As the world becomes more digital, online courses have become increasingly popular. That being said, standing out to attract potential students can be a challenge. As a course creator, you want to make sure that your online course reaches as many interested individuals as possible. Fortunately, with the right strategy you can. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a powerful method to promote your online course to reach your target audience and attract more students. Here are some excellent ways to accomplish this:
1. Conduct keyword research
This is the first step in SEO, where you identify the words and phrases that potential students use when searching for a course like yours. By using these keywords you increase the rank of your course content higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), so more potential students can discover you.
Long-tail keywords are just as important to implement in your list. These are phrases that are more specific to your niche, and while they get less traffic they have a higher conversion value. Once you determine high-ranking keywords and this can guide the kind of content you create so it attracts more students.
Start by brainstorming the keywords and phrases prospective students are likely to use when searching for your course content. You can expand this list by using other tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to help determine high-targeting keywords relevant to your niche.
2. Optimize your website for search engines
Once you have identified your target keywords, it is time to optimize your website for search engines. A reliable strategy is on-page SEO strategies that organize your site in a way that Google can understand, making it more likely that your online course will climb in rank during searches.
Some examples include, but are not limited to:
- Page titles: your page titles should include your target keywords and accurately reflect the content of the page.
- Meta descriptions: these are the brief descriptions that appear in SERPs beneath your page titles. Make sure they are compelling and include your target keywords.
- URL structure: use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs that reflect the content of your pages
- Header tags: organize your content by adjusting your headers and making it easier for search engines to understand.
- Example: H1 – main title, H2 – subtitle, H3 – description
- Image Optimization: incorporate relevant and clear images that are relevant to your content and include your target keywords
- Mobile optimization: Make sure your site is compatible to be viewed for mobile devices, as people spend a lot of their time on their phones, and would quickly be deterred from your content site if it does not accommodate mobile view.
- Internal linking: link to other relevant pages within your website for a seamless learning experience, using anchor text that includes your keywords.
Expert tip: use your keywords naturally throughout your content, and avoid keyword stuffing. The goal is to sprinkle target keywords with a density of 1-2% within your wording, otherwise, it can hurt your SEO with penalties from search engines which brings your outreach efforts down.
3. Create high-quality content
Good content gets search engine priority. When creating your content for your online course, make sure it is well-written, informative, and engaging. This establishes you as an authority in your niche, which will rank you higher when interested users are doing their research. Here are some tips to create high-quality content:
Blogging: create fresh, engaging content so you rank higher for long-tail keywords – these are more specific search phrases, so while they get less traffic they usually have a higher conversion value.
Guest blogging: reach out to other bloggers and offer guest posts on their sites. This can help you get exposure to new audiences and build backlinks to your website
Building backlinks: these are links from other websites that refer to your website. This is an important factor for SEO, as they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content to be valuable. You can also do this when you find broken links on other websites and offer to replace them with links to your content and share your content on social media to encourage others to link to it.
4. Use social media
Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your online course and improving your SEO. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram can be used to attract your target audience with your course content. Include links to your website and blog in your social media posts to drive traffic back to your online course.
5. Monitor your results
SEO is an ongoing process, so it is important to monitor your results to see what’s working, and to change what is not. You can use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website traffic, keyword rankings, and other metrics. This information is crucial to refining your SEO strategy for effective online course promotion.
Now you know how SEO works and what tools are available to improve the traffic to your online course! Use these tips to promote your content and attract your target audience. If you still feel you could use some more help, you can reach out to the team at ClassGrowth and we will get you there!