Beyond the Brochure - Boosting a University’s Organic Reach for Prospective Students

The Challenge 

While the university had a strong academic foundation and a diverse student body to boot, its digital presence wasn’t up to scratch. Our team knew the educational institute needed a significant boost to stand out among numerous colleges and educational institutions in Washington. Existing backlinks were sparse or originated from non-authoritative sources that did little to reinforce the university’s credibility or support its academic reputation.  

Here are some critical challenges that we identified that were plaguing the university’s ability to stay visible and attract more students in a competitive environment:

High Competition for Attention

The higher education sector in Spokane and the overall Washington region is saturated. The university competes with national and regional universities, such as Gonzaga University and Washington State University. Moreover, community colleges like Spokane Community College and online-only programs are all vying for the same prospective students. 

Keywords related to popular programs (e.g., “M.Ed. – Career and Technical Education (CTE),” “MBA with a finance concentration”) were dominated by high-authority websites, making it difficult for a regional university to achieve top rankings.

SEO Technical and Content Challenges 

Universities often face issues with decentralized content, with different departments or units controlling their own content. This often leads to fragmented information, making it tricky to maintain a unified view in the target audience’s mind. 

Consequently, the SEO benefits are diminished, and many educational institutions encounter obstacles in optimizing their expansive websites for mobile users. Plus, relying on generic meta content like “Learn more about our degree programs” doesn’t help much, as it can reduce click-through rates and search visibility.

Local vs. National Visibility

While the university aims to attract students nationally, local SEO efforts were subpar or lacking. Capturing prospective students in Cheney, Spokane, and the Pacific Northwest is easier said than done with minimal local SEO. Not focusing on local SEO opportunities meant missing out on nearby applicants.

These were some challenges that hindered the university from achieving the organic visibility and traction commensurate with its offerings. 

Our Approach

Our team of SEO and digital marketing experts recognized that the university needed a robust and strategic link-building initiative to boost its visibility and authority in search engine results. We started with a content audit to optimize existing content, including on-page SEO efforts and technical SEO optimizations.

With our specialized white-label link-building services, we devised and implemented a customized educational link building strategy geared toward producing high-quality, niche-relevant content.

We prioritized content like career prep tips that naturally attracted authoritative backlinks from trusted educational platforms and scholarly journals.

Strategic Link Placement

High competition from local and online colleges and universities was a major challenge. To make sure the institute stood out in this crowded academic space, our team prioritized acquiring backlinks from highly authoritative and relevant educational, news, and regional websites. 

Academic resource hubs and university ranking sites were top of mind when identifying potential link partners, since these platforms not only offer strong domain authority but also attract the target audience. We also considered prominent local news outlets covering education in Washington and community portals in the Pacific Northwest. 

The main emphasis was on placements that would pass significant SEO value and also signal to search engines the university’s authority in the higher education sector.

Content-Driven Placements for Enhanced Visibility

Our content and SEO experts prioritized guest post opportunities on reputable blogs and platforms focused on career development and higher education choices. When creating the content, our goal was to highlight the institute’s polytechnic emphasis and applied learning experiences. 

Similarly, content pertaining to student outcomes and skill development was written to show real-world success stories and career readiness, ensuring that backlinks were contextually relevant and provided genuine value.

Targeted Local Link Acquisition and GMB Profile 

Local SEO helps universities and colleges attract prospective students and boost enrollment in the local area. Recognizing the importance of local visibility, our team placed special emphasis on targeted local link acquisition and optimizing the university’s Google Business Profile.

To maximize local impact, our professionals ensured the institution claimed and meticulously refined its GMB listing. We suggested updates on campus location, contact details, and operating hours. Encouraging active engagement from current students and alumni helped us drive positive reviews that bolstered trust and credibility in local search results.

This is how we combined high-authority local backlinks with a well-maintained Google Business Profile to make the university a clear frontrunner among alternatives. The university showed up prominently in local search queries, including “universities near me” and related geographic terms.