Search engines spark the majority of online experiences. Google is often the go-to starting point for asking questions, finding recipes, shopping, or locating food nearby, and organizations that rank first in the search results for these queries earn the most traffic.
SEO is the process of improving an organization’s rankings. However, SEO is often divided into multiple types including local and global (or national).
Both local SEO and global are different strategies to achieve a similar purpose – prominence on Google. So what’s the difference? Which one will work best for YOUR language school?
What is SEO?
SEO is the process of optimizing web pages so that they rank higher in search results. The goal is to produce and publish web pages that are optimized for the keywords a school wants to rank for. Search engines use complex algorithms to rank web pages. The algorithm may have hundreds or thousands of elements that are included in the process, called “signals”. Each of those signals is given a different weight depending on how important that signal is to the overall algorithm.
The higher a web page ranks, the more visible it becomes to searchers. The better that web pages are optimized for certain keywords, the better they perform in search results.
Good SEO can result in a school seeing an increase in traffic from the keywords they are optimizing for, which can lead to increased enrollment, greater market share, and an increase in revenue.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a branch of organic marketing that focuses on strategies for local search engine optimization. In simple words, Local SEO is focused on increasing the ranking of a local business on Google Search results.
It aims to rank a school higher in search results that are specific to the area or location of that school. For example, if someone was looking for a language school in Berlin, Germany, how would they find your German language school if they only knew the name of the city and the language school they were looking for? A Language school in Berlin will rank higher on Google Search Results if it has optimized its website for the keywords “language school in berlin” or “language school Berlin.”
Local SEO is different from global SEO because it focuses on optimizing a website for keywords relevant to a specific location.
Local vs Global SEO
The main difference between local and global SEO is that global focuses on optimizing search results for keywords relevant to the organization’s country, while local SEO (in most cases) focuses on optimizing a website for keywords relevant to the organization’s actual location.
Which should language schools use for their website?
According to Hubspot, 52% of online experiences begin with a search engine. This statistic proves how important SEO is for an organization’s online success. However, not every school has the time or money to invest in either local or global SEO. Local SEO and global SEO both have their pros and cons.
Pro: One of the most obvious benefits is that language schools can use local SEO as a way to expand their reach by targeting those in the area.
Pro: Another benefit is that global SEO allows language schools to reach across borders and make their services available worldwide. It can be more difficult to obtain a global ranking using local SEO because language schools that rank highly in search results tend to be located in larger cities.
Pro: The major benefit of local SEO is that this form of SEO helps improve rankings within a certain geographical region. This allows language schools to reach more potential students that live nearby.
Con: There is a lack of information about local SEO, and it can be difficult to find the latest news on local SEO developments.
Con: Another disadvantage of local SEO is that it costs money to obtain a top ranking on search engines for a specific location. If a language school is not able to obtain top rankings for its area, it will be difficult to have success with local SEO.
Con: One of the major disadvantages of global SEO is that it can be difficult to get started. Language schools may not know how to start with global SEO and may need to learn how to create content that fits the criteria of each location.
It is important for language school owners to determine their SEO needs and how they can be achieved. The two forms of SEO are built on a similar foundation, but the way in which they get results from search engines is different. Language school owners must consider which will best serve their organizations and students when they make a decision about SEO.
The benefits of each type of SEO
Both local SEO and global SEO benefit language schools in different ways. If you want to establish a presence online, both will help your school rank on the major search engines. So, which type of SEO is best for your school?
Global SEO allows you to attract international traffic, while local SEO attracts regional traffic. Global SEO is more suited to companies that do not have a physical location or whose location does not influence their services. For example, if your language school only conducts lessons online or uses Skype to connect with teachers and students who live in other countries, then global SEO is the best choice. Global SEO also covers more than just language schools, so you could use it to promote your tutoring business too.
Local SEO helps you attract nearby customers. If you have a physical location, whether it is in your home or another place, then local SEO can be very useful.
What language schools should do to improve their SEO is not always clear. Unlike other businesses, language schools are ranked against the world’s best teachers and linguists in their industry. This means that you will need to follow slightly different rules if you are to rank globally on Google.
At LanguageSchoolSEO.com, we offer SEO Services for language schools. Our SEO services are designed to enhance the visibility of your school’s website on all major search engines and we guarantee to rank you high on both local and global searches.