SEO Hot Tips for International Schools
When families and teachers search for international schools, their journey often begins long before they ever step foot on campus. But how do you ensure your school is the one they find?
Enter Marcus Pentzek, Partner at Jademond Digital and a global SEO powerhouse. With decades of experience bridging Western and Chinese search strategies, Marcus knows exactly what it takes to make schools stand out in competitive digital landscapes.
In this guest article for Dux Studio, Marcus breaks down three fire SEO tips that every international school should be using to boost visibility, attract the right families, and stay ahead of the competition. From understanding search intent to optimizing location-based keywords, these insights aren’t just theory—they’re practical strategies that can elevate your school’s online presence.
Read on and take your SEO game to the next level!
Guest Writer: Marcus Pentzek,
Partner, Jademond Digital
SEO HOT TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
Search engines worldwide work relentlessly to deliver the most relevant results based on a user’s search intent. Their goal isn’t just to match words in a query with words on a webpage.
With potentially thousands of websites competing for attention, search engines try to understand what a user is truly looking for and which sources are trustworthy enough to provide the best answer.
For international schools, this creates a unique challenge. Families searching for a school might not be in the same country where the school is located. The language they search in might not match the local language. A teacher in the U.S. looking for a job in Spain, or a family in Europe planning a move to Shanghai, each have different ways of searching—and search engines need clear signals to connect them to the right results.
1. Know Your Audience and Their Search Context
Not every prospective family or teacher is searching from the same situation. Some parents are already in your city, looking for better education options. Others are planning a move months in advance, researching schools from another country. Teachers looking for jobs abroad might be searching in English, while local hires might search in Spanish, French, Chinese (depending on where your school is).
Beyond location, motivations vary too. One family may be searching for a school with a strong soccer or robotics program, while another prioritizes academic achievements and Ivy League acceptance rates. If your website doesn’t provide clear answers to these different search queries, families will find a school that does. Think about what information your ideal audience needs at different stages of their journey and make sure it’s easily discoverable.
2. Optimize for How People Search, Not Just What You Call Things
Generic terms like "International School" are too broad. A parent searching for schools in China won’t just type “International School” into Google—they’ll search for “International School in Shanghai” or “IB School in Guangzhou.” Optimizing for location-specific keywords is essential.
The same applies to pages on your website. A tuition page titled "Fees" or "Our Fees" is vague and less likely to rank for relevant searches. A better title would be "Tuition Fees at [School Name] in [City]", making it more relevant for searches like "International School Fees in Beijing." Similarly, if you’re hiring teachers for positions in Dubai, make sure your job listing clearly mentions the country and city to attract the right candidates. Search engines—and job seekers—will have an easier time finding it.
3. Go Beyond Your School—Become a Local Resource
Families looking for international schools don’t just research education. They are planning an entire life transition. By offering content that helps them navigate that process, your school becomes more visible and more memorable.
Consider publishing useful articles on topics like:
· Best parks for kids in [City]
· Top international hospitals for children in [City]
· Essential WeChat or WhatsApp groups for expat parents in [City]
Parents searching for these topics may not be looking for a school just yet. But when they do, they’ll remember your name. Your school becomes not just an option but a trusted part of their research process.
SEO Is More Than Just Keywords
These are just a few pieces of the SEO puzzle. Depending on your location, you might also need to navigate technical SEO challenges, strengthen your site’s authority to rank above competitors, or optimize for local search engines like Baidu.
If SEO is approached strategically—aligned with your brand positioning and audience needs—it can be a powerful tool to ensure that the right families and educators find you at the right time.
Biography Marcus Pentzec: Partner, Jademond Digital
Meet Marcus Pentzec: The SEO Powerhouse Behind Global & China Strategies
Some people do SEO. Marcus lives it.
From the early days of search optimization—before "SEO" was even a thing—to mastering both Western and Chinese search engines, Marcus has built a reputation as the go-to expert for global and China-specific SEO strategies.
Why? Marcus is an:
International SEO Wizard – Turning rankings into revenue across continents.
Pioneer in Chinese SEO – Cracking the Baidu code like no one else.
Renowned SEO Auditor – Spotting gaps and delivering growth-driven strategies.
As Partner and Director of SEO at Jademond Digital, Marcus doesn’t just optimize websites—he transforms businesses. His expertise bridges the gap between East and West, helping brands thrive in one of the world’s most complex digital markets.