We all know that SEO is important, but the services provided by many generic SEO firms are either focused on general for-profit businesses or downright murky. After many client requests that we do so, Silverpoint is pleased to announce that we are launching an SEO service specifically geared to the needs of our clients. Focused on real strategic goals and supported by detailed metrics and website performance, Silverpoint SEO takes the guesswork out of finding a partner for search engine optimization.
Whether you have been struggling to find the time to do the work yourself, are just now wondering what SEO is all about, or have already engaged an SEO consultant and aren't sure if it's having an impact, Silverpoint is determined to help you find your way through this complex and important component of maintaining an effective web presence. And, unlike generic SEO firms, Silverpoint is focused on providing SEO services to schools and meeting their unique needs.
SEO for schools is important. You hear all the time from parents, alumni, and faculty about how well the website is keeping them connected with the school, but you don't get that kind of feedback from the people out there who haven't yet connected with you! These folks are essential to the school's continued success, and we are excited to help you make it easier for them find you.
We get it
Only a small percentage of the visits to your site carry the potential to lead to something as significant as a new student enrolling next fall or another camper showing up for the summer program. It's great that people love checking sports scores and lunch menus, but we'll ask you about the school's most critical strategic goals relative to making new connections. These may be as broad as growing the overall admissions pool or as specific as attracting a certain kind of student. Then we'll explore the context behind those goals to pinpoint the ways the website can serve them.
We also know that the academic program isn't the only cycle that ebbs and flows with the calendar. Admissions, summer programs, and annual fund drives all hit critical windows in the year when optimal site performance requires flexible strategies. We are attuned to these and are ready to be responsive to what you tell us about your particular cycles.
We built your site!
Good SEO work requires access to the content and configuration of your site. You've already entrusted us with back-end access to the content of your site, and you can trust us to manage it responsibly and respect the sensitivity of the content. Do you want to give an SEO/online marketing firm access to your parent and alumni contact information?
We are disciplined
As we work with you, we will not overwhelm you with reports that are easy to generate but stuffed with stats that are unconnected to your goals. As part of a process of continual improvement and adjustment, we'll track and report on the stats related to the funnel that leads from the wide world of internet search to a meaningful connection with the school.
We don't cut corners (or: Enough with the linkbuilding, already!)
If you've spent any time with an SEO consultant, you've heard about linkbuilding. Linkbuilding is the disco of SEO: it's really hot despite being cheesy, and we're all going to look back on it and ask, "What in the world were we doing?" There's no question that the quality and quantity of links to your website have been important. But recent events like Google's punishment of JC Penney and the addition of Panda to Google's search algorithm signal a need to move away from practices like linkbuilding that try to game the system. Search results will increasingly be determined by more "authentic" criteria as search engines learn to think more like human users - it's happening!
We have a plan
In providing the best SEO service we can, we have a comprehensive initial process to get things rolling. We start with a conversation about the most important strategic goals you have and how the website can further them. Then we'll get to work:
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researching keywords to find the ones that are popular among users and relevant to your goals
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aligning page titles, meta descriptions, page content, image alt tags, and link text with target keywords
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evaluating your site's landing pages and the path a user must take from landing to the goal action to recommend structural and content changes that clear the path to conversion
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analyzing your site's current backlink profile to make sure you are listed correctly in the major industry listings and on the sites of your important affiliations
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creating or updating map-based search listings like Google Places, Yelp, Bing Business Portal and Yahoo! Local
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assessing your social media presence an recommending ways to increase your exposure or maximize your current efforts in this increasingly important contributor to search performance
Moving forward, we're also prepared to help you take a look at what visitors are doing once they get to your site and determine what we need to tweak to keep them there longer or see that they take that critical action of requesting information or downloading an application. After the initial work is done, we continue to track your goals and report back on:
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keyword performance
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landing page performance
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call-to-action performance
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overall goal performance
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From this tracking we can work together to get the most out of the significant investment you have made in your web presence.
Silverpoint wants to help you navigate the world of search engines. Learn more about SEO for schools here. Email us here if you'd like to talk about SEO for your site!