Report: Q4 2020 Google trends for course providers

Below is an overview of the top level stats from Google for queries, impressions, clicks and ad depth for online course providers in Q4 2020, compared to Q4 2019. You can access the full Google trends report here.

Top level stats include:

• 33% overall search growth in Q4 2020 compared to the previous year
• 39% increase in mobile searches
• 26% of searches on mobile phones

Metrics snapshot

Q4 2020 and YoY growth – vs Q4 2019:

Click here to read the full report

Advice from our search marketing experts

With a significant increase in queries but more competition in the ad space, course providers need to get clever with their advertising in order to capture as much of this extra traffic as possible. Here are some tips from our search marketing team on how to do that:

1. Ad extensions

Use as many ad extensions as you can in your PPC adverts as this is a fantastic way to make them stand out from the crowd. For example, use callout extensions to promote certain messaging or offers, call extensions if you want to encourage people to pick up the phone or location extensions if you have any physical locations where students can attend face-to-face courses.

Check out our guide to ad extensions here.

2. Mobile-friendly website

With a 39% increase in mobile searches, it goes without saying that you need to ensure your website is mobile-friendly. If you’re unsure how to check this, get in touch and we can check it out for you. Not only will this ensure that your website visitors have a positive experience, but this can also help to improve the quality score of your PPC campaigns.

3. Make sure you have category pages

Whilst each course will have its own individual page on your website, make sure you also create relevant category pages. You can then focus your optimisation efforts on these top level pages which often rank higher in the search results.

4. Use structured data

Using structured data to mark up your course lists will help improve their visibility in the search engines. You can provide details such as course name, who is offering it and a description of the course.

Get more advice here: 5 search marketing strategies for course providers

Want to improve your campaigns?

Find out more about our SEO services and PPC services. If you’d like to chat to our experts, call us on 02392 830281 or drop us your details and we’ll call you.