kittybreed
09-16-2007, 12:25 AM
Most people go to Google.com when they need to get information quickly. Yes, there are other search engines but Google is the mother of them all. Many people never look past the first page of Google listings. In fact, the vast majority of people select one of the 5 top choices or try another search term.
That said, your Google rating is important. Google uses a formula to determine rankings. Depending upon the search term used, the top ranking could be due to the number of hits or a fee paid to ensure a top listing. You want potential students to find you easily on the web so you really want to be found in the top five listings.
So how can a small school increase its Google rating? Rankings can be increased by posting to online forums (including MT), by mentions in blogs, and bulletins by students on My Space.
The importance of My Space as a marketing tool cannot be overemphasized. Search engines constantly comb My Space blogs and bulletins. You can actually find mentions of your school by your students if you look deep enough in you Google rankings.
Don't make the mistake of asking students to post the same items in their blogs though. The search engine spiders can see past that and can penalize your ranking if they detect trickery.
Actions to consider to increase your Google rankings
Maintain a webpage for your school and keep it current.
Maintain links to other schools in your discipline. Ask the other schools to return the favor.
Create a Blog (Online Web-based Diary) for your school and post to it at least weekly. www.Blogger.com (http://www.Blogger.com) is a free and easy to start blog website. It does have the heart of a nerd but I figured it out and you can too.
Post pictures on your blog and webpage to encourage new and return web traffic.
Post on online forums. Keep in mind that anything you say will be visible to someone somewhere.
Network and talk to other schools and see what they are doing.Good luck and I hope to see you on Google!
Kitty Breed
That said, your Google rating is important. Google uses a formula to determine rankings. Depending upon the search term used, the top ranking could be due to the number of hits or a fee paid to ensure a top listing. You want potential students to find you easily on the web so you really want to be found in the top five listings.
So how can a small school increase its Google rating? Rankings can be increased by posting to online forums (including MT), by mentions in blogs, and bulletins by students on My Space.
The importance of My Space as a marketing tool cannot be overemphasized. Search engines constantly comb My Space blogs and bulletins. You can actually find mentions of your school by your students if you look deep enough in you Google rankings.
Don't make the mistake of asking students to post the same items in their blogs though. The search engine spiders can see past that and can penalize your ranking if they detect trickery.
Actions to consider to increase your Google rankings
Maintain a webpage for your school and keep it current.
Maintain links to other schools in your discipline. Ask the other schools to return the favor.
Create a Blog (Online Web-based Diary) for your school and post to it at least weekly. www.Blogger.com (http://www.Blogger.com) is a free and easy to start blog website. It does have the heart of a nerd but I figured it out and you can too.
Post pictures on your blog and webpage to encourage new and return web traffic.
Post on online forums. Keep in mind that anything you say will be visible to someone somewhere.
Network and talk to other schools and see what they are doing.Good luck and I hope to see you on Google!
Kitty Breed