SEO Strategy, Roles and Responsibilities for Georgia State Websites

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the practice of improving the quality and quantity of traffic to Georgia State websites through organic search results on sites such as Google. SEO helps prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, alumni, partners and the public find the most accurate, relevant and useful Georgia State content.

Georgia State uses Yoast in WordPress to help website managers refine how pages may appear in search results, including page titles and meta descriptions. These settings are important, but SEO is broader than a plugin. Strong SEO depends on content strategy, site structure, keyword alignment, technical performance, accessibility, internal linking, analytics and long-term maintenance.

SEO as a Shared Institutional Responsibility

SEO at Georgia State works best as a parent-child relationship between the university and its colleges, schools, institutes, departments and administrative units.

At the parent level, the university is responsible for protecting and strengthening Georgia State’s overall search visibility, brand presence, domain authority and user pathways across gsu.edu and related university web properties. This includes university-wide priorities such as admissions, academics, student success, research, reputation, safety, rankings, institutional identity, and major audience journeys.

At the child level, colleges, schools, institutes and units are responsible for the accuracy, quality and usefulness of their own content. These sites often have the deepest subject-matter expertise and are closest to the audiences they serve. Their role is essential in maintaining program pages, faculty and research content, service information, news, events and specialized resources.

Because search engines evaluate the university’s web presence as an interconnected ecosystem, SEO decisions on one site can affect the performance, visibility and credibility of others. For this reason, Georgia State may take the lead when SEO decisions involve university-wide strategy, shared keywords, competing pages, high-priority audiences, cross-unit content, institutional reputation, or major search opportunities.

The goal is not to remove ownership from individual units. The goal is to coordinate content so that Georgia State presents a clear, authoritative and user-centered search experience.

SEO Ownership Model

The following model helps clarify how SEO responsibilities are shared across the university.

This model is intended to help teams understand how their work fits into the larger Georgia State web ecosystem. Some SEO decisions can and should be handled locally. Others require university-level coordination because they affect search performance across multiple sites.

When the University May Lead

The university may provide direction, recommendations or required changes when SEO needs extend beyond a single website or unit. This is especially important when a topic affects institutional visibility, creates competition between Georgia State pages or shapes how major audiences discover the university.

The university will often take the lead when SEO work involves:

• Search terms or topics that affect multiple colleges, schools, institutes or units

• Degree, program, admissions or enrollment-related content

• Pages that compete with or duplicate other Georgia State pages

• Content that affects institutional reputation, rankings or public understanding

• Major audience journeys that span multiple websites

• University-wide campaigns, initiatives, announcements or priorities

• Search results where a central Georgia State page should serve as the primary entry point

• Technical SEO issues that affect crawlability, indexing, site performance or accessibility

• Internal linking strategies that connect unit content to broader university pathways

• Site launches, redesigns, migrations or restructuring projects

• High-traffic landing pages or pages tied to strategic university goals

In these cases, university leadership in SEO should be understood as coordination, not takeover. Colleges, schools, institutes and units remain essential content partners, but the university may guide structure, titles, metadata, redirects, linking, consolidation or page priority to strengthen the overall search experience.

When to Involve the University Web and Digital Strategy Team

Website managers should involve the university web and digital strategy team before making significant SEO changes when any of the following conditions apply:

• The page targets a broad or competitive keyword, such as terms related to admissions, degrees, tuition, programs, research, rankings or student services.

• The content overlaps with another Georgia State website or appears to duplicate an existing university page.

• The page is part of a major audience journey, such as prospective student recruitment, enrollment, giving, safety, research visibility or student success.

• The page is expected to serve as a landing page for a campaign, announcement, media story or institutional priority.

• The site is being redesigned, migrated, renamed, restructured or consolidated.

• URLs are being changed, retired or redirected.

• The unit wants to create a new page for a topic that may already have a central university destination.

• Search performance has declined significantly for a high-priority page.

• Analytics show users are landing on the wrong page or struggling to find the correct next step.

• A page represents the university externally to prospective students, families, government partners, media, donors or the general public.

Early coordination helps prevent avoidable SEO problems, including duplicate content, fragmented rankings, broken search pathways, lost traffic after site changes and unclear ownership of high-value topics.

Role of Colleges, Schools, Institutes and Units

Colleges, schools, institutes and units play a critical role in SEO because they manage the content that gives depth, specificity and credibility to Georgia State’s web presence. Unit website managers should:

• Keep content accurate, current and audience-focused

• Use clear page titles, headings and descriptions

• Maintain program, service, faculty, research and contact information

• Avoid duplicate or competing content when a central university page already exists

• Link to authoritative university pages when appropriate

• Use keywords naturally based on what audiences are likely to search

• Review analytics and search performance when making content decisions

• Coordinate with university-level web and digital strategy teams when content has broader institutional impact

Unit-level content should support the broader university structure while providing the detail and expertise that only the college, school, institute or unit can offer.

How Parent and Child SEO Work Together

A successful SEO model does not treat every website as a separate island. Instead, it creates a connected structure.

The university-level web presence should often serve as the primary source for broad, high-volume, or institution-wide topics. Unit-level sites should support that structure with more specific, detailed and audience-relevant content.

For example, a central admissions or academic program page may be the best search destination for users comparing options across the university. A college or school page may then provide deeper context about faculty expertise, student experience, research strengths, career outcomes or discipline-specific opportunities. Both pages have value, but they should not compete for the same search intent.

This approach helps users move from broad discovery to specific action without confusion.

Modifying WordPress Page Titles and Descriptions for SEO

Yoast is installed and ready to use on Georgia State WordPress websites. Website managers can use Yoast to refine SEO titles and meta descriptions for individual pages.

When writing page titles and descriptions:

• Make the page topic clear

• Use plain language that reflects what users are searching for

• Include Georgia State or the relevant college, school or unit name when helpful

• Avoid keyword stuffing

• Make sure the title and description accurately represent the page content

• Consider whether the page should connect to a broader university-level page

Before making significant changes to titles, descriptions, or keyword strategy for high-priority pages, website managers should consider whether the topic overlaps with university-wide SEO priorities.

Technical SEO Performance

Beyond copywriting, SEO includes technical performance. Search visibility can be affected by page speed, mobile usability, accessibility, indexing, redirects, broken links, structured content, media optimization and site architecture.

Website managers should use available university training and support resources to understand the technical aspects of SEO. For issues that may affect multiple sites or the broader gsu.edu ecosystem, the university may review and guide technical SEO decisions.

Training and Support

Website managers are encouraged to complete available SEO and technical SEO training through LinkedIn Learning, including foundational SEO, WordPress SEO and technical SEO courses.

Members of the Georgia State web community can also join the Website Managers Channel in Microsoft Teams to view upcoming events, receive announcements, ask questions and stay informed about system updates.

Guiding Principle

SEO should serve the user first. The best search experience helps people quickly find the most accurate, authoritative and useful Georgia State content.

Colleges, schools, institutes and units bring essential expertise to that work. The university provides the coordinating structure needed to ensure that the entire web ecosystem works together. When institutional priorities, shared audiences or cross-site search visibility are involved, the university will often take the lead to protect the strength and clarity of Georgia State’s overall digital presence.

Georgia State SEO/GEO Content Standards

1. Write for the user first

Every Georgia State page should help a real audience complete a real task.

Before publishing or updating a page, identify:

• Who the page is for
• What question does the page answer
• What action should the user take next
• What information must be accurate and current
• What office, unit or person owns the content

Avoid writing primarily for internal audiences, org charts or university jargon. Use plain language that reflects how students, families and other users actually search.

Instead of:

Enrollment Services processing timeline and Panther Access to Web eligibility requirements

Use:

How to check your financial aid status

Google’s guidance favors helpful, reliable, people-first content rather than content created mainly to manipulate search rankings.

2. Use clear, descriptive page titles

A page title should explain exactly what the page is about.

Strong titles:

• Use plain language
• Include the main topic
• Match the content on the page
• Avoid vague marketing language
• Make sense when seen out of context in Google or an AI-generated answer

Examples:

For WordPress pages, use the Yoast SEO plugin to review and refine the page title that appears in search results.

3. Write useful meta descriptions

A meta description is the short summary that may appear under a page title in search results. It should help users decide whether the page answers their needs.

A good meta description should:

• Be accurate
• Summarize the page in one or two sentences
• Include the main audience or topic when helpful
• Avoid keyword stuffing
• Include a clear next step when appropriate

Example:

Learn how to apply to Georgia State University as a first-year, transfer, international or graduate student, and find deadlines, requirements and next steps.

Meta descriptions are not a guarantee of what Google will display, but they are still useful because they clarify the page’s purpose and improve the quality of page metadata.

4. Structure pages for scanning and AI comprehension

Most users scan pages before reading closely. AI tools also rely on a clear structure to understand and summarize content.

Use:

• One clear H1 page title
• Logical H2 and H3 section headings
• Short paragraphs
• Bulleted or numbered lists for steps
• Tables when comparing options
• Descriptive link text
• FAQ sections when users have common questions
• Summary sections for long or complex pages

Avoid large blocks of uninterrupted text. A page should be easy to understand even when someone reads only the headings.

GSU’s guidance specifically notes that clear structure helps both users and AI tools parse, summarize and present content accurately.

5. Answer the main question early

For high-value pages, place the most important answer near the top of the page.

Users should not have to scroll through background information before they find:

• Deadlines
• Requirements
• Eligibility rules
• Costs
• Contact information
• Instructions
• Next steps

For GEO, this is especially important. AI tools are more likely to summarize content accurately when the page provides concise, self-contained answers under descriptive headings.

Example structure:

How to Apply as a Transfer Student

Georgia State accepts transfer students who have completed college coursework after high school graduation. Transfer applicants must submit an application, official college transcripts and any additional materials required for their program.

Then continue with sections for requirements, deadlines, documents and next steps.

6. Keep content accurate and current

Outdated content hurts users and damages trust.

Website managers should review important pages regularly, especially pages related to:

• Admissions requirements
• Tuition and fees
• Financial aid
• Academic programs
• Student services
• Safety information
• Policies
• Deadlines
• Events
• Contact information
• Forms and application processes

For pages where freshness matters, include a visible “Last updated” date when possible.

GSU’s guidance emphasizes regular review and updates because outdated content can mislead users and weaken trust; Google also treats crawlability, indexability and content quality as core parts of search performance.

7. Use keywords naturally

Keywords still matter, but keyword stuffing should be avoided.

Use words and phrases that match how users search. For Georgia State, this often means including both official terminology and common user language.

Example:

Official term: Student Financial Services
Common search language: financial aid, tuition, student account, FAFSA, payment deadline

A strong page may naturally include both:

Student Financial Services helps Georgia State students understand financial aid, tuition, billing, FAFSA requirements and payment deadlines.

Do not repeat keywords unnaturally. The goal is clarity, not density.

8. Make links descriptive

Avoid vague link text such as:

• Click here
• Learn more
• Read more
• This page
• Here

Use link text that describes the destination.

Better examples:

• Apply for admission
• View tuition and fees
• Contact Student Financial Services
• Register for orientation
• Review transfer credit requirements

Descriptive links help users, accessibility tools, search engines and AI systems understand relationships between pages.

9. Optimize non-text content

Images, videos, PDFs and embedded media should support the page’s purpose.

For images:

• Use descriptive file names when possible
• Add accurate alt text
• Avoid putting essential information only inside an image
• Compress images for faster load times

For videos:

• Include captions
• Add a short summary near the video
• Provide transcripts when appropriate

For PDFs:

• Use accessible PDFs
• Provide an HTML page when the content is important for search
• Avoid making PDFs the only source for critical information such as requirements, deadlines or instructions

Google notes that text remains the safest way to help Search understand page content, and structured data can provide additional context for eligible content types.

10. Support technical SEO basics

Website managers do not need to be technical SEO experts, but every Georgia State site should maintain a strong technical foundation.

Important technical standards include:

• Mobile-friendly pages
• Fast page load times
• Clean, readable URLs
• Proper heading structure
• Accessible color contrast
• Descriptive metadata
• Working links
• Secure HTTPS pages
• No unnecessary duplicate pages
• No broken forms or missing files

Google’s Search Essentials define the technical and quality basics that make web content eligible to appear and perform in Google Search.

11. Use structured content where appropriate

Structured content helps search engines and AI systems understand entities, relationships and page purpose.

When supported by the website platform, use structured approaches for:

• Events
• News articles
• Academic programs
• Faculty profiles
• FAQs
• Locations
• Contact information
• Breadcrumbs

Google uses structured data to better understand page content and, in some cases, support enhanced search result features.

12. Build authority and trust

Georgia State pages should make it clear that the information is official, current and owned by the appropriate university unit.

Where appropriate, include:

• Office or department name
• Contact information
• Related policies
• Last updated date
• Author or content owner
• Links to relevant official pages
• Clear next steps

For sensitive or high-impact content, such as financial aid, admissions, safety, health, legal, academic policy or student records, accuracy is more important than promotional language.

13. Optimize for AI-generated answers

To improve GEO performance, content should be easy for AI systems to extract and summarize.

Use:

• Plain-language definitions
• Short summaries
• FAQ sections
• Step-by-step instructions
• Clear eligibility requirements
• Tables for comparisons
• Specific dates and deadlines
• Official names of programs, offices and services
• Complete answers that can stand alone

Avoid:

• Unexplained acronyms
• Internal-only language
• Vague page titles
• Important details buried in PDFs
• Pages that require users to click multiple links to assemble one answer
• Outdated or conflicting versions of the same information

Example FAQ format:

When is the application deadline?
The fall application deadline for first-year students is [date]. Students should submit their application and required materials by this date to be considered on time.

How do I check my application status?
Applicants can check their application status through the Georgia State application portal using the login credentials created during the application process.

14. Use Yoast in WordPress

Yoast is installed on Georgia State WordPress websites and should be used to refine search display settings.

Website managers should use Yoast to review:

• SEO title
• Meta description
• Slug
• Readability
• Focus keyphrase, when appropriate
• Social sharing preview, when available

Yoast is a tool, not a strategy. A green score does not guarantee strong search performance. The quality, accuracy, structure and usefulness of the content matter most.

15. Measure and improve

SEO and GEO are ongoing practices.

Website managers should periodically review:

• Top search queries
• Page traffic
• Click-through rates
• Pages with declining visits
• Broken links
• Outdated content
• Pages with high exits
• Search terms users use on the site
• Questions received by email, phone, chat or social media

Use these signals to improve page titles, headings, summaries, FAQs and calls to action.

Required SEO/GEO Checklist Before Publishing

Before publishing a new or revised Georgia State webpage, confirm that:

• The page has a clear audience and purpose.
• The title accurately describes the page.
• The first section answers the user’s main question.
• Headings are descriptive and properly nested.
• The content uses plain language.
• Keywords are used naturally.
• Links are descriptive.
• Images have appropriate alt text.
• Critical information is not confined to a PDF or an image.
• The Yoast title and meta description are complete.
• The page includes a clear next step.
• Contact information is accurate.
• Dates, deadlines and requirements are current.
• The page works on mobile.
• The content owner is known.
• The page has been reviewed for accessibility.
• Review the page to support Georgia State’s broader institutional search strategy, and ensure it does not compete with a more authoritative central university page for the same topic.

Recommended Training

Georgia State website managers are encouraged to complete the following LinkedIn Learning courses using their CampusID:

SEO Foundations on LinkedIn Learning
This course introduces the fundamentals of search engine optimization, including search results pages, keyword attributes, non-text optimization, indexing, long-term content planning, internal links and local SEO.

Technical WordPress SEO on LinkedIn Learning
This course explains how WordPress tools, such as Yoast, support SEO settings and search result display.

Technical SEO on LinkedIn Learning
This course provides a deeper understanding of technical website performance, crawlability, structure and optimization.

View SEO Foundations on LinkedIn Learning (CampusID Required)

Community and Support

Georgia State website managers are part of a larger community working to improve digital experiences across the university.

Join the Website Managers Channel on Microsoft Teams to view upcoming events, receive announcements, ask questions and stay informed about system status updates.

For help with content strategy, SEO/GEO standards, website governance or WordPress best practices, contact the appropriate Georgia State web or digital strategy support team.

Modifying WordPress Page Titles and Descriptions for SEO

Technical SEO Performance