Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most reliable tools to increase your ranking on the search engines and expand your target audience. For your university, it can help your schools and/or programs stand out among millions of options. If you know the importance of SEO, you will be willing to take all measures to improve your site rankings on search engines like Google.
Here are 7 helpful tips that can help you beat your competitors while highlighting the uniqueness of your institution on Google:
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Conduct Extensive Keywords Research
Quantity over quality will no longer work effectively for your SEO strategy. So, choose a specific set of keywords that best encapsulate the programs or services you offer at your institution. You can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner that provide critical data about your website and help with picking keywords, experimenting with them, and improving your site over time.
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Page Optimization for the Most Relevant Targeted Keyword
One of the best ways to improve your site rankings with a specific set of keywords is to create optimized program pages for each of the specific programs your school offers. It will provide a better user experience (as they can directly reach your page in one click) and increase your lead conversion rate.
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Create Keyword-Rich Title Tags
You can also improve your site rankings by making sure that the titles of all your program pages include the keywords. Make sure that it is an engaging statement that creates curiosity or promises how to do something. If your institution is new in the field, you can put the title of the specific page first and then add the name of your school for better search results.
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Use Heading Tags Properly
The correct way to use heading tags is to start each page with one headline (H1 heading). You can use H2 for starting the content section of the page and H3 for sub-sections. Additionally, you can optimize these tags by using the main keyword on the page in the H1 heading and ensuring you maintain the heading levels (like from H1 to H3).
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Carefully Draft Your Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are visible below the title on Google results pages. They are the first description users read about your school online. So, you need to use keywords and phrases that may pique their curiosity and encourage them to read more.
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Focus on Website Link Architecture
Make sure that your website’s link architecture helps users reach the desired page as quickly as possible. It will also help search engines crawl and index all the pages of your website. Optimizing URLs of your webpages will help them perform better in search engines.
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Make a Site Map
It is the easiest way to let the search engines know that you have created new pages. This not only improves user experience but also allows search engines to find every page with just two clicks.
You can use these simple tips to significantly improve the ranking of your institution. They are fairly easy to implement, and you will see more traffic coming to your website.