Why is SEO for Universities and Colleges Important?

Improved Online Visibility and Discoverability

‍SEO ensures university/college websites are easily crawled, indexed, and ranked well by search engines for relevant queries, increasing visibility among prospective students. This heightened discoverability translates to more organic website traffic and higher awareness of academic programs. Ultimately, it drives more qualified prospective applicants to the website.

Cost-Effective Lead Generation

With paid ads becoming more expensive, organic SEO provides a long-term, sustainable way to drive high-quality leads at a lower cost per acquisition compared to PPC. This allows reallocating budgets towards other recruitment and marketing efforts. Over time, SEO leads tend to have higher enrollment and matriculation rates. Be mindful of potential cannibalization between SEO and PPC.

Higher Education SERP Dominance

‍Ranking on the first page for competitive, education-related keywords allows institutions to dominate search results and capture maximum search traffic. Appearing in top positions instills trust and authority. This enhances the institution's reputation among students actively researching degree options.

Enhanced User Experience

‍On-page SEO optimizations like site speed, mobile-friendliness, etc. improve overall user experience for website visitors. A seamless UX reduces bounce rates and encourages deeper engagement, ultimately leading to more inquiries and applications submitted.

Increased Brand Awareness and Authority

‍High rankings signal authority and brand trustworthiness, appealing to students researching academic programs. A strong brand presence helps institutions stand out and be perceived as a leader in their field, attracting top talent.

Improved Down-Funnel Conversion Rates

‍SEO attracts audiences with higher purchase intent, leading to improved conversion rates for applications, enrollment, event registrations, etc. Users arriving via non-branded keyword searches have already displayed interest and intent.

Long-Term Value and Compounding Returns

‍Unlike paid media, SEO efforts create long-lasting assets that continue delivering value over time. As optimized content ages, it continues ranking and driving traffic without ongoing costs. The compounding returns make SEO a valuable long-term investment.

How Can Schools Grow Their SEO?

Develop a Targeted Content Strategy

• Create a mix of high-intent and low-intent content tailored to prospective students' needs and search queries.
• High-Intent: Detailed program descriptions covering curriculum, concentrations, affiliated faculty, career paths after graduation, admission requirements, tuition/fees, and financial aid information. (E.g. Bachelor's in Elementary Education degree page)
• Low-Intent: General informational content addressing common questions like "What is a career as a teacher like?", "Teaching salaries by state/grade level", "How to become a teacher" guides, teacher interview tips, etc. Help answer top-of-funnel queries.
  

Publish Authoritative Resources/Guides

• Universities can establish themselves as subject matter experts by creating in-depth, well-researched guides and resources.
• Example: A comprehensive 5000+ word guide on "Becoming a Teacher in 2024" covering everything from degree paths, certifications, professional development, job search, interview prep and more.
• Leverage .edu domains as an authority and trust signal to Google for heightened credibility in education topics.
• Promote these resources for backlink acquisition from other relevant .edu sites.

Optimize Website for Technical SEO

• Ensure the university website follows technical SEO best practices for fast loading, mobile-friendliness, schema markup, etc.
• Fast page speeds and mobile optimization improve user experience metrics like bounce rate, dwell time - both ranking factors.
• Schema markup helps search engines better understand and display content like course descriptions, event listings, faculty profiles, etc.
• Conduct regular crawl audits to identify and fix any technical issues.

Build a Smart Internal Linking Strategy

• Implement contextual internal linking between related pages to guide users and search engines. See our guide on conducting an internal link audit to begin.
• Link from high-intent pages (e.g. program descriptions) to supporting low-intent blog content using descriptive anchor text.
• Employ sidebar/footer links on blogs to link back to cornerstone degree pages for improved information architecture.
• Use intelligent link sculpting to funnel authority signals towards priority pages.

Earn High-Quality Backlinks From Reputable Sources

• Pursue backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites through tactics like guest posting, institutional partnerships, alumni outreach, etc.
• Leverage existing relationships with school districts, teachers' organizations, education nonprofits, etc. for guest articles.
• Promote linkable assets like data studies, reports, interactive tools, calculators and more.
• Conduct outreach around newsworthy events, faculty research, and other PR link building opportunities.

Local SEO Optimization in Your School's Area

• Ensure school location data is consistent across directories, optimize for local search terms students use. Begin with a local SEO audit.
• Examples: "best teaching colleges near me", "education majors in [city]", courses for "[certification] in [city]"
• Leverage Google Business Profiles for local map pack visibility. Encourage reviews.
• Optimize location pages with neighborhood/city terms, create unique descriptions, photos, and schema markup.