Impact of Internet Images: Impression-Formation Effects of University Web Site Images

Abstract

Institutions of higher education are increasingly becoming dependent on Web-based marketing to reach out to their target audiences. The current empirical study examines the types of impressions formed by prospective students based on exposure to different university Web site images. A between-subjects experiment was conducted using four identical university Web sites that differed only in their visual representation of campus architecture (modern/traditional) and landscaping (presence or absence of contextual greenery). The results show how the types of visuals viewed influence impressions about academic prestige, athletic reputation, cultural vitality and invitingness of a university.