How SEO Can Support the Promotion of Online Degree Programs

Online learning opportunities from colleges and universities take numerous forms, from online degrees to certificates to completion programs, and they continue to expand at a rapid pace to meet market demand for both traditional and modern learning formats. Many of today’s students are seeking online academic opportunities from top-choice institutions across the country to advance and change their careers in a format that is more accommodating to their schedule.

Colleges and universities must audit their website and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to ensure that their online academic programs have well-structured, helpful content for students, which will also solidify their organic search performance.

Table of Contents:

• “Online” Is Not a Bad Word
• Organic Search Trends Show Ever-Increasing Demand for Online Education
• Reputation Matters in the Online Space
• Understand Your Audience and Why They Pursue Online Degrees
• Be Transparent About Hybrid or Experiential Learning Components
• Highlight Online Cost and Financial Aid Opportunities
• Build Out Online Related Content Onto Separate Pages
• Review Your Content Regularly

“Online” Is Not a Bad Word

In the early days of online education, there was a perception that online degree programs were of lower quality and rigor than their traditional on-campus counterparts. Technology was burgeoning and less sophisticated, and the field of higher education was breaking into a brand new space of education delivery at a time when learning was synonymous only with in-person classes. Because of this, colleges and universities were hesitant to state their programs were “online” and instead described them as “distance” or “extension.”

The landscape has evolved rapidly since then, with many degrees and certificates offering the option for all or most of the program to be delivered online. Accordingly, the perception of these programs has evolved to be one of a viable, high-quality pathway to academic and professional advancement. There is usually no distinction on diplomas between students who earned their degree online or in-person, further reflecting their similarity in content, perception, and professional outcomes.

With that evolution, it is essential for the SEO of your academic program pages that these programs are clearly described as “online” throughout the body copy, header tags, and back-end metadata. Furthermore, “distance” and “extension” should no longer be used interchangeably with “online” as this does not reflect how prospective students are searching for online programs. Fluid and natural use of the “online” keyword throughout the content ensures your online program pages appear in the search engine results page (SERP) alongside competitors, connecting directly to students only interested in the online format.

Organic Search Trends Show Ever-Increasing Demand for Online Education

The growing search volume for queries related to online learning at colleges and universities reflects the rapid expansion of career-advancing online degree and certificate programs.

Examining data from Google Keyword Planner reveals a noticeable increase in interest in online academic programs from when we first visited the topic of SEO for online programs in 2021:

The organic search queries for subject-specific online programs also saw improvement:

With such a significant increase in organic search demand, colleges and universities must have a dedicated SEO strategy for their online degree and certificate programs.

Reputation Matters in the Online Space

Even with the evolved perception and the high organic search demand for online degree programs, prospective students still have questions about what type of experience they will have as an online student and how that could impact their future.

Other frequent search queries for online program pages include “What do employers think of online degrees?” “Is an online degree easier?” and “Can I get into grad school/MBA program/law school with an online bachelor’s degree?”

What does that mean for your academic program pages? You need to approach these questions with confidence and transparency, including vital information that reflects the caliber of education for your institution’s online academic offerings. Review the program’s curriculum, noting that it has the same rigor and level of expectations as the college or university’s in-person programming. Call attention to the skill and knowledge development that results from the coursework and how it can translate into professional success.

With this, it is important for colleges and universities to view online students similarly to on-campus students, providing equal access to advising and academic, personal, and career support–and promoting that in your online degree program pages. Highlight that the online faculty are the same, or have the same level of credentials, as the in-person programs. Additionally, explain how online students have access to their professors, advisors, and other support staff that can ensure their student experience fosters personal, academic, and professional growth.

Finally, include accreditation information to reassure prospective students that the online program meets regional or national board-reviewed standards and will provide them with the knowledge and skills to set them up for future success. If the program, department, or institution has any relevant rankings, awards, or other points of distinction, include those on the online degree program page to call attention to the quality and reputation of the online program.

Understand Your Audience and Why They Pursue Online Degrees

Creating the most helpful and authentic SEO-optimized content for your online degree programs requires an astute understanding of your target audience. Who are they? What do they value? Why are they seeking an online degree?

Your content must answer these questions to reflect to Google and other search engines that your site contains the best, most relevant, and helpful content for them to send organic search users to. In addition to noting the core details of your program, it is essential to remember that there is a person on the other side of the screen that you are trying to reach and support with your online academic programming.

Online degree and certificate programs are an inclusive pathway to academic and career goal achievement. They remove barriers to entry for students who have transportation restrictions, medical and accessibility issues, or time constraints that prevent them from getting to campus. Thus, students interested in online programs care deeply about convenience, flexibility, and the ability to balance coursework with home and career responsibilities. Lean into this when speaking to your target audience.

When developing content for the online degree program pages, consider the following factors that are essential to online students:

• Average time to completion
• Length of courses, especially if they do not run on a traditional semester schedule
• Program start dates
• Full-time, part-time, and accelerated study options
• Asynchronous or synchronous course meeting times
• At-home technical requirements

Including these details on your web page provides prospective students with ample information to evaluate whether your institution’s online program meets their needs. It is greatly appreciated because it eliminates the need to search for this information on the site or contact admission representatives when students may be early on in their search process. What’s more, this unique online program information will also help your web page rank better in the organic search results.

Be Transparent About Hybrid or Experiential Learning Components

Some degree programs offer 100% of the coursework online but may require an internship or a limited number of in-person workshops. These programs can still be described and promoted as having an entirely online format. However, any in-person learning requirements, such as practicums, internships, and once-a-semester campus visits, must be explicitly stated on the program page.

Many students seeking an online program understand that their field of study–such as counseling, nursing, or teaching–may require a field learning experience. They simply seek their coursework to be delivered entirely online to better align with their personal and professional scheduling needs.

Attempting to convey only the online portion of the program to increase inquiries and applications in your enrollment funnel is deceptive and untrustworthy. Students will eventually realize that your program does not align with their needs, and your SEO performance will ultimately suffer.

Highlight Online Cost and Financial Aid Opportunities

Cost, affordability, and financial aid are universal topics of concern to college students, which also applies to online students. Especially given the recent difficulties with FAFSA delays, students are seeking information to reassure them that they will be supported in their investment in an online degree or certificate program.

This can be seen in organic search trends, with strong monthly volume for the following queries:

• “Online colleges that accept FAFSA” – 5,400
• “Financial aid for online classes” – 1,300
• “Financial aid for online programs” – 320
• “Online colleges with financial aid” – 1,300
• “Online degree cost” – 390

There are also many queries related to the specific tuition, fees, and other costs for degree-specific online programs (e.g., “Online MBA tuition”) with significant monthly volume, further showing how much of a focus students have on program financials. Meet students where they are, compassionately understand their concerns, and be detailed and transparent about all costs and financial opportunities for online programs.

Build Out Online Related Content Onto Separate Pages

Colleges and universities often offer many degree programs both in-person and online. Because the typical online student has a distinct set of needs and organic search behavior, every online program must have its own webpage separate from any in-person version. These two formats should not be forced onto a single page for the convenience of updating website content.

Separating the program formats into their own pages better aligns the content to user search queries, ensuring that when a prospective student is seeking out an entirely online program, your online program’s webpage has an opportunity to appear in the SERP.

Topic Clusters and Optimizing for AI Overviews

Beyond SEO-optimizing the online program page, you can create an ecosystem of related pages for your online degree and certificate programs, targeting topic clusters about online learning that strengthen your overall organic search presence and improve user experience.

Through this approach, you create an interconnected experience for the student, developing a clear pathway for them to stay engaged on your site longer and find more information that can support their enrollment decision. While rankings are important in organic search, search engines continue to stress that all content should be people-first, a principle Google calls experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Topic clusters bolster your SEO strategy, follow E-E-A-T, and create content that genuinely helps your target online student audience.

To create topic clusters, look beyond the primary online degree program pages and consider if your college or university has any other aspects of the online student experience that can have its own page. This can include any online student groups and organizations or dedicated advising staff, where you can overview how online students can still have a rich and connected student experience. Internal linking from the online program pages to these subpages creates a logical user journey and signals to search engines that you have strong, people-first content that should be served to users in the SERP.

Additionally, you can develop thought leadership content that positions you as an expert in online learning and targets the range of question-based searches prospective students use when evaluating your programs. This includes articles such as “What can I do with an online computer science degree?” or “What is the online graduate student experience like?” Answering these types of questions with confident, expert content highlights to students that you are both savvy and empathic, understanding their needs and who they are. These thought leadership articles can be linked internally from the online program page, further strengthening your SEO and user experience.

Furthermore, in 2024, Google rolled out its AI-powered search results called AI Overviews, a dynamic visual at the top of the SERP that builds a more engaging search experience. This is new prime real estate in the organic search space, and having well-researched thought leadership content can be advantageous in optimizing for AI Overviews.

Review Your Content Regularly

Like all aspects of higher education marketing and any sound SEO strategy, the web presence of your online degree programs cannot be stagnant. You need to regularly update and review your content, monitoring audience search trends in combination with internal stakeholder knowledge of student needs.

Together, these invaluable insights ensure you stay abreast of trends in the broader SEO and organic search landscape while simultaneously creating useful and enticing content tailored to online students that encourages them to continue the enrollment process with your institution.

Watch Carnegie’s webinar on smart website updates that support your online strategy.

Support Your Online Degree Programs with SEO

Developing a dedicated SEO strategy to support your online degree programs ensures that your college or university has authoritative content that engages and delights prospective students while simultaneously strengthening your organic search presence.

Reach out to learn more about how a partnership with Carnegie’s team of SEO experts can help you achieve your online program enrollment goals.