For any school in the digital age, there’s a quiet truth: most parents won’t call your office first. Instead, they will open up Google, search for schools in their area, or search for a name to find your school website specifically. They will browse through it and look for the information they need before deciding to call or visit the school grounds in person.
This is a common pattern of behaviour in general for internet users, noted in studies on internet user behaviour. Based on it, it’s clear that school websites shouldn’t just exist – they should aim to answer the questions that parents have, long before they even consider making that phone call for an inquiry. If your website is the first place they’ll look up, why not make their visit worthwhile?
Answering Parents’ Most Burning Questions Is Great for AEO
Having the questions parents ask answered so clearly on your school website makes them easier to pick up by today’s search engines. Think of the “people also search for” sections at the bottom of your Google search result page. Think of how people interact with AI search tools like ChatGPT: they ask questions, which the AI then scours the internet to find answers to. It’s a win-win situation that most school websites should take advantage of, and it starts with knowing what questions parents ask.
Here are 5 of the most common questions on parents’ minds, and how answering them also improves Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for your school website.
Photo by Max Fischer for Pexels, 2020
1. “What Kind of School is This?”
“What school is this?” sounds like a broad and vague question, but it often speaks to a curiosity about the identity and values of a school. A parent asking this wants to know if your school aligns with their own beliefs and values.
A religious parent wants to know if the school they’re possibly sending their child to also helps to grow them spiritually. A parent preferring a specific early childhood education method will want to know if your school offers traditional, Montessori, Waldorf, or any other type of education. What they want to know is what the key areas of focus are in the education offered to students.
This is why we recommend that schools have “value statements” or mottos that summarize what the school stands for, and these will always appear on the home page. Additionally, you can expand on these values in the “About Us” section, with more detailed descriptions of the school’s vision and goals for the students in their care.
2. “How Much Will It Cost, and What Extra Fees Should I Expect?”
It’s often a sensitive subject to broach, but all parents want to know how much it will cost to educate their child at your school. Many schools prefer to provide this information privately when prospective parents call or visit in person to inquire, but most parents will instinctively try to find fee information on the school website first. For them, knowing what fees to expect helps them prepare and organize their finances.
Any information available on scholarships or other funds that students may access to subsidize their education is incredibly helpful for families that need it.
Include this information in a “Tuition and Fees” section of your school website, or in the “Admissions” section, since admissions sometimes charges an enrollment fee for new students. To make the page easier to find, include it as a quick link or footer that can be accessed from any part of the school website.
Photo by iMattSmart for Unsplash, 2023
3. “How Do I Get My Child Into This School?”
A parent who is already interested in your school will want to know how to get their child enrolled. In this situation, a clear and concise procedure for enrollment will be crucial information for them.
A “How to Apply” link on the homepage or as a footer will be easy to spot and should lead visitors into the detailed admissions page, where they should find all the instructions to get started. In today’s digital age, institutions have significantly streamlined admissions processes, and most applications are sent online. Optimize your page to receive these applications by making the procedures clear and easy to follow.
Helpful information to include here would also be enrollment dates, cutoffs, and any extra documentation that may be required.
4. “What Will My Child Learn?”
Where “What kind of school is this?” speaks to the values of your school, “What will my child learn?” addresses the details of your curriculum. To answer this question well, the focus should be on the details of the program at each stage of student growth.
Parents asking this question want to know how your school advances their children’s academic and co-curricular development. So, in addition to a description of your curriculum, it would be helpful to also address how learners are supported based on their needs, what opportunities the school offers aside from academics, and how it all ties in to the holistic growth and development of each child.
5. “Where Is This School Located, and How Easy Is It to Get There?”
A school is only as useful to a parent as its location, and your school website should make that very easy to find. Highlight this information in your “Contact Us” page, where you include your physical address and a map of the location, if needed.
In your “Home” and “About Us” Pages, mention the area your school serves so that parents know if it’s within a reasonable distance from their homes. It sounds simple, but it is often one of the main ways that parents decide if a school is the right fit for their family at all.
Include pick-up, drop-off instructions, and transportation options that are available for students for extra detail.
Conclusion
A well-designed school website should anticipate the questions that parents are most likely going to ask, and answer them in clear and easy-to-spot ways. You can even go as far as to include a FAQ section with answers to these and more questions that parents have asked your school in the past.
Your school website isn’t just a signpost on the internet; it’s a wellspring of information that informs the decisions parents make and guides Answer Engine traffic to you. Would you like to incorporate these and more answers into your school website design? Fill out this form to reach out to us, and we’ll get you started!