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Search engine optimization is one of the most useful tools when it comes to digital marketing. That’s because internet searches—most often using a search engine like Google, but also ones like Bing and Yahoo, and even voice-activated devices like Alexa—are a common starting point when people online want to answer a question, solve a problem, or go somewhere specific: “Where is the Super Bowl this year?” “How do I renew my passport?” “What is the New York Public Library’s hours?”
There are thousands, even millions, of web pages that have information or content related to a given search term or query, also referred to as a keyword or keyphrase. That’s why Google and other search engines use algorithms, machine learning, and big data to sort through those individual pages and rank them according to how useful or helpful they are.
According to Google, the resultant rankings—which appear on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)—take into account the:
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a combination of two approaches meant to drive traffic through search results:
Organic search comprises queries that are usually either branded or unbranded:
It’s worthwhile to remember that the two main factors that influence search engine rankings are the website’s domain authority and the individual page’s relevance.
Fortunately, the University as a whole has solid domain authority. In other words, Google considers us a credible, established, and authoritative website, which improves the chances of our individual pages ranking well in search results—but only when those individual pages are relevant. Relevant pages consist of high-quality content that incorporates specific and appropriate keywords and keyphrases in the right places, including the title tag, URL, meta description, headings, body copy, alt text, etc.
When it comes to SEO, the University overall does well with ranking for branded keyphrases. Our challenge now is to rank for nonbranded keyphrases—ones that align with people’s search queries while also being relevant to us as an institution. Doing so can result in consistent traffic to our web pages, thereby increasing awareness about the University, which can in turn help with admissions, recruitment, fundraising, and other strategic institutional priorities. 
The Arts, Sciences & Engineering Web Communications team works closely with University Communications on institution-wide SEO efforts. Our team can help to: 
We encourage you to connect with us to see how SEO can be an effective part of your team or department’s digital marketing strategy.
Sofia Tokar is the web writer and communications officer for Arts, Sciences & Engineering at the University of Rochester. You can reach her at sofia.tokar@rochester.edu.
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