to a degree. The key is clarity, not uniformity.
Evo: What role should the website play in helping learners make a more confident, future-oriented decision?
HG: The website plays a huge role in helping students look ahead, not just pick what sounds interesting right now. One of the most important things we can show them is job outlook—actual growth data for that field. Sometimes that makes people uncomfortable. Sometimes that creates tough conversations internally, but those figures come from reliable labor sources.
The real question is: Are we trying to sell a program, or are we trying to put students on the right path? Students want transparency. First, they want to know what they can study. Right after that, they want to know what they’ll make and whether the field is growing. Salary and job market data help learners make confident, future-oriented decisions. The website should surface that information clearly, even when it’s not what we want it to say.
Evo: How do you think the campus website will redefine success for marketing and enrollment teams—not just when it comes to clicks or conversions but with long-term learner engagement and persistence?
HG: We get too caught up in clicks and conversions sometimes. Yes, the website is a marketing tool and engagement matters, but clicks alone don’t tell the full story. The real measure of success is whether the site helps students make confident decisions.
For us, that means showing outcomes. We use videos to highlight program directors, students in the field and alumni success stories. That’s the most powerful thing you can show someone—proof that people went through the program and are now happy and successful in their careers. Success looks like students understanding what programs are available, how those programs connect to real careers and why they chose us. Did they see a story? Hear from another student? Find us through social channels? A click doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t lead to clarity, confidence and persistence.
Evo: Is there anything you’d like to add?
HG: I’d just add that the website really is the front door to the institution. It’s often the first place someone goes after hearing about you through word of mouth, and it either reinforces that interest or stops them cold. When the site looks good and makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, it builds confidence.
One area we’re just starting to explore more is personalization. Students today expect it, and that’s often why they still call or come in—because they’re looking for a personal connection. Choosing where to go to school or learn a trade is a major life decision, like buying a house.
The website should help learners see themselves there, feel understood and not have to hunt for answers. That’s where personalization and AI can really help shape the future experience.
Evo: How have you been leveraging AI in the work you’re doing?
HG: We’re just scratching the surface with AI right now, but one of the biggest ways we’re using it is to better anticipate student questions. For example, when we’re building program pages, I’ll use tools like ChatGPT and ask what questions a prospective student would have if they’re interested in nursing. It surfaces things students actually care about—class size, time to completion, salary, scheduling flexibility. That feeds directly into our FAQs and helps with personalization.
AI is pulling from what people are searching for and asking, and we’re using that insight to meet students where they are. What’s interesting is that more people are skipping Google and going straight to AI tools for answers. If those same questions are clearly answered on our website, it strengthens relevance, visibility and the overall experience for students.
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