November 2008
College Confidential

November 2008—Cincinnati—Now it's easy, within seven seconds, to determine what www.CollegeConfidential.com offers, said Brian Mikesell, Vice President of Web Products for the site's owner, Hobsons.

Collegeconfidential.com assists students and parents with the college admissions process. The vibrant new design, created by US Digital Partners, propelled the website from the 1990s into this millennium. "It's like the sun just came out, and the site is easily managed," he said.

For a site that boasts 30 million page views per month, creating a brand new, lively appearance was imperative. Hobsons turned to US Digital Partners to fulfill their goals, and the interactive agency exceeded Hobsons' expectations. "They hit a home run, going above and beyond what was asked for."

The creative design process produced four initial site designs that were field tested by actual site customers. When all votes were counted, the users had expressed a clear preference. "They were coming up with so many alternative designs to make sure we would be happy with what we picked," said Mikesell. "I don't think if we'd gone with another company we would have had the showroom to look at the way we did with US Digital Partners."

The main site driver is the industry leading college discussion board, covering such topics as college admissions, financial aid, and SAT preparation, all fueled by students and parents. "If you come to the website ten times a day, there are going to be ten new sets of chatter discussions for you to follow," said Mikesell. Users will find the site both friendlier and more useful for a leg up getting into schools where gaining entrance is more difficult. "You find exclusive information about what people have seen at colleges, specific to that person's experience. The goal is to improve the overall odds of getting into the school of choice."

Mikesell said US Digital Partners brought TLC to the site-not only with a little tender loving care, but also with an approach to increase traffic, loyalty and conversion. "We expect to see increased traffic, increased loyalty, and ultimately we want people to convert into online community members."

The new site provides Hobsons' own sales team with a sense of pride in the site because of its new curb appeal. Mikesell said he appreciated the way US Digital Partners worked collaboratively when needed and worked independently when desired.

About Hobsons
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hobsons U.S. partners with colleges and universities to enhance and empower their enrollment and admissions efforts. They reach prospective students through such top websites as CollegeView.com, GradView.com, USAeducationguides.com, and CollegeConfidential.com. For more information visit Hobsons.com.

About US Digital Partners
A Cincinnati interactive agency, US Digital Partners helps companies capitalize on the Web. Our "back to business basics" approach has helped some of the most recognizable companies in the world develop sound business strategy, innovative design, world-class execution, and dependable ongoing interactive management. For more information visit USDigitalPartners.com.

US Digital Partners
317 East 8th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-929-4603