Reach more learners by writing class listings for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) can play a big role in helping families find your classes on Outschool and through external search platforms (like Google). By including intentional language in each section of your class listings, you can increase your chances of appearing in the right searches for the right audience.

We’ll break down the details of how to incorporate SEO into each section of your class listing. Before reading further, we recommend that you start with the basics of SEO and how to choose keywords for your classes.

Quick review of basic best practices

Consistency is key. Use your main keyword and related keywords throughout your class title, description, and other sections where appropriate. However, keyword stuffing is a no-go. Keyword stuffing is using the same word over and over again unnecessarily, like “Guitar class to learn guitar for guitar recital.” Which leads us to…

Write with human beings in mind. Even though SEO is essentially “writing for Google,” search algorithms actually prefer to see content that seems natural and follows normal speech patterns.

Speak to your audience. Before you write a class listing, you need to know exactly who you want to enroll! While “any learner in the world” is a good place to start, niching down to your true target audience will help you write a more SEO-friendly description. Follow this guide to identify that target group of families.

Follow Outschool policy. Review our Standards for Class Listings for insights on what info you may share in class titles and descriptions, including guidelines for trademarked material, external resources, and Parental Guidance statements.

Class Title

Length: 10-80 characters

Your title should always include your main keyword or phrase for your class. Examples of appropriate class titles arre:

• 6th Grade Math Concepts and Practice
• Intro to Playwriting for Kids: Write Your First Script
• Let’s Bake and Decorate Cupcakes of All Kinds!

The words in bold represent possible main keywords for these classes. Notice how these titles immediately provide insight into the class topic by using clear, direct keywords. Here’s an example of a title that may not perform as well in search results:

Bake With Me. Cupcake Week Is Here!!! Decorate too! 🧁🧁🧁

Can you spot the differences? This title has a few red flags from an SEO perspective:

• Poor keyword usage. Instead of “bake and decorate cupcakes,” search engines see the words “bake,” “cupcake,” and “decorate” separated from each other in different sentences.
• Punctuation issues. Your title should never have a period in it, and breaking up this title into three sentences with multiple punctuation marks makes comprehension difficult for your reader and for Google/Outschool’s search feature. Find more class title punctuation guidelines here.
• Too many emojis. Search engines don’t like to see a lot of emojis; while they may be cute, they won’t help your class be found on the internet.

Class Summary

Length: 40-240 characters

Your class summary is a prime opportunity to use some related keywords and boost your chances of being found by parents and learners. Remember to write two different versions: one for adults and one for learners, and take advantage of this opportunity to speak to different audiences!

Here’s an example of good keyword usage in a title and summary:

Title: Draw Magical Creatures from Your Favorite Movies

Summary: Learn how to pencil sketch dragons, monsters, unicorns, and more from popular movies with a professional artist.

In the title, the educator includes their main keyword phrase, “draw magical creatures,” plus “movies” to expand their potential audience to families looking for classes about movies as well as drawing. In the summary, they add in secondary and related keywords like “pencil sketch,” specific drawing subjects, and “artist.” You may notice “movies” is used in both the title and the summary – and that’s totally fine! It’s not keyword stuffing if words are used naturally and only a few times where appropriate.

Class Description

Length: 500 characters minimum; aim for 150-400 words

Class descriptions are your chance to really dive into what parents and learners can expect from your class. This is crucial from an information standpoint, of course; families need to know what you plan to teach and decide whether the class is right for them. It’s also a great opportunity to write with SEO in mind and continue to help your course show up in search results.

What info you need to include in your description will change based on your class format (such as weekly topics, class structure, etc.). We provide several sample class listings in this support article, and here are a few extra tips for SEO:

• Use bullet points and numbered lists that include your keywords when possible. Breaking out information like this helps search engines determine what your class is about and match it to searches from users. While Outschool class listings don’t allow for rich-text formatting and automated lists, you may create your own lists using numbers or special characters.
• Always speak to your target audience. Describe how you’re going to solve a problem or fill a need for families to help search engines know when to serve up your class listing.
• Proofread for typos and grammar mistakes. Misspelled words or incorrect phrasing can hurt your chances of appearing in the right search results. Check out these helpful tools for editing your descriptions.

Optional sections: Learning Goals & Teacher Expertise

Length: Aim for 50-100 words

These two optional class listing sections are another opportunity to show Google that you are a trusted resource when users search for your target keywords.

SEO tip for Learning Goals: Try to use bulleted or numbered lists when possible and include your class title in your blurb.

SEO tip for Teacher Expertise: Expand your keywords to include related concepts. This helps Google establish your credibility and identify you as an authority on your subject (aka trust your listing enough to display it to searchers).

Consider using these tips to revise your class listings and help more families find you in searches. Remember that small changes to class listings don’t need to be resubmitted for approval, so now’s the time to add in some keywords, check your word counts, and make small edits that could have a big impact.

Looking for support and guidance as you grow your business on Outschool? Check out our monthly Business Coaching cohorts, free to join for all approved educators!