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In the digital marketing world, the website is one of the most important tools that businesses can use to attract potential customers and spread awareness. According to research, organic searches make up about 51 percent of the traffic driven to websites. With search engine optimization or SEO, you can boost the ranking of your web page in the search results and get the attention of a wider consumer base. 

The current climate has brought a lot of attention to the importance of having an optimized website for businesses. As more companies shift their focus towards promoting their products or services via digital media, it can become slightly challenging to catch the eye of the target customer. 

This is where optimization of a web page can work effectively for marketing. Once the website is ranked within the top results of search engines like Google, you will be able to convince more people to click on it and look for more information. 

So are you interested in finding out more about this? 

Let’s get started. 

According to a report by CNBC, "American companies hold an estimated 11 million meetings every day." Now that was pre-pandemic, but that is still a lot of meetings! 

Now I am sure we have all walked away from a meeting and said that was a complete waste of time, that could have been an email, or I don't even know where I was there. We have also been in meetings where people are so disengaged it is not even funny. Take the person who stays on their phone the entire time as if to say I have better things to do.

If searchers search for a specific business in your area, it's important to appear near the top to get the maximum benefit. The question is, how do you ensure that you are showing up? The answer is simple, by utilizing local search engine optimization (Local SEO) techniques. 

If you think of SEO as a broad category, local SEO is but a subsection of it. However, if you are looking to attract local businesses, then local SEO is key to your success. Organic SEO refers to any method of marketing that relies on natural, organic listings in the search results instead of paid links such as paid social media marketing or pay per click (PPC). For most small businesses, paid social or PPC can be cost-prohibitive. However, utilizing organic SEO techniques, you ensure your website ranks for key searches.

Think about this, today’s school-age children have grown up with the internet being nearly at their fingertips. For most, Google has always been around, and “smartphones” have always been in their parent’s pockets. These kids will use their cell phones, laptops, or tablets to communicate, entertain, and learn new information.

If you were to show them a phonebook, an encyclopedia, a card catalog, or a printed map, they may look at you dumbfounded and say, “Bruh.” This is code for why you are using such an outdated and archaic method to find something.

To those of us who grew up and can remember when the internet wasn’t in our pocket or a voice command away, we know those items were how you found information. Now they are found in museums, antique stores, and possibly at the Grandparents’ house.

Obviously, having an online presence is a necessity. Your private school’s website and its social media accounts should constantly produce new enrollments and brand awareness opportunities. If you are a principal, headmaster, or over admissions in some way and you realize that your website or social media isn’t producing, then you should consider spending time make sure they maximize their purposes.

Let’s address your website as it is what you have the most control over. You will want visitors to navigate through your website on a particular path. Think of it as a good story, but one where they can jump in at almost any part and realize exactly what is going on.

Think about this, as you perform a search, you are taken to a page that should have the answer to your question. Chances are this isn’t going to be the front page of the website that you may have agonized over to make sure it was perfect. A prospective parent may come to a blog or a landing page. These need the same amount of attention as your front page, and they need to drive traffic to your appointment page or at least take them into the next step of their journey.

Before we go any further, let us address the website as a whole. Your website should be indicative of what your school looks and feels like. This means carrying the same school colors and feel throughout. If your school is very conservative, make sure the website conveys that. If your school is focused on technology, an edgier look may work. In other words, your school’s website is what prospective parents see first, and as we all know, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. 

If you have a good clean website design that conveys the same feel as your school, this will ensure that your users and prospective parents will spend time on your site, reading your content, and clicking on your call to action (CTA) buttons. If they have a good experience, they will be more likely to return. This will happen more often if they are finding the answers to questions. As a general rule, you always offer them a way to dig deeper through links to other content and CTA buttons. This will help them if they are trying to decide if they want to enroll their child or children.