![Online Course Creator: use SEO so everyone can find you on internet [SEO checklist]](http://onlineyougrow.com/cdn/shop/articles/cov-seo-checklist-2_4d507798-9d8d-48d2-b4b8-771d06f293e9.png?v=1715867401&width=1100)
SEO isn't just for tech giants and e-commerce sites—it's a powerful tool that successful online course creators use strategically to attract students.
We understand that you're busy developing your courses and the thought of optimizing your website might feel like an additional burden.
But here's the thing: you don't need to be an SEO expert or spend a fortune to make it work. Just a few simple steps can significantly improve your online visibility and attract more students to your courses.
To assist you, we have created a free SEO checklist - and for a comprehensive action plan, please check out our pack of marketing tactics and strategies for online course creators.
Get the SEO checklist made for course creators
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What is SEO for course creators exactly?
Simply put, SEO is all about making your online course website more attractive to search engines like Google.
When someone searches for "best online course for digital marketing" or "learn graphic design online," SEO helps your courses show up in the results. The goal is to get your website higher up on the search results page so more people can find and enroll in your courses.
Why is SEO Important for Online Course Creators?
SEO is incredibly important for online course creators, and here’s why:
- Increased Online Visibility:
The higher your website ranks on search engines, the more people will see it. This means more potential students discovering your courses online, especially when they're looking for educational options.
- Higher Rankings on Search Engines:
Most people don’t look past the first page of search results. By optimizing your site, you can climb those rankings and beat out the competition. Imagine someone searching for "best Python programming course" and finding your course right at the top!
- Attracting More Targeted Students:
SEO isn't just about getting anyone to your site—it's about getting the right people. By targeting specific keywords related to your courses, you ensure that when someone searches for a topic you teach, your course pops up. This means more enrollments and more engaged students.
Key Components of SEO
Now, let’s break down the main parts of SEO specifically for your online courses:
On-Page SEO
This involves making sure the content on your website is optimized. It includes things like:
- Keywords:
Using the words and phrases people are searching for in your titles, descriptions, and content. For example, if you offer a course on digital marketing, make sure you use phrases like "best digital marketing course" or "learn digital marketing online" on your site.
- Content Quality:
Providing useful, engaging, and fresh content about your courses. Share course outlines, student testimonials, upcoming webinars, and success stories from your students.
- Meta Tags:
Using meta titles and descriptions that are relevant and appealing to searchers. For instance, a meta description for your homepage could be "Master digital marketing with our comprehensive online course, designed for beginners and professionals alike."
Off-Page SEO
This focuses on actions taken outside your website to impact your rankings:
- Backlinks:
Getting other reputable websites to link to your site, which signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy and relevant. This could be from educational blogs, industry news sites, or online learning platforms.
- Social Media:
Being active on social media with your course’s page can drive traffic to your site and improve your online presence. Share course updates, student achievements, and educational content to engage with your audience.
Technical SEO
This ensures your website meets the technical requirements of search engines:
- Site Speed:
Making sure your website loads quickly. No one likes to wait, especially potential students eager to learn more about your courses!
- Mobile-Friendliness:
Ensuring your site looks and works well on mobile devices. Many people search for online courses on their phones while on the go.
- Secure Website (HTTPS):
Having a secure website that users (and search engines) can trust. This is especially important if you have an online enrollment or payment system.
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Which keywords should you target for your online course creation platform?
Online course creators, like you, must target specific keywords in SEO because it helps your website appear in search results when potential students look for the type of courses or educational content you offer. This increases the chances that people will find and enroll in your courses.
For example, if you specialize in digital marketing courses, targeting keywords like "best digital marketing course" or "learn digital marketing online" helps attract students searching for those terms. This makes it easier for people interested in digital marketing to find your courses online.
Here are some keyword ideas for you. If you want a more developed strategy with actionable steps, go check out our strategy pack for online course creators.
| Keyword | Competitiveness Level | Tips and Initiatives |
|---|---|---|
| Best [Course Topic] course | High | Optimize your website with high-quality course previews, gather student testimonials, list on educational directories, and use SEO strategies specific to online learning. |
| How to learn [Skill You Teach] | Medium | Create blog posts or pages on your website highlighting your course benefits, use keywords naturally in content, and engage with educational bloggers. |
| Online course for [Skill or Topic] | Medium | Use engaging imagery and videos of your course content, gather positive student reviews, and ensure your course platform profile is complete. |
| Best [Skill or Topic] course online | Medium | Feature specific course types prominently on your website (e.g., beginner, advanced), use SEO tactics, and promote course specials on social media. |
| [Skill or Topic] course for beginners | High | Highlight unique aspects of your beginner courses, create SEO-friendly content about your teaching methods, and engage with the online learning community. |
| Top-rated [Course Topic] course | High | Encourage satisfied students to leave positive reviews, optimize your website for mobile, and ensure accurate information on educational listings. |
| Affordable [Course Topic] course | Low | Highlight affordable options and discounts on your website, use keywords related to value, and promote deals on social media. |
| Where to learn [Skill You Teach] online | Medium | Use SEO strategies, create content around popular skills, and ensure your website is optimized for mobile users searching for online courses. |
| Popular [Course Topic] course | Medium | Use social media to share popular course content, engage with educational influencers, and gather student testimonials to build credibility. |
| Best [Course Topic] course for professionals | Low | Create professional-focused content, highlight career benefits on your website, and host webinars or live sessions to generate interest. |
What really matters when you do SEO for an online course creator
Actually, we think that SEO often follows the 80/20 rule, meaning that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. For online course creators, like you, this means it's crucial to focus on the right strategies to maximize impact without feeling overwhelmed.
| Action / Initiative | Why It Matters / How It Helps Attract Students |
|---|---|
| Optimize your course landing page | Ensures your course appears in relevant search results, provides essential information (course outline, benefits, testimonials), and builds trust with potential students. |
| Gather and respond to student reviews | Positive reviews build credibility and trust. Responding to reviews shows you value student feedback, encouraging more enrollments. |
| Create high-quality content with targeted keywords | Helps your website rank higher in search results for relevant queries, attracting students looking for specific courses or learning experiences. |
| Optimize for educational SEO | Ensures your courses show up in searches for educational content (e.g., "online courses for marketing"), driving traffic from interested learners. |
| Ensure website is mobile-friendly | Most users search for courses on their phones. A mobile-friendly site provides a better user experience, leading to higher engagement and conversions. |
| Use high-quality images and videos of course content | Attractive visuals entice potential students, showcasing your course material and teaching style, which can significantly influence their decision to enroll. |
| Include detailed course descriptions with keywords | Allows search engines to index your course content, helping you appear in searches for specific topics, and makes it easy for students to understand what you offer. |
| List your courses on educational directories | Increases your online presence and backlinks, improving your search engine ranking and making it easier for students to find you. |
| Engage with educational bloggers and influencers | Generates buzz and word-of-mouth, reaching a wider audience and attracting students who trust these educational voices. |
| Promote special offers and discounts | Creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging potential students to enroll in your courses for unique learning opportunities. |
| Utilize social media to share updates and engage with students | Builds a community around your courses, keeps students informed about new offerings, and drives traffic to your website. |
| Ensure accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all platforms | Prevents confusion, helps search engines trust your business information, and improves your SEO ranking. |
| Offer easy enrollment and payment options | Makes it convenient for students to sign up for your courses, leading to increased enrollments and sales. |
| Create blog posts about your courses and teaching experience | Attracts visitors to your site through informative and engaging content, improving SEO and showcasing what makes your courses unique. |
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What is always useless when you do SEO for an online course creator
We have studied a lot of soft drink brands when we built our strategy pack and we saw a lot of SEO-related initiatives that don't help attract new customers. We explain here why they might be a waste of time or even counterproductive.
| Action / Initiative | Why It Doesn't Matter / How It Doesn't Help Bring New Customers |
|---|---|
| Using meta keyword tags | Search engines no longer use meta keyword tags to rank pages, so focusing on them doesn't improve SEO for your soft drink brand. |
| Keyword stuffing in product descriptions | Overusing keywords in product descriptions makes them hard to read and can be penalized by search engines, turning away potential customers. |
| Paying for backlinks from unrelated websites | Backlinks from non-beverage related or low-quality websites don't improve your SEO and can even hurt your ranking if considered spammy by search engines. |
| Using exact match domains like bestsoftdrink.com | Having an exact match domain has minimal impact on SEO and can appear spammy, especially if it doesn't reflect your brand well. |
| Creating multiple pages for the same product | Duplicate content confuses search engines and can dilute your SEO efforts. Focus on one high-quality page for each unique product or topic. |
| Using Flash for product or promotional pages | Flash is outdated, not supported by many devices, and negatively impacts SEO. Modern alternatives like HTML5 should be used instead. |
| Focusing only on desktop optimization | Many customers search for soft drinks on mobile devices. Ignoring mobile optimization leads to poor user experience and lower search rankings. |
| Using automated link-building tools | These tools often create low-quality or spammy links that can be penalized by search engines, hurting your soft drink brand's SEO efforts. |
| Ignoring structured data for products | Structured data helps search engines understand your products better. Ignoring it means missing out on potential SEO benefits like rich snippets. |
| Not updating your product information regularly | Outdated product information can frustrate customers and harm your SEO. Regular updates keep content relevant and maintain search rankings. |
| Using irrelevant stock photos on your site | Low-quality or irrelevant images can negatively impact user experience and SEO. Use high-quality photos of your actual products and brand. |
| Over-optimizing anchor text in links | Using exact match keywords for every link appears unnatural and can be penalized by search engines. Use varied, natural anchor text instead. |
| Ignoring page load speed for your website | Slow-loading pages frustrate users and can lead to higher bounce rates, negatively impacting your soft drink brand's SEO. Ensure your site loads quickly. |
| Using too many ads above the fold on your homepage | Too many ads at the top of the page can be off-putting for users and may be penalized by search engines, impacting your SEO negatively. |
Should you pay someone for the SEO of your online course creation platform?
Well, we will be transparent. Here’s the thing: SEO can get pretty complex, and having some support can really make a difference. Imagine trying to juggle creating engaging course content, managing student queries, marketing your courses, and then on top of that, diving into the world of search engine optimization. It’s a lot, right?
Having someone handle your SEO means you can focus on what you do best—creating and delivering high-quality online courses. SEO experts know the ins and outs of getting your website to rank higher on search engines. They stay updated on the latest trends and algorithms, which means your site will be optimized correctly and consistently. This can lead to more people finding your courses online, and ultimately, more students enrolling in your programs.
- But here’s the kicker: there are a lot of low-hanging fruits in SEO that you can tackle on your own, even if you don’t know much about it.
You will find a lot of low-hanging fruits that cost nothing, are quick to implement, and will make your online course website much more visible in strategy pack for online course creators.
Simple actions like optimizing your course descriptions, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, and using relevant keywords can significantly improve your online presence. These tasks don't require deep technical knowledge but can make a big impact.
So, should you increase the marketing budget of your online course business to pay someone to manage your SEO? If you can do it, it’s a worthwhile investment. But don't underestimate what you can achieve on your own. Start with the basics, see the results, and then decide if you need more specialized help.
Make your online course creation platform more profitable
We have studied the strategies of the best course creators in the world. All their tactics are explained in our pack!
Useful tools course creators can use for their SEO
Here are some essential tools that our team has collected and listed, to help you improve your online course's online presence and SEO.
| Tool | How It's Useful |
|---|---|
| Google My Business | Ensures your online course appears in local search results and Google Maps, provides essential information (hours, contact details, course offerings), and collects student reviews. |
| SEMrush | Helps identify the best keywords for your online courses, analyze competitors, and track your search rankings. Provides insights to improve your content and visibility. |
| Yext | Manages your course listings across multiple directories, ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information to boost local SEO. |
| Google Search Console | Monitors your course website's performance, identifies issues, and provides data on search traffic and keywords to optimize your SEO strategy. |
| Yelp | Collects student reviews and ratings, which improve your course's online reputation and visibility in local search results. |
| BrightLocal | Offers tools for local SEO audits, citation building, and review management, helping your online course improve its local search presence. |
| Moz | Provides keyword research, link building, and site audit tools to enhance your course's SEO efforts and improve search engine rankings. |
| Ahrefs | Analyzes your course's backlink profile, identifies top-performing content, and tracks keyword rankings to boost your SEO strategy. |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Crawls your course website to identify technical SEO issues, such as broken links and duplicate content, helping improve site health and rankings. |
| AnswerThePublic | Generates content ideas by showing what people are searching for related to your courses, helping you create relevant and engaging blog posts and pages. |
| Canva | Helps create visually appealing social media posts and graphics for your website, which can improve user engagement and indirectly boost SEO. |
| Hotjar | Provides insights into user behavior on your course website through heatmaps and session recordings, helping you optimize user experience and reduce bounce rates. |
Copy the SEO tactics of the best course creators
We understand why many online course creators might shy away from SEO and marketing.
Creating and managing online courses is already a full-time job, and the concept of SEO can seem vague and foreign. The terminology can be confusing, and it often feels like marketing is a luxury only big corporations can afford.
Plus, there's the constant worry about costs and whether any marketing efforts will actually pay off. We get that you prefer to focus on immediate, tangible improvements to your courses rather than dive into something that seems complicated and uncertain. No need to deteriorate your course creation budget here.
That's why we've created a "marketing pack" specifically for online course creators like you.
Our pack is designed to address all these concerns head-on. It includes easy-to-follow guides that break down SEO and marketing into simple steps, so you don't need to be a tech expert to understand. We offer cost-effective strategies that fit within tight budgets, and our step-by-step plans ensure that you can implement a good marketing strategy for your online courses without feeling overwhelmed.
Plus, we've included real-life examples and tips that have worked for other small course creators, so you can see the tangible benefits before you even start.
Our goal is to make marketing accessible and practical, helping your online courses thrive without adding extra stress to your already busy life.
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