College of Western Idaho Drives Higher Engagement Through Website Optimization [Case Study]

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Driving More Engagement with Smarter Navigation

How Collegis helped the College of Western Idaho boost CTA clicks through conversion-focused website optimization and A/B testing.

0 %

Increase in CTA clicks

The College of Western Idaho (CWI) partnered with Collegis to enhance website navigation and increase engagement with key calls to action. Key navigation and calls to action were only accessible at the top of the page, requiring users to scroll back up to take action.

To reduce friction and improve the user experience, Collegis recommended testing a persistent “sticky” navigation system that keeps essential navigation and conversion elements visible as users scroll. The goal was to create a more intuitive browsing experience while increasing interaction with high-value calls to action.

The Challenge

Improving Navigation Without Disrupting User Experience

CWI’s existing website required users to scroll back to the top of the page to access navigation and key calls to action (CTAs), creating unnecessary friction for prospective students exploring programs.

Key considerations included:

Improving access to navigation and CTAs without disrupting the browsing experience
Demonstrating the value of sticky navigation to stakeholders before development
Ensuring the new functionality worked seamlessly across desktop and mobile experiences
Managing technical constraints while running an A/B test within the existing site environment

Balancing usability improvements with technical feasibility required careful design, development, and testing.

The Solution

Testing Persistent Navigation to Improve Engagement

Collegis implemented an A/B test to evaluate the impact of persistent navigation and conversion elements across CWI’s website.

Key components included:

Sticky header navigation designed to keep key menu items accessible as users scroll
Sticky mobile footer providing persistent access to high-value CTAs on smaller screens
A/B testing through VWO to compare the existing site experience against the sticky navigation variant
Collaborative design and development to prototype, test, and implement the solution within the client’s technical environment

This approach allowed the team to validate the impact of sticky navigation before full deployment.

The Collegis Impact

The A/B test ran for 29 days and achieved a 99.98% confidence level, confirming the effectiveness of the sticky navigation experience.

Key results included:

31% increase in clicks on primary CTAs, significantly exceeding the 10% target
2,250% increase in mobile ‘taps’ on the “Call CWI” CTA after replacing “Give to CWI”
18% increase in application starts from program page
Sticky navigation improved wayfinding while increasing engagement with key conversion actions

Based on these results, CWI moved forward with full implementation of the sticky global header and mobile footer across the production site.

31%

Increase in CTA clicks

18%

Increase in application starts

Choosing to focus on navigation was strategic — it’s one of the first things a prospective student interacts with. Collegis helped us test incrementally and let the data tell the story rather than guessing. With detailed analytics tracking every click and interaction, we saw clear impact on student engagement that led to a confident decision to roll out recommendations institution-wide.

Bryson Caldwell

Title Web Services Manager, College of Western Idaho

The Takeaway: Strategic Web Optimization Drives Measurable Engagement

Small improvements to website navigation can have a significant impact on how prospective students engage with institutional websites. By testing persistent navigation and optimizing access to key calls to action, Collegis helped the College of Western Idaho create a more intuitive user experience that drives measurable engagement and conversion improvements.

Optimize Your Website Experience to Drive More Student Action

The College of Western Idaho case demonstrates how data-driven testing uncovers opportunities to improve website performance and deliver more personalized digital experiences. From UX optimization and conversion strategy to development and experimentation, Collegis partners with institutions to turn website insights into measurable enrollment outcomes.

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