Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an essential aspect of any website, including higher education websites. SEO helps improve your website’s visibility and ranking on search engines, making it easier for potential students and visitors to find your website. Here are six SEO tips for schools and higher education websites that can help you improve your website’s search engine ranking and attract more visitors.
CLEAN UP ISSUES ON YOUR WEBSITE
One of the first steps in optimizing your website for search engines is to ensure that it is free of technical issues that could hurt its ranking. Some of the common issues include broken links, duplicate content, missing meta descriptions, and slow loading speed. You can use SEO tools such as Google Search Console and SEMrush to identify and fix these issues.
THINK MOBILE, FIRST
With over 60% of internet searches coming from mobile devices, it’s crucial to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. A mobile-friendly website is one that adjusts its layout and content to fit the screen size of different devices, such as smartphones and tablets. You can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check if your website is mobile-friendly.
UPDATE YOUR CONTENT
Search engines love fresh and relevant content. It’s essential to update your website’s content regularly to keep it fresh and informative. You can add new pages, blog posts, or update existing content to reflect the latest trends and information in your field. Updating your content also helps you target new keywords, which can improve your search engine ranking.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LINK YOUR CONTENT
Internal linking is the process of linking to other pages on your website, while external linking is linking to other websites. Both types of linking are crucial for SEO. Internal linking helps search engines crawl your website’s pages, while external linking helps establish your website’s authority and relevance. You can use keyword-rich anchor texts to link to other pages or websites.
ENHANCE YOUR LOCAL VISIBILITY WITH GMB
If your institution has a physical location, it’s crucial to optimize your Google My Business (GMB) listing. GMB is a free tool that helps you manage your institution’s online presence across Google, including search and maps. You can update your GMB listing with accurate information, such as your institution’s name, address, phone number, and hours of operation. You can also add photos, respond to reviews, and publish posts to promote your institution.
FIX YOUR GOOGLE ANALYTICS AND GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE SET UP
Google Analytics and Google Search Console are two essential SEO tools that can help you track your website’s performance, identify issues, and optimize your content. It’s crucial to set up these tools correctly to ensure that you’re collecting accurate data. You can use Google’s setup guides or consult an SEO expert to help you set up these tools.
In conclusion, implementing these six SEO tips can help you improve your higher education website’s search engine ranking, attract more visitors, and promote your institution. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and it requires continuous monitoring and optimization to achieve the desired results.