With social media marketing costs on the rise, many universities are rediscovering the value of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to attract prospective students. Simply put, SEO is the strategy for improving your website’s ranking on Google, helping it appear when students search for programs like yours. For example, if a student searches “Biology programs in Birmingham, Alabama,” you want your university to show up if you’re nearby and offer biology. SEO may sound technical, but there are several straightforward adjustments you can make that will improve your ranking and bring more visitors to your site.
One of the greatest advantages of SEO is that, once implemented, it can drive organic traffic consistently without the need for continuous ad spending. SEO works “on autopilot,” attracting leads around the clock. While you’ll need to refresh some content every few months to keep it relevant, this approach generates steady visibility for people already searching for what you offer. Ready to get started? Here are five simple SEO strategies your university can apply today.
Set Up Local SEO
Local SEO is a strategy that helps your institution appear in search results for people in a specific geographic area. For universities, this means showing up when prospective students nearby search for educational institutions. By targeting keywords like “university in [City]” or “colleges near [City],” local SEO makes it easier for students in your region to find your institution. Setting up Local SEO is straightforward, free, and can be done today by following a few simple steps.
- Sign in to Google My Business: Go to Google My Business, sign in with a Google account linked to your institution, and either find your school’s listing or create one.
- Fill in Your Details: Enter your university’s name, address, contact number, and website URL.
- Select Categories: Choose accurate categories (e.g., “university,” “college”), and add secondary categories for specific programs if applicable.
- Verify and Optimize: Complete verification, then upload high-quality photos and update contact details. Post about events and deadlines regularly to keep your profile active.
- Respond to Reviews: Engage with reviews, as it shows prospective students that you value feedback.
Add Descriptions to Website Images
The photos on your website play a key role in its performance, and optimizing them can significantly boost your SEO. Each page on your site typically has a “featured image,” which appears in search results and social media previews. To make the most of these images, ensure they’re relevant, clearly labeled, and aligned with keywords that match what prospective students might search for. Additionally, select images that suit the article’s intent and reflect your university’s brand, as quality photos make a lasting impression.
Start with a quick photo audit of your website to ensure:
- Each image has a name that fits relevant keywords.
- Each image is high-quality and consistent with your university brand.
- Each image is compressed. Large files can slow down page loading, which hurts SEO, so use compression tools to reduce image size without losing quality.
Add a Meta Description
A meta description is a brief summary of your webpage that appears in search engine results, helping users decide whether to click on your link. It’s crucial for capturing attention and increasing the likelihood that prospective students will choose your site over others. A strong meta description highlights what makes the page relevant and valuable. To be effective, keep it between 150-160 characters, clearly summarizing the content and emphasizing details that would attract prospective students. Include relevant keywords to improve visibility, and use an active, engaging tone, such as: “Explore top programs at [University Name] and take the next step in your journey today.”
Many websites overlook adding meta descriptions, but this small step can make a big difference in SEO. Without a meta description, search engines may pull random text from the page, which often doesn’t convey the value of the content. Adding unique, targeted meta descriptions to each webpage is essential for attracting clicks and standing out in search results. It’s worth the time to review every page on your site, ensuring each has a clear, appealing meta description that boosts your visibility and makes a stronger impression on prospective students.
Separate Content With Headers
Today’s attention spans are extremely short, so it’s essential to structure your webpage for easy reading. Breaking up written content with headers and paragraphs helps make information more accessible. Headers serve to introduce content sections, with header tags ranging from H1 to H10. The lower the number, the larger the header, which helps visually organize subsections.
Consider auditing your web pages to ensure they have clear, relevant headers that break up content into manageable sections. This structure makes it easier for readers to find what they’re looking for and improves your SEO by making your content more readable and organized.
Add Website Links
Adding internal and external links to your webpage is a powerful way to improve SEO. Links help search engines understand the structure and relevance of your content, while also making it easier for visitors to navigate through your site. Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—signal authority and trustworthiness to search engines, which can improve your rankings. Meanwhile, internal links, which connect pages within your own site, encourage users to explore and engage with more of your content. This not only keeps visitors on your site longer but also highlights important pages, like admissions or specific programs.
To use internal links effectively, consider adding them to relevant content. For example, if you publish an article on “Careers for Biology Majors,” you could include a link to your Biology program page. This guides interested visitors from general information to specific details, increasing the likelihood they’ll explore further and even apply. Start by conducting a website audit to identify relevant connections between pages. Look for opportunities to link related content, guiding visitors through a logical journey on your site. For external links, you can reach out to respected sites in the education space—such as Common App or SAT’s website—to establish backlinks that direct prospective students to your programs. These links enhance your visibility, credibility, and traffic, helping attract more students to your university.
Building a strong online presence requires an effective SEO strategy tailored to your institution’s goals. At Guice SEO Solutions, we specialize in helping colleges and universities attract more website visitors by implementing proven SEO techniques. If you’re ready to make your university stand out online, contact us today to start growing your website traffic and reaching more prospective students.
