In today’s digital age, ranking high on Google is essential for any school looking to boost student enrollment. It’s one of the best ways to promote your school’s brand and build trust amongst prospective parents and students.
But how do you get parents to find your school? The secret lies in understanding how to become more visible on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) like Google.
Why Google is Critical to Boosting Student Enrollment
One of the primary secrets to successful student recruitment lies in ranking high on search engines. When parents first begin researching schools, Google is one of the first places they look. The higher a school appears on the first page of Google searches, the greater chance they have of being discovered.
Showing up on the first page of Google doesn’t just give schools more exposure, it also builds authority and credibility because people trust what Google recommends. The opposite can also be expected if parents can’t find your school online.
How To Improve Your School’s Ranking On Google
The most effective way to improve your school’s ranking on Google is by optimizing your website for search engines, otherwise known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the practice of improving your website’s rank on search engines like Google. By optimizing keywords, you increase the chances that your website will show up on Google’s first page when parents search for relevant information. Below are 4 tips on how to optimize your school’s website to get closer to the top of search results.
Identify Keywords
To optimize your website for Google and other search engines you first need to identify what keywords potential parents and students might use when searching for schools. These words must appear prominently throughout your website content to help increase its chances of appearing near the top of Google’s first page. Research what keywords will work best for your school and include them throughout all your content. This includes page titles, headers, blog posts, etc.
Write Quality Content
If you want your website to stand out, it needs to contain quality content that provides value to prospective parents and students. This means creating content that is informative as well as engaging and creative such as blog posts, articles, or videos. Make sure your content includes relevant keywords as well as any other relevant topics related to your institution, its programs, or other crucial information prospective parents and students will need.
Create Backlinks (Link Building)
Link building, also known as backlinks, helps drive traffic to your website and improves its authority. Domain authority lets Google and other search engines know that they can trust showing your information to others. One of the most effective ways to boost your website’s ranking is by having other reputable websites link back to yours. This involves finding websites related to education and contacting them about featuring a link back to your school’s website. But remember, only if they provide valuable information or offer something unique. Here are 4 ways you can create backlinks:
- Answer questions on forums like Quora. Encourage the community to learn more by visiting your website, blog, or blog post.
- Write a guest blog post on another site that links back to yours.
- Send out a press release to get featured on news stations and media outlets.
- Post regularly on social media and include links to your website.
Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook will improve search engine ranking by increasing traffic to your site. By providing regular updates about events at the school and creating engaging content such as infographics or videos, your school will gain followers who will most likely share your content with others. Consider the following best practices when posting on social media:
- Create engaging visual content to increase the likelihood of your content being shared.
- Provide step-by-step guides that encourage parents to learn more about your school.
- Post informative content that is likely to be shared with other parents.
2 Simple Ways To Track SEO Progress
Tracking progress will allow your school to identify areas that may need improvement to reach your desired objectives. Here are some tips on how to track progress and measure the success of your school’s rankings on Google.
Analyze Your Traffic
Analyzing the amount of traffic your website receives will allow you to identify which strategies are working and which ones need improvement. Looking at where the traffic is coming from (search engines, social media platforms, etc.) provides further insight into what tactics work best for increasing your visibility.
Monitor Your Rank
Monitoring your school’s keyword rankings over time is a great way to identify what strategies are successful in improving Google’s positioning. Tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics will help give you access to data such as page impressions and click-through rates. These data can be really useful when reviewing campaign performance.
Key Takeaways
Ranking high on Google is essential to help your school stand out to boost enrollment. By implementing a few SEO strategies such as writing keyword-rich content, creating backlinks to your website, and leveraging social media, your school can rise to the top of search results in your area, so parents and students discover you.
Need help ranking high on Google? Click here to learn how we can help boost student enrollment.
