Creating a Presence in Search Engine Results Melissa Rekos EVP, Digital Services
Search Engine Marketing Paid placement (PPC: ranked by max CPC and relevance) Organic placement (SEO: ranked by relevance)
Search Is Core to the Journey
Prospective students begin with an open mind 9 in 10 begin their research without knowing what institution they want to attend.
Non-brand up 3% YoY Growth
PPC Search Trends
PPC Search Trends Mobile searches continue to grow YoY, while non-mobile continues to decline.
Be Found Connect with early-stage prospects through upper-funnel keywords...
but don t ignore bidding on your branded terms.
Developing an Effective Paid Search Strategy Keyword research Account structure Ad copy creation Landing page selection Conversion metrics and tracking Bidding strategy and budgeting Optimizations and testing
Step 1: Developing an Effective Keyword Plan
Test Different Keyword Match Types MBA +MBA +degree [executive MBA in Georgia] executive MBA
Keyword Research: Search Term Report Utilize Google s search term report to find: New relevant keywords to bid on Negative keywords to exclude Ideas for copy points to highlight in your ads
Step 2: Proper Account Structure
Targeting: Who Should See Your Ads, Where, and What
Who: Demographic Targeting Modify keyword bids on geo, age, and gender
Where: Device Bid Adjustments 1. Untethers desktop and tablet bids 2. Allows advertisers to make mobile the focal point of campaigns 3. Set separate bid adjustments for mobile, desktop, and tablet
Step 3: Create Engaging Ad Copy Longer description line, up to 80 characters Sitelinks allowing you to promote key pages where you want to drive traffic More prominent headlines
Enhance Your Ads With Extensions PHONE NUMBER CALL OUTS STRUCTURED SNIPPETS SITELINKS
Pro Tip Ensure keywords are highly relevant to both your ad copy and the content of the landing page for better quality scores.
Step 4: Landing Page Selection
Landing Page Best Practices Limit required form fields to 5 or fewer Clear call to action, above the fold on desktop and mobile Clear program highlights and differentiators
Landing Pages Mobile Assessment Tool
Paid Search Algorithm
Quality Score Analysis
Step 5: Conversions and Tracking
Step 5: Conversions and Tracking Conversion tracking allows you to: Measure the success of your PPC campaigns Optimize toward what s working well for a more cost-effective strategy Access Google smart bidding options that aren t available if conversions aren t being tracked
Step 6: Optimize, Test, and Enhance Always test 2 3 ad copy variations to see what is resonating best with prospects Monitor search terms report for new keyword opportunities and negative keywords to improve efficiency Utilize AdWords campaign experiments feature Monitor traffic from those who have already been to your site, as well as similar individuals
Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) Audience lists of your site visitors allow for more intelligent bids and ad text to be shown to those audiences when they search on Google.com.
The Foundation: Your Website
Every student that applies to your school will go to your website.
In a survey conducted in 2015, 77% of students said that a college s website was the most influential resource when researching schools.
Your website is where they will go to learn as much as they can about your school and programs.
The top content prospective students look for on a college website
Academics Do you offer the program I m looking for? How long does it take to complete? What are the career outcomes? Are there online, weekend, or night classes? Is the program accredited?
Costs What is the cost of tuition? Are there scholarships available? How do I apply for financial aid?
Enrollment How can I visit campus? How can I request more info? Can I talk to someone at the school? How do I apply? What documents do I need to apply?
Student Life What are the dorms like? What clubs are there to join? Are there club or intramural sports? Are there athletic events to attend? What is there to do around town or in the area?
Are You Losing Prospects Because of Your Website? 1. Can they find your website? 2. Once there, can they find what they re looking for? 3. Once they find the right page, does its content answer all their questions? 4. Is it easy to request more information or visit? 5. Is it easy to apply? 6. Is it easy to deposit and enroll?
User Experience
Can Prospects Find What They re Looking for When They Get to Your Website?
Don t make users navigate through school or college pages to find their major. They likely don t know what school or college their major falls under! Where s the program I want?
Does Your Internal Search Work? In a recent study conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group on college and university websites, 48% of users didn t realize the university offered the program they were looking for even when it did.
Is All Pertinent Information Communicated on Your Website? It doesn t say this program is offered online or on nights or weekends, so I guess I ll check out other schools
Do a Content Audit Are you communicating all that you can? Are you answering current and prospective student questions? Are you looking in your Google Analytics and Search Console accounts to see your current users behaviors?
Enough with Millennials/Gen Z won t read content, so we need to keep it short.
Use Headers Make Content Skimmable
Is it Easy for Prospects to Move Through the Funnel on Your Website? awareness consideration RFI application consideration deposit enroll
Is it Easy to Request More Info?
Does Your RFI Look More Like a Job Application?
Are Your Mobile Forms Responsive?
Is it Easy to Sign Up for an Event or Tour?
Do Internal Links and Side Menu Bars Point in the Right Direction?
Is Your Website ADA Compliant? Do your images have alt text? Do your videos have closed captioning? Is your contrast sufficient? Are links named properly? Have you converted your PDFs to be accessible?
Are You Delivering Personalized Messaging on Your Website?
Custom Messaging for Highly Engaged Users That Haven t Visited Campus Yet
Personalized Content for Users That Are Highly Engaged with the MFT Pages
Custom Form Specifically for MBA
Search Engine Optimization
SEO and UX Go Hand in Hand
Perform keyword research to see how people are searching for the programs you offer the search terms might be off from your internal language. Master's in Green Energy 10 100 monthly searches Master's in Renewable Engineering < 10 monthly searches
Work Keywords Into Your Content Keywords in headers and body content
And Your Metadata! Make sure your title tag and meta description contain the same keywords as the on-page content and entices users to want to click.
The Biggest Ranking Factor in Google s Algorithm? Content! The average firstpage result on Google contains 1,890 words. Long-form content of over 1,000 words consistently receives more shares and links than shorter form content.
Check for Duplicate Content and Pages With a Low Word Count
Longer is Better for Keywords Too! 50% of search queries are four words or longer
Make Sure Your Content is Visible Content in infographics is not seen by search engines. Make sure you have body content.
After Seeing an Advertisement, Students Will Go Back and Find You Organically
All Prospective Students Will Get to Your Website Multiple Times From Many Different Avenues
Even Traditional or Print Media Will Prompt Them to Do a Branded Search for Your Website!
All Roads Lead to the Website Make Sure It s a Great Destination!
Questions? what the heck is SEO?
Stay Fresh and Keep Learning carnegiecomm.com/blog searchengineland.com marketingland.com emarketer.com adwords.googleblog.com ampproject.org spyfu.com Blogs and News Sites: