People use search engines everyday to find the answers to any number of questions. The same is true for prospective students when they are looking for programs or courses of interest. Whether those prospects find your school offerings in the search results, instead of a competitor’s, it all comes down to search engine optimization (SEO).
Schools with high ranking sites get more visitors and more inquiries. The more inquiries of qualified prospects, the greater the likelihood of conversion and enrollment. If your site isn't ranking well due to optimization issues, whether content-related or of a technical matter, this will directly impact the number of students visiting your site, reading about your programs, and ultimately sending in inquiries or applications.
What Does SEO Do for Your School?
- » Increase the likelihood of prospective students discovering your courses or programs over those of a competitor
- » Well-optimized sites generally see an increase in the numbers of “organic” student inquiries
- » Being a top ranking site in the search results also ensures that students who saw your ads or message elsewhere can easily return to your site and learn more about your school
- » Well-maintained and optimized websites also see fewer students drop off and leave before completing their inquiry or action
SEO Services for Schools
Optimizing Your School's Website for Google
There are dozens of digital advertising media options available, each with their own campaign criteria, parameters, and means of reaching student prospects. At HEM, our team is experienced with all the major platforms including Google, Facebook, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn, and others. We’ll work with your recruitment or admissions team to determine the right platforms to reach your ideal student prospects.
In-Depth SEO Site Audits and Troubleshooting
If your school isn't netting much web traffic, an SEO site audit is typically the best first step to assessing the problem, hunting for issues, and making recommendations for improvement. At HEM, our team review takes a two-pronged approach to our audits, investigating websites from both an analytical perspective as well as a technical one. As we review a website from top to bottom, we examine every factor - from content, meta tags, site speed, and competition - to determine where issues need to be resolved and what opportunities can be leveraged.
Data-Driven Keyword Research and Monitoring
Keywords are the backbone of all SEO projects. Ensuring that your school is using the right keywords in its SEO and content-creation initiatives helps drive more student visitors to your website (rather than to your competitors). At HEM, our team can put together well-researched keyword lists that highlight the terms your prospective students actually use when searching for courses or programs like the ones you offer. We can then deploy these keywords onto your site and monitor their performance from month to month, helping ensure that your school ranks well for the most important search terms.
Targeted Geolocation-based SEO Plans
Education institutions that offer in-person classes often receive a larger proportion of their students locally from the same city or region where the school is based. Because of this, ensuring that your school is easy to find on local search - such as through Google Maps or other directories - can help ensure that nearby student prospects do not overlook your offerings when searching for courses or programs. Our local SEO packages give your site an essential boost among nearby students and those searching for schools in specific localities.
Closely-Monitored Organic Traffic and Inquiries
While SEO benefits from strong foundations, maintaining steady growth is an ongoing process. As a recurring service, HEM can monitor your site's traffic and inquiries generated through your website on a month-to-month basis. Our team will investigate any drops in traffic and inquiries to comprehend whether it was due to factors such as seasonal changes, issues with your site, or new competitors on the block that are affecting performance, and put together an immediate action plan to reclaim your rankings.