Welcome to Tuesday Tips! This week, we were joined by Jesse Foss from the Enrollment Marketing team at Grow Schools, to talk about the one page every family, and increasingly, every AI tool, sees first: your homepage.
Here are this session’s top 3 tips:
1. Put the basics in plain text, not photos or graphics. AI can’t read images, hero videos, or text baked into a graphic, so your grade levels, location, and tuition status need to exist as real, written copy.
2. Build a real FAQ from the questions your front office already answers. Waitlist status, transportation, lottery odds, write them up as an actual FAQ, not a list stuffed with keywords.
3. Lead with the basics, not your mission statement. Who you are, where you are, and what grades you serve belong above the fold.
Can AI tools read images, videos, or text that’s part of a graphic on my homepage?
No. Anything that matters, open house dates, tuition status, grade levels, needs to exist as actual written copy, not inside a graphic.
What basic information does a school homepage need for AI search?
What kind of school you are, what grades you serve, where you’re located, and whether you’re tuition-free. Spell out location even though it feels obvious; schools with similar names exist in multiple cities.
Does my school need schema markup to show up in AI search?
It’s not required, but it helps. Schema markup labels basic details like your address and phone number so search engines and AI tools can read them cleanly.
How can I tell what AI tools are currently saying about my school?
Ask one directly: “what are the best charter schools in [your city] for [a grade level]?” and see how your school is described, and whether anything needs correcting.
