Suppressing Negative Search Results

SEO Suppression Strategy for a Private College

The online reputation of an educational institution is a huge part of the perceptions it creates among its students, parents, faculty, and stakeholders. Negative search results can greatly influence the rates at which students enroll, the funding opportunities, and the general credibility of the institution.

The case study focuses on Build Brand Better’s intervention to suppress negative search results and repair the college’s online image using strategic SEO and content marketing.

Challenges Faced by the Private College

The private institution was grappling with the below-mentioned online reputation issues before associating with us:

Negative News Articles & Blogs

Some years back, the institution had allegations of administrative problems that had brought a large portion of negative news coverage, which continues to be the focus of search engine results.

Low Visibility of Positive Content

The college exhibited a weak online presence, with minimum positive content on Google.

Poor Student Reviews

The credibility was badly affected by negative reviews posted by some dissatisfied students on Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

Low Search Engine Rankings

SEO was not performed on the official college website and any positive articles that might exist, leading to low visibility on search engines.

Objectives of the SEO Suppression Strategy

The end goal was to bury the negative listings and replace them with positive, credible ones. The strategy was based on the following:

Creating and promoting high-quality content to showcase the strengths, achievements, and success stories of the college.
Existing and new sites were being optimized for better search ranking.
Work through third-party sites to add to the institution's credibility.
Aggressive SEO will be employed to ensure that positive content is outranked by negative ones.

Step-by-Step Strategy To Regain The Online Trust

We had devised their multi-phased strategy with utmost conscientiousness about the crisis:

Comprehensive Online Audit & Keyword Research

We started with detailed audits including search ranking evaluations and identification of negative Google content displayed on the first two pages. Harmful keywords as well as negative blogs and high-rated articles were examined while positive articles that can be optimized were analyzed. The SEO loopholes present on the university website and all social media profiles were also identified for better visibility.

Content Development & Positive PR Campaign

With a negative content analysis strategy already in place, we devised survival strategies in content marketing, including student and graduate success stories, faculty success stories, and research highlights. We broadcast press releases and published media coverage about campus events, partnerships, and new programs. Guest posts on high-authority websites contributed to boosting the credibility and presence of the institution online.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Implementation

We applied a very advanced SEO strategy to ensure that the positive content ranked higher than negative search results. We optimised the website with keyword-rich meta descriptions, refreshed existing content for easy reading, and constructed a very strong internal linking structure. High-quality backlinks were also built from reputed websites to improve domain authority and search engine rankings.

Local SEO & Google My Business Enhancement

Besides local search is crucial for attracting students, we’ve optimized the college Google My Business details by inserting the latest images, location details, event updates, and the rest. We also encouraged satisfied students and alumni to write positive reviews on Google and the rest. Local citations were also fixed and enhanced in educational directories, Yelp, and other listing sites.

Social Media Reputation Management

We enhanced the college’s presence on social media through the introduction of engaging content focusing on student achievements and institutional news. A crisis plan was applied to address the negative remarks professionally, amplifying any positive comments. Engagements with alumni and educational influencers further promoted the institution online.

Monitoring & Continuous Optimization

ORM strategies were used for constantly tracking the search ranking in terms of negative emerging content. They proactively changed different strategies in SEO and content to drown negative information and ensure that the damage is always under control for future reputation management success, maintaining the continuous optimization routine magic solution to these issues which helped keep the college afloat.

Results & Impact

The private college saw successful results by following the strategy:

Suppressed Negative Search Results

75% of negative articles that were on the first page results were pushed down and replaced by positive articles.

Improved Google Rankings for Positive Content

The college’s official website and the newly published positive content were ranked in the top highly placed 5 search results for education-centric queries.

68% Increase in Organic Traffic

The number of visitors to the college’s website, especially the success stories and blog pages, was increased by a well-optimized SEO.

Boosted Social Media Engagement

The positive engagements increased by a whopping 87% as student testimonials and faculty spotlights gathered more shares and comments.

Higher Student Inquiries & Admissions

With improvement in the online presence of the college, it recorded a great number of admission inquiries compared to the previous year.

Conclusion:

The power of SEO suppression and strategic content marketing found in this study is repairing the online reputation of an educational institution. With the targeted approach of Build Brand Better, the private college was able to serve its own purpose of controlling the digital space of the institution, attracting prospective students, and establishing credibility.

Content Removal

Video & Image Removal

Social Media Content Removal

Review Removal

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