Your school’s website is often the first point of contact for prospective students and agents. But did you know that the speed of your site can significantly impact your search engine rankings? Let’s take a look at why site speed is an important part of your school’s SEO strategy and how you can improve it.

Why site speed matters for SEO

Search engines like Google prioritise user experience, and site speed is a key factor in this. This means that faster websites tend to rank higher in search results, leading to:

• Increased visibility for your school
• Higher organic traffic
• Improved user engagement and lower bounce rates

A slow website can frustrate visitors, causing them to leave before exploring your content. 

How to improve your school’s site speed

There are a number of techniques you can implement to boost the speed of your school’s website.

Optimise images

Large, unoptimised images are often the culprit behind slow-loading pages. To avoid this, compress images and use appropriate file formats to reduce load times without sacrificing on quality.

Minimise HTTP requests

Reduce the number of elements on your pages, such as scripts, stylesheets, and images. Each element requires a separate HTTP request, which can slow down your site.

Use browser caching

Store some data on visitors’ devices by implementing browser caching. This helps to reduce load times for returning visitors.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN can help distribute your content across multiple, geographically diverse servers, reducing load times for visitors from different locations.

Improving your school’s website speed is a worthwhile investment that can boost your SEO rankings and enhance the user experience for potential clients. Make sure to implement these strategies to ensure your school’s online presence is as impressive as your educational programmes.

Written by Stephanie Clark