Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is a fantastic way to increase organic traffic to your website and boost student enrolments.
With over one billion websites in the world (and counting!), it’s vital to ensure your independent school site stands out. With search engine optimisation, you’re making changes to your website to help it rank higher on Google, meaning you get more eyes on your site.
You might be wondering what you can do to use SEO to your advantage to get more student enrolments. If you are, we’ve got all the information you need here!
(And don’t forget, if you need extra help, we’re the independent school SEO experts.)
Local SEO for independent schools – how it differs from traditional SEO
You may hear the term’ local SEO’ used a lot when promoting your independent school and increasing student enrolments. This is a particular type of SEO that helps your school become more visible in the local search results.
For example, if you have an independent school in London, you’ll probably not want to promote yourself to prospective students in Lincoln, Liverpool, or Leeds! Local SEO means that when people in London search for ‘independent schools near me’, you’re more likely to show up.
The other benefit of local SEO is that you save money as you only target prospects that are a good match for services in your area. So even schools with the smallest marketing budgets can take advantage of local SEO when it comes to getting more student enrolments.
A great place to start for local SEO is to sign up for a free Google Business Profile. This provides Google with more information about your school, increasing the chances of appearing in front of the right people.
Not only this, but it boosts the chances of you appearing in the ‘Local Pack’ – the map that appears at the top of the search engine results when you look for local services.
Keyword research for independent school enrolments: how to go about it

Keyword research is the first step in increasing the number of student enrolments you receive.
When you know what words and phrases potential students and parents use, you can ensure your website ranks as high as possible for the right people. The question is… what keywords do you use? Here’s what you need to know:
- Start by understanding your target audience. For example, are you targeting students or parents? Where do they live? Why would they want to enrol in your school? This will give you a clear steer for choosing the right keywords
- Brainstorm some keywords. The easiest way to do this is to set a ten-minute timer and write down all the words that come to mind! Start with broad terms like ‘independent schools’ and narrow down to more precise terms like ‘independent technology schools in the London area’
- Next, whittle your list of keywords down. Use tools like SEMrush to see how popular they are. The ideal keywords have a high search volume and low competition level, meaning they’re easy to rank for and will bring a decent amount of traffic to your site
- Finally, determine where you can use your keywords. Can you add them to an existing page or create a new piece of content? We recommend using between two to four keywords on a page; otherwise your content might look messy!
We’ve put together a definitive guide to determining the right keywords here.
One final tip: monitor and adjust your keywords over time. If the Google algorithm changes, your competitors make more of an effort in SEO, or your school expands into new areas, you’ll need to revisit your strategy.
Optimising your website content for search engines

Optimising your independent school website content works on two levels. Firstly, it makes it easier for search engines to understand the context of your pages.
When you have your keywords of choice, it’s time to optimise the pages of your website. Giving your content a spring clean increases the chances of your site climbing the search engine rankings.
Secondly, your pages become clearer and provide more value to prospective parents and students.
We go into detail about how to conduct an SEO content audit on our blog, but here are the basics you need to bear in mind:
- Make sure your pages contain the relevant keywords. Aim to use each keyword once or twice every 100 words – you can get penalised for trying to cram your keywords in!
- Make sure your content is relevant, accurate, and of value. If your content is of poor quality or is irrelevant, try and add to it or merge it with another page
- Optimise your page title and meta description. These are the first thing people see in the search engines, so you want to make sure they’re catchy, describe your page, and include your main keyword
- Use headings and subheadings to shape and structure your page content – use your keywords in them where you can
- Make sure your content is clear, jargon-free and easy to read. Paragraphs, bullet lists, white space, and images can help. If you use images, include the relevant keywords in the file name, so the search engines understand what the image is
The importance of user experience when it comes to student enrolments

While it’s vital to make sure your individual pages look good and read well, you need to consider your website’s overall structure and usability too. This is often referred to as the user experience, or UX, for short.
How does UX affect SEO? Search engines like Google only want to show users the most trustworthy and reliable websites. If a website is hard to navigate, looks terrible on mobile, or is just plain clunky, it will take a hit in the search engine rankings.
Good UX can improve a site’s conversion rates by up to 200%, meaning more student enrolments and happy headteachers!
Here are some ways you can boost the user experience on your independent school website and improve SEO as a result:
- Keep your design clean and simple – a cluttered layout can cause confusion
- Think of your target audience when navigating your website. Remember that it’s not about what works for you and the marketing team; it’s what works best for them
- Ensure your pages load quickly. Optimising images and removing unnecessary code from your site are good starting points
- Make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Mobile responsive websites are a positive ranking factor in SEO, meaning if your site works well on smartphones, you’ll get a significant boost in the search engine results
- Include social proof. Testimonials and case studies from happy students and parents build trust and keep visitors on your site
- Keep your design consistent. This doesn’t just make the user experience better, but can help with brand awareness too
- Add a clear call-to-action to each page. What do you want your visitors to do after reading your page? Spell it out for them and make it obvious – you don’t need to be subtle!
- Test your website regularly to see what changes are working. Conversion rate optimisation is a great way to see what you can do to maximise the number of students enrolling on each page
Strategies for lead generation: how you can use SEO to get more student enrolments

When you want to get more student enrolments, SEO and lead generation go together like a whiteboard and dry-erase marker!
You use SEO to find the right keywords, and a high-quality, well-optimised landing page that convinces people to sign up.
A good landing page is ideal whether you want people to sign up for your next open day, download your brochure, or even sign up for a webinar you’re holding.
Here are some of our top tips for using lead generation, landing pages, and SEO together for maximum effect:
- Consider your keywords and user intent. You’ll want people who will be looking to enrol in your school in the not-too-distant future, so they stay engaged
- Rather than directing people to your homepage or an existing piece of content, create a brand-new landing page
- Gear the imagery, copy, and headings towards your target audience. You want your landing page to answer all their questions and keep them engaged
- Stick to one clear call-to-action (for example, ‘download our brochure’). Multiple call-to-actions on a page can confuse your visitors
- Offer something of value. People are often reluctant to hand over their personal details, so give them something that’s worth the exchange
- Keep an eye on your page stats, as well as where your page is ranking in the search engine results. If your conversion rate or search engine ranking is low, you can make changes accordingly
Check out some more fantastic lead generation tips on our blog.
Need a little extra boost getting those student enrolments?
We hope you enjoyed our comprehensive guide to independent school SEO and how you can use it to get more student enrolment enquiries.
School marketers are busy people, so if you don’t have the time and resources to dedicate to SEO, we can help.
Our experts will analyse your site and develop a tailor-made SEO strategy that ensures you get a glowing report card in the search engine rankings!
Get started with your free SEO audit and take the first step towards an inbox full of student enrolments today.