How to Develop an SEO Plan for Your School

About 75% of search engine users never look beyond the first page of results. Meanwhile, 68% of all activity online starts with a search engine. With a strong search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, your school can appear for relevant searches.

Then, you can attract new students to your private school.

Not sure how to develop a strong SEO plan? Here are the tips you need to start improving your rankings!

Know Your Audience

Google prioritizes website content that aligns with the search engine user’s intent. Understanding their search intent can help you create relevant blog content. Then, you can appear for searches that align with the reader’s needs.

Otherwise, they might visit your website, only to leave disappointed in the content.

Gather research about your audience. For example, are you trying to reach students, parents, or teachers? Are you a private or public school?

Create distinct buyer personas based on your research. Then, gather keyword research to understand the reader’s search intent. You’ll use this research to determine what content to create. 

Create Interesting Content

Google also prioritizes quality content over how many blog posts you create. When writing blog content, focus on EAT: Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness. Show readers you’re a credible resource. 

Diversify your content with blog posts, videos, infographics, eBooks, and more. 

Try generating backlinks (links on other sites that direct readers to your content). Consider working with an experienced SEO agency to gain quality backlinks. 

Update Your Website

An old, slow website could hurt your organic SEO rankings. Update your website to ensure it’s:

• Fast
• Mobile-optimized
• User-friendly
• Secure

Google will review the mobile version of your website first. If mobile visitors can’t explore your pages, they’ll leave. Your bounce rate will rise, hurting your organic SEO rankings. 

Your website is the backbone of your entire digital marketing strategy. You can learn more about marketing for independent schools here.

Optimize Your Listing

Local SEO can help you reach nearby parents, students, and teachers. Claim and optimize your Google Business listing as part of your local SEO strategy.

Ask people to share their thoughts about your school on your profile. Positive reviews can boost your organic rankings. It can also strengthen your school’s reputation. 

Otherwise, create location-specific content. Focus on keywords that feature your city, state, or area by name. 

Plan for Distribution

Once you begin creating blog content, plan to distribute it. Generating more traffic to your content can help boost your organic rankings.

For example, you can share your content through email or social media marketing. 

Analyze and Adjust

Once you develop your SEO strategy, take the time to analyze your website data. Determine which blog posts generate the most traffic. Consider where you generate traffic from, too.

Consider which topics they prefer reading about, too.

Use the data to continue improving your SEO plan over time. 

Develop an Effective SEO Plan for Your School Today

A strong SEO plan can help you reach new parents, teachers, and students. Start using these tips to improve your rankings. Then, update your strategy to generate even better results.

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