The document is an introduction to SEO (search engine optimization) in higher education, highlighting its importance for attracting prospective students through effective web content and user experience. Key insights include the influence of college websites on student perceptions, the significance of ranking factors, and the need to target specific user personas throughout the decision-making funnel. Examples from institutions like Bentley University and Southern New Hampshire University illustrate the potential impact of optimized search strategies on student enrollment and brand awareness.

1. Introduction to SEO in Higher Ed
Joshua Dodson
Director of Digital Marketing
Bentley University

2. What is SEO?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It
is the process of getting traffic from the “free,”
“organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results
on search engines.

3. SEO is now about good
content and user
experience

4. It’s a tool to reach the right audience
and encourage them to become students

5. 80%
Say that a campus website affects their
perception of an institution

6. 70%
Students have looked at a college
website on a mobile device

7. +80%
Seeking certificates, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees
use search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing
when finding college websites

8. How do you find a college website?

9. If you were to look at a specific college or university
website right now, what would you look for first?

10. These are the same
pages we want to elevate
in search engines.

11. 200
Ranking Factors

13. Low bounce rate was
associated with higher
Google rankings

14. Long-Form Ranks Higher in Google’s Search
Results Than Short-Form Content

15. Average content length of top 10 results

16. Go In-depth

17. Content With At Least
One Image Ranks Higher
(But Using Lots of Images
Doesn’t Make a Difference)

18. More Total Backlinks = Higher Rankings

19. Answer audience questions

20. Answer audience
questions

21. Use the exact phrases in
the copy to build rapport
with searchers and signal
topical authority to
search engines

22. Targeting
Each stage of the funnel
Awareness-----
Information-----
Decision-----
Action

23. Target each stage of the
funnel and each user
type/persona

24. Example: Southern New
Hampshire University

30. Non-branded online program page search performance
(BrightEdge Data Cube Score)
Change

31. Change

32. 67% Lift
Above projection
This is causation, not correlation.

33. Example: Bentley University

35. The end goal is more
students through leads
and brand awareness
(which contributes to leads)

36. Thank you.
Any questions?