Putting a French Language School on the Map with SEO
Just under a year ago, we implemented an SEO strategy for a French language school that increased organic traffic nearly 5x and got them ranking on the first page of the SERPs.
In this case study, we take a look at how we made it happen.
The Starting Point
French Language Solutions is a Toronto-based language school that offers French lessons for all ages, from complete beginners to advanced learners.
They came to us with a strong website and brand identity. However, this beautiful website was sitting in the abyss of the internet. They had virtually no presence in search engine results, and we saw an opportunity to fix that.
The Goal
The goal was simple: increase organic traffic and keyword rankings for both local and national French language searches.
However, this space is competitive. Search results for French lessons are dominated by language apps, tutoring directories, and large international schools.
Despite offering excellent classes for people of all ages and skill levels, both in-person and online, all taught by native French-speaking professionals, they weren’t showing up against the competition.
In June 2024, their site attracted 300 users organically and ranked 101+ for the majority of relevant keywords. We knew that with the right SEO strategy, we could improve those numbers.
The SEO Strategy
On-Page SEO Audit
We always start our SEO campaigns with an on-page SEO audit. The purpose of this audit is to ensure that all of the existing pages are set up with properly formatted meta descriptions, titles, and URLs. It is also an opportunity to add target keywords. This process provides the site with a stronger SEO foundation to build from moving forward.
Citations
We also typically build citations for our clients on a monthly basis, which helps to strengthen the map pack and search engine results.
Link Building
Building high-quality backlinks is another general focus of our SEO programs. Building backlinks helps to strengthen the site's domain and adds to the authority of the pages we are linking to.
SEO Content Strategy
Service Pages
To rank in search engines for more specific services, we conduct keyword research to identify terms with high search volume, the right intent, and a reasonable level of attainability.
This client offers a wide range of classes, so we wanted to ensure they were targeting the broad base of clients they serve.
For this client, we built out service pages that had related keyword volume for:
| Keyword | Search Volume |
|---|---|
| French Tutoring | 330 |
| Beginner French Classes | 80 |
| French Classes for Adults | 60 |
| French Classes for Kids | 30 |
| Conversational French Classes | 10 |
Location Pages
Once we had a solid amount of service pages built out, we moved on to location pages. These pages are designed to draw organic traffic for location-based keywords.
This client is based in Toronto. However, they also provide their services to the surrounding cities and neighborhoods.
Some of the location pages we built based on our keyword research included:
| Keyword | Search Volume |
|---|---|
| French Classes Toronto | 3,800 |
| French Classes Mississauga | 480 |
| French Classes Bramptoon | 320 |
| French Classes Markham | 50 |
| French Classes Richmond Hill | 30 |
Results
Over the last 9 months of the SEO campaign, we have…
Increased monthly organic traffic from 319 to 1,546 (+385%).
Increased rankings to top 5 for high-volume service & location-related keywords locally & nationally.
Screenshots
Testimonials From The Client.
I highly recommend Salt Water Digital. Dan, Stephen, Taylor, Adam, Jennifer and the entire team are true pros who know what they're doing. They're very responsive and are a pleasure to work with. SEO takes time, don't expect results overnight. We've been with them for about 9 months now, and the organic leads from the local SEO work they've done is really starting to pick up. They also set up an effective Google Ads campaign for us which has performed very well. Our business wouldn't be where it is today without their help. Thank you to the whole team for the great work you've done so far.
I can't recommend Salt Water Digital enough. Dan, Stephen, Taylor, Adam, Jennifer, and the whole team are experts at what they do. They are incredibly responsive and great to collaborate with. Remember, SEO isn't instant, but after about 9 months with them, we're seeing a noticeable increase in organic leads from their local SEO efforts. They also crafted an excellent Google Ads campaign that's been highly successful. Our business has grown significantly thanks to their support. A big thank you to the entire team for their outstanding work!
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