SEO for Classes: 9 Ways to Rank No. 1
Is it really so impossible to rank first in search results, unless you spend thousands in ad dollars?
Most online businesses will do anything to get on and stay on Page 1, as an apt meme warns us:
The Best Place to Hide a Dead Body is Page Two of Google.
What is SEO?
Search engines try to deliver the best content that matches the terms we use to find what we need. If your content isn’t quite there yet, there are many things you can do to make Google like you better and maybe in time bump you up a few spots from your current ranking.
In Internet jargon, this process is called search engine optimisation or SEO. To get your page to display as a top result, Neil Patel suggests modifying your online content to match certain keywords or phrases that your target buyers use to search.
So how does it work, this silver bullet?
On one hand, there’s off-page SEO - link building, social media, and other tools and techniques designed to drive traffic to you. This is no mean feat and so, when your target audience finally do land on your website, it’s the role of your on-page SEO to keep them highly engaged.
Off-page and on-page are the yin and yang of SEO; they complement each other and you need to get them both right. If you list on marketplaces like WeTeachMe, part of your off-page SEO is already covered; it’s our job to make sure that your listings are properly indexed by search engines. However, it’s all down to you to provide great content.
What is ‘great content’, anyway?
Platforms like WeTeachMe are made up mostly of product pages, which aren’t always the most shareable or most viral things in the world. If you write the world’s greatest content or if you hire a crack team of copywriters, will customers come in droves? Maybe they will; maybe they won’t.
To truly succeed in a marketplace, it takes more than just good writing.
Your product listings are already indexed by both the platform’s internal search facility and external search engines, so you’re off to a fantastic start. To improve your ranking, you need to take some extra steps to optimise your listings - first, for the marketplace’s own search utility and later, for external search engines like Google.
Why marketplace first?
If your prospect is still using a search engine, they’re just looking for information, browsing, or doing comparison shopping. WeTeachMe subscribers and visitors are already further along the buying process; they mean business and are ready to buy today. Do this part right and optimise your listing right now, and watch your efforts convert into an easy sale.
9 ways to optimise your marketplace listing
1. Proofread, proofread, proofread
Write concisely and make sure to check your product listing for errors. Google absolutely hates typos!
2. List as many products as you can
The key to success in a marketplace is visibility. The more individual listings you have the higher the possibility of showing up in internal search results, which then increases your likelihood of making a sale.
3. Describe your products in detail
There could be thousands of competing products listed alongside your offer in a marketplace. How do you rise above the crowd?
What you say in your listings could be that key differentiator. Provide a full description on your product pages, anticipate and answer questions, and make it a no-brainer for your customer.
4. Pick the right title
The title of your class is the first thing that buyers see when they look at search results. Search engines, both internal and external, also find it an important factor as well for ranking.
Eliminate all guesswork and make it obvious what your classes actually offers. You can do this by inserting your primary keyword in your title.
5. Use your keywords throughout your listing.
Keywords are all possible terms that your target buyer may use while searching for your product on the marketplace. If you’ve done your homework, you will already have a general idea of what these words are and how to put them to work.
Use these keywords all throughout your listing but be warned: avoid keyword stuffing at all costs. Resort to frowned-upon tactics like this and you risk being penalised by Google.
6. List your classes under the correct category.
Search engines give you points for content relevance, and this includes listing your classes in the proper category. Conversely, if you categorise inappropriately, it may hurt your ranking.
WeTeachMe allows you to use up to five categories for every class you list on our marketplace. Let’s say you offer wheel throwing classes. Why limit your listing to just pottery classes? List them under art classes and craft classes, as well. You never know where customers are going to look.
7. Use all the fields provided on the marketplace.
WeTeachMe has a built-in set of standard fields and also allows you to create an unlimited number of custom fields. Not all standard fields are required; but if you fill them all in, all the better for your visibility.
By providing more information about your offer, you increase the likelihood that your listing will appear in buyer’s filtered searches. Also, providing all the necessary information up front makes it easier for the customer to make up their mind and pick yours over similar classes.
8. Fix all broken links.
This is a really simple but often overlooked aspect of SEO. Did you recently change your page name on Facebook or Twitter? Do you link to external pages anywhere on your listings and are they all still active?
Any broken link tells Google that your page is of poor quality. Check your marketplace profile and product listings for any links that no longer work and update them pronto!
9. Finally, encourage your students to give positive reviews
Not everyone may share a product link but might be more keen to repost a great review. Customer ratings are clearly displayed on WeTeachMe’s vendor profiles and signals to potential students which classes are a must-attend.
On the flip side, do your utmost best to avoid getting any negative customer feedback. Besides obviously being bad for business, word tends to spread quickly, even without prompting. Should you come across some poor feedback, reach out to the customer or the marketplace and see how you can get the rating changed or, if possible, removed.