Bestcolleges.com

BestColleges.com is the flagship website in Higher Education’s portfolio of industry-leading enrollment service websites for online education, generating roughly $18M in annual revenue.

Product:

EdTech, Lead Generation, Organic SEO

Key Results:

~3.25MM Yearly Revenue Increase

~18% increase in applicant CRO

37 Templates Consolidated

Full Rebrand & Design System

Role:

Lead, Strategy, Branding, UX, UI, CRO

Bestcolleges.com

BestColleges.com is the flagship website in Higher Education’s portfolio of industry-leading enrollment service websites for online education, generating roughly $18M in annual revenue.

Product:

EdTech, Lead Generation, Organic SEO

Key Results:

~3.25MM Yearly Revenue Increase

~18% increase in applicant CRO

37 Templates Consolidated

Full Rebrand & Design System

Role:

Lead, Strategy, Branding, UX, UI, CRO

Bestcolleges.com

BestColleges.com is the flagship website in Higher Education’s portfolio of industry-leading enrollment service websites for online education, generating roughly $18M in annual revenue.

Product:

EdTech, Lead Generation, Organic SEO

Key Results:

~3.25MM Yearly Revenue Increase

~18% increase in applicant CRO

37 Templates Consolidated

Full Rebrand & Design System

Role:

Lead, Strategy, Branding, UX, UI, CRO

Higher ed, higher standards

Higher Ed, Higher Standards

Higher Ed, Higher Standards

From audit to authority

from audit to authority

From audit to authority

( streamlined | strategic | successful )

( streamlined | strategic | successful )

Interested in working together? Contact Me >

Redefine the BestColleges.com user experience and visual branding to position it as the go-to authority for college rankings, guidance, and decision-making. A full UX audit uncovered fragmented systems, which were streamlined into a unified design framework and presented to leadership, securing buy-in and budget to perform the refresh. Two core personas were also identified & developed: EDUs (Marketers, Academics, Administrators) and

Students (Climbers, Switchers, Explorers). This groundwork informed a refreshed design system, brand voice, and monetization strategy that improved usability while building trust with students, families, and universities. The relaunch produced measurable impact: a 50/50 traffic test projected a $2M lift in annual revenue, while a newly introduced search filter drove more form submissions and an additional $1.25M in yearly gains.

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Students

Their interest creates many questions with no clear resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Students

Their interest creates many questions with no clear 

resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Students

Their interest creates many questions with no clear 

resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Students

Their interest creates many questions with no clear resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Students

Their interest creates many questions with no clear resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Edus

Facing more opportunity, but intense competition for attracting students.

“There are hundreds of schools that are offering online programs. And that number continues to grow year over year. There are, you know, all these universities that are entering the online market space with pretty much the same exact set of programs.”

— Stakeholder

(personas)

Edus

Their interest creates many questions with no clear 

resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Edus

Their interest creates many questions with no clear 

resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Edus

Their interest creates many questions with no clear resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Edus

Their interest creates many questions with no clear resource to find answers.

“I just went online and Googled it. I just started with masters degrees and online masters degrees.”

— Online Masters Student

(personas)

Best Colleges Overview:

Redefine the BestColleges.com user experience and visual branding to position it as the go-to authority for college rankings, guidance, and decision-making. A full UX audit uncovered fragmented systems, which were streamlined into a unified design framework and presented to leadership, securing buy-in and budget to perform the refresh. Two core personas were also identified & developed: EDUs (Marketers, Academics, Administrators) and Students (Climbers, Switchers, Explorers). This groundwork informed a refreshed design system, brand voice, and monetization strategy that improved usability while building trust with students, families, and universities. The relaunch produced measurable impact: a 50/50 traffic test projected a $2M lift in annual revenue, while a newly introduced search filter drove more form submissions and an additional $1.25M in yearly gains.

Interested in working together? Contact Me >

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© 2026 timfowkes.com - all rights reserved.