3. Looking Back on Traditional Marketing
“For the last 50 years, companies used large amounts of
money to efficiently interrupt their way into businesses and
consumer’s wallets using outbound marketing techniques.
The outbound marketing era is over. The next 50 years will be
the era of inbound marketing.”
Halligan, Shah and Scott,
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google,
Social Media and Blogs
5. Seminar Purpose
• Examine how Internet search works.
– Where do parents search online for private schools?
– Which search phrases do prospective parents typically use most?
– What types of search results do they typically receive?
– What determines the ranking of schools listed on search results pages?
• Recommend key strategies for improving search rankings and
overall online visibility.
• Help schools drive more prospective parents to their website.
• Recommend improvements to school websites to convert
website visitors to applicants and onto enrolled students.
6. Where People Search – Top Search Sites
• Google Search Engine 64.4%
– Google.com 63.6%
– AOL.com 0.8%
• Bing Search Engine 31.6%
– MSN.com 17.0%
– Yahoo! 14.6%
• ASK + Others 4.0%
• Note: Google provide search results for Google.com and AOL.com. Bing
provides search results for MSN and Yahoo!.
7. Search Results for “private schools, Dallas”
Search Phrase Local Search Display on
Google Maps
Google Places
Local Search Results
8. Top Local Search Systems
• For this search, Google’s top ranked search results were from Google Places, which
provides a listing of the private schools in Dallas that Google Maps has on record.
• Google Maps is the local search system for Google.
• Google Maps knows the location of private schools that have registered with its
service.
• That means it can provide search results organized by geographic area.
• Therefore, schools in Dallas that registered with Google Maps received higher
search visibility than schools that had not registered.
• When we think about the fact that prospective parents typically only search for private
schools in a local area, you want to maximize your local search visibility.
9. Top Local Search Systems
• “Big Four Local Search Systems”
– Google Places / Google Maps
– Yahoo! Local
– Bing Local Search
– Ask Local
• Local Search Systems are typically accessed as a link above the
main search box of the search engine.
10. Key Strategy #1:
Register with Local Search Systems
Local Search Site Description URL
Google Places / Google Free. To the user, it http://www.google.com/
Maps appears as Google Maps. local/add/
Yahoo! Local Free, or $9.95 per month if http://listings.local.yahoo.
you want to add pictures. com/
Bing Local Search Free, including pictures. https://ssl.bing.com/listings/
ListingCenter.aspx
Ask Local Free www.UBL.org
11. Search Results “private schools”
Local Search Display on
Google Maps
National School
Directory
Natural Search Listing
Local School Directory
Google Places
Local Search Results
12. Top Local Search Systems
• For this search, we did not include a location.
• The local search system, Google Maps, returned local search results for
private schools in Dallas. Because the searching computer was in
Dallas, it provided a list of schools in Dallas.
• Local search engines can determine where you are searching from.
For certain types of searches, the search engine assumes you want
local search results so it provides it.
• But since there was no location specified, the Google Places listing
didn’t have as much “relevance” in relation to the search query.
Therefore, it dropped down the list of search results.
• We see two Directories listed:
• One is a national directory, at www.privateschoolreview.com.
• One is a local directory at www.dfwprivateschools.com.
• We also saw Google return as search result of Wikipedia, a very
authoritative site.
16. Key Strategy #2:
Research & Register with School Directories
• These directories will rank highly in national and/or local
searches, providing another avenue for people to find your site.
• You’ll accumulate links to your site, and search engines love links
(more to come on this point).
• Research and register with other local directories, even if they are
not school directories.
• Evaluate their relative rankings in search engines versus their
listing fee to determine which ones provide the most value.
17. Key Strategy #2:
Research & Register with School Directories
• We’ve addressed how to “get found” in Local Search System
Results and in Directories.
• The next focus area we need to work on is getting found in
Natural Search. Referring back to our previous slide, Wikipedia
had a highly ranking search result through natural or “organic”
search.
• So what does it take to rank well?
• Let’s talk a bit more about how search engines think.
18. How Search Engines Think
• Search engines have one objective – to provide you with the best
results possible in relation to your search query.
• The search results are then listed in order of most relevant and
most authoritative.
• “Relevant” means the website contained content that matched the
search query.
• “Authoritative” refers to the website’s influence on the world wide
web (www).
19. How Search Engines Think
• When a website has another site link to it to access its content, that is
called an inbound link.
• The more inbound links a website has accessing its content, the more
influence it has on the www. Each link represents a “vote” for the site’s
influence, or authority, on the www.
• Not all links, or votes, carry the same amount of weight. If a site linking
to your site has a lot of influence, it’s inbound link will create a vote with
a large amount of weight.
• This is also known as “link juice”. Sites with higher authority have more
“link juice” to pass onto other sites they link to. The more link juice you
accumulate from inbound links, the more authority your site will have.
• Let’s now focus on improving our website’s relevance, and then we’ll
turn our attention to website authority
20. Relevance – Content is King
• When it comes to relevance, content is king.
• Without rich content, you will find it difficult to rank for specific
keywords and search phrases.
• We first need to know which keywords and phrases prospective
parents use when searching online, and then we need to create
content that features those keywords and phrases.
• But how do we know which search phrases prospective parents
typically use most?
• There’s an app for that!
21. Key Strategy #3:
Identify Keywords with Google Keyword Tool
• The Google Keyword Tool allows you to enter a keyword and see
what similar keywords and search phrases people are using.
• You can then feature those keywords in your website content.
• Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal or
search for “Google Keyword Tool.”
• Type in the keywords or search phrases you would like to test.
• The keyword tool will tell you how often the search phrases you
entered were used, and then how often other, similar phrases
were used per month.
• Test different keywords and phrases, then develop a list of
the keywords you will want to feature on your website.
22. Google Keyword Tool Results
• A search on “private schools
in Dallas” yielded the results
shown.
• Our test keyword phrase was
searched 8,100 times.
• The keyword “best private
schools in Dallas” was
searched 720 times.
• By focusing on the phrases
“private christian schools in
dallas”, and “christian private
schools in Dallas”, we more
closely match a search criteria
that includes the word
“Christian”.
• That makes our keywords
more relevant, and pushes our
results higher on the page.
23. Content is King, But Not Equal
• From the perspective of determining relevance, not all webpage
content is equal.
• When search engines “crawl” your website to determine what the
website is about, they give the most weight to the content listed in
your page titles and headers, as opposed to just content on the
page.
• We need to ensure your page titles and headers are “seeded”
with the keywords and phrases used most during searches by
prospective parents.
24. Key Strategy #4:
Load Keywords into Page Titles and Headers
• Load each Page Title Tag with keyword phrases that are
appropriate for the content on the page.
• Example: “Welcome to Cornerstone Academy - a Private Christian
School”
• Title Tags are the snippet that appears in the upper left corner or on
the tabs of your web browser.
• Grandview Preparatory School knew that “Coed College Prep” was
an important search phrase for their school, so they included it in
their title tag.
25. Key Strategy #4:
Load Keywords into Page Titles and Headers
• Load H1 Title Tags with keywords that are appropriate for the
web page content.
• H1 Titles are the main headings above the content of your
webpages.
• Every webpage you create should have a thought-provoking
headline to grab the reader’s attention, using a keyword or phrase
that the webpage covers.
• Example: “One of the best private schools in Dallas, Cornerstone
offers a Christian private school setting.”
26. Key Strategy #5:
Load Keywords into Meta Tags
There are two types of Meta Tags – Meta Description and Meta
Keywords
• Meta Description
• Text snippet that describes what your specific webpage is about.
• Appears with your listing on the search results page.
27. Key Strategy #5:
Load Keywords into Meta Tags
• Meta Keywords
• Additional text snippet in the webpage’s HTML that allows you to
list a few different keywords that relate to your webpage.
• Most search engines today claim they do not use Meta Keywords
when evaluating content. Some smaller search engines may still
use it.
• As a best practice, it is recommended to load 5-7 keywords as
meta keywords for each webpage.
28. Current Progress
• Identified the most important keywords and phrases.
• Loaded keywords into our Page Title Tags, Headline H1 Title
Tags, and Meta Data.
• Registered our website with local search engines (e.g. Google
Maps, Yahoo! Local).
• Registered our website with selected school directories and local
directories.
• Now we turn to your website’s authority.
29. Got Link Juice?
• Link Juice drives your website’s authority on the world wide web.
• You accumulate link juice from other websites that link to your
website to access your content.
• The more authority a website has that links to you, the more link
juice they have to share with you.
• The more inbound links you have, the more juice that pours into
your site.
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Online School Directories
• Church’s Website
30. Key Strategy #6:
Create a Link-Building Plan to Raise Authority
• Dedicate some time to brainstorm the many different ways you
can attract inbound links to your website.
• Registering with school and local directories was a good start.
• What about school associations and accrediting bodies? What
about local church websites?
• Maintain a blog on your website and share it with Social Media
outlets including Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
• Search engines realize that content shared on social networks is
extremely influential, and should therefore rank higher in search
results.
31. Let’s talk Google +
• I barely have enough time to manage FB, Twitter and Flickr – why
should I care about Google+?
• Google + sharing is showing up higher in search results in Google
Search over FB, Twitter, etc. They are in essence forcing us to create
Google+ profiles. Google is aggressively pushing this forward!
• Google + essentially ties the whole Google universe together – weeding
tightly among all their properties such as Gmail, Google Search, etc.
• Put a Google +1 badge on your page similar to your twitter badges, FB
badges, etc. Place on upper right side of your page – high probability of
views.
• User interface is really smooth – Photos pop up in search returns –
search your school in Google+ and pictures of your school could show
up at no extra cost!
• http://www.seomoz.org/blog/why-every-marketer-now-needs-a-
google-strategy
32. Current Progress
• We’ve optimized our website’s relevance for the keywords and
search phrases used by prospective parents when searching for
schools.
• We’ve addressed our website’s authority on the www by
attracting inbound links where possible.
• That means we’ve addressed the two primary elements of
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.
• We should now be maximizing the search traffic on our website.
• Let’s now look at other key strategies for improving our
Internet Marketing once a prospective parent lands on
our site.
33. Key Strategy #7:
Invest in Your Website’s Design
• Make a strong First Impression! It determines whether
prospective parents researching your website will inquire further
about your school.
• Invest in an attractive website design that positively represents
your school’s brand and communicates your school’s mission.
34. Key Elements of Website Design
• Brand – It is important to convey a strong brand for your
school, including your logo, colors, and tagline.
• Photos – Large, professional photos on the home page will
draw the visitor to your school.
• Content – Dynamic content and a compelling message is
important to keep users returning to your school’s website.
35.
36. Does your school need a new brand?
• Your website is the entry point to your brand.
• Brand reaches beyond just letterhead and business cards
today.
37.
38. Key Strategy #8:
Host Your Website in a CMS
• Host your website in a Content Management Solution (CMS).
Advantages include:
• Establishes a consistent and uniform design across the website.
• Enables anyone to upload and edit content and photos.
• Simplifies updating and maintaining content going forward to
keep your website current.
39. Key Strategy #9:
Provide an Online Inquiry Form
• Offer prospective parents a convenient, easy, online web
form to inquire about your school.
• Allows your school to collect prospective parent information
at the moment they are searching your website
• Enables you to immediately begin your marketing efforts.
• Enhances the online image of your school.
• Eliminates manual key entry if integrated with a student
information system.
• Central Texas Christian School – more than 500 online
inquiries per year! Enrollment up from 536 in 2009 to 627 in
2012. www.ctcslions.com
40.
41. Key Strategy #10:
Offer an Online Application Process
• Can you think of an application in another industry that you
still have to complete by hand today?
• Per Dr. Rick Newberry, President of Enrollment Catalyst:
“Our parents use laptops, smartphones and iPads to shop, pay
bills, bank and perform a myriad of other tasks online. [They} expect
our application and enrollment process to be online.”
• Online Application processes provide real-time information
on prospective families who have begun the
process, enabling immediate marketing and targeted
communications.
• They are proven to result in higher application rates!
42. Key Strategy #10:
Offer an Online Application Process
• For example, Living Word Christian School in
O’Fallon, adopted Online Application for the 2011/2012 school
year.
• They collected 202 applications and enrolled 186 new
students for 2011/2012, compared to just 100 new students in
2010/2011 - an outstanding 86% increase over the prior year.
43. Key Strategy #10:
Offer an Online Application Process
• Per Stacie Harrell at Living Word Christian School:
“We had more applicants and new students than ever before
because the new system was easier to use than our paper
application process.
It was easier to stay in contact on where the applicants were on
their applications. No one fell through the cracks.
Our board is meeting next week to discuss the need of building a
separate building now for just middle school.
I am able to track future applicants now which I have never easily
been able to do. I can show our board now how many people
are interested in attending our school for the 2013-2014 school
year!”
44.
45. 10 Key Strategies in Summary
1. Register with Local Search Systems
2. Research and Register with School Directories
3. Identify Keywords with Google Keywords Tool
4. Load Keywords into Page Titles and Headers
5. Load Keywords into Meta Tags
6. Create a Link-Building Plan to Raise Authority
7. Invest in Your Website’s Design
8. Host Your Website in a Content Management Solution
9. Provide an Online Inquiry Form
10. Offer an Online Application Process
