Getting on google

[klc106]

Hi all

We are finding it difficult to get children into our setting at the moment. We are facing closure in July due to only having 5 children on roll for September! All of our parents are very supportive and do not want us to have to close

Well, one parent who is helping us with advertising decided to search on google for preschools in the area and noticed that our setting does not appear anywhere in the searches! We have registered with yell.com, netmums, Thompson local, Leicester mercury, google itself and others too. We believe this may be one of the reasons we have had no interest as all the other local settings come up on google searches.

Does anyone know how we can get our setting to appear on google when people type in 'preschools in ...'

Thanks in advance :1b

[finleysmaid]

i seem to remember that i signed in and set up our details....but they may have come from the family information service (i assume you are listed on your local site??)

I tend to find local advertising in doctors surgeries schools childrens centres (if you have any) handing out flyers in the street (!) accosting small children...urm i mean mothers with small children! supermarkets and libraries all work quite well.

[Panders]

Sorry klc106, I have no idea, but we are doing slow business too for September, so I just googled us, and we do appear and have absolutely no idea how we got there!! That being said, it could do with more information about us than has been published.

We have thought that 2011 was a year when the birth rate dropped due to the recession hitting, or a few 2 year olds are going off for the free for two offers at other nurseries in the area.

[louby loo]

Well I googled us, and we came up 4th after another preschool with same name but with website (we haven't one)

'Find my school' - Haven't a clue how the info got there as it appears to be the intro from our last osted?

[klc106]

Thanks all, its seems a bit of a mystery then haha. We have registered with google and yes we are on the family information service for our area. Will keep trying to find out, let you know if I do :1b

[Guest]

Do you have a web site? My other half said its to do with key words Google pick up when people search and these words need to be on ( hidden on your web site) not very sure to be honest but he built my web site and we come up straight after the sponsored adds.

[klc106]

Yes we have a website but only a free one through weebly. Would it make a difference because its a free one?

[finleysmaid]

Yes we have a website but only a free one through weebly. Would it make a difference because its a free one?

no ...we dont have a website! but when i changed something on google i had a phone call 2 days later (wrong map directions)

[hopeytg]

We were told it depends how often the website is 'used', we do a daily blog, one because it is easier than writing in 40 home diaries and two because it means the website is activated daily. Google search we always come up first, on the downside we do get a fair few calls for another preschool with the same name but based in Sussex!

[Melba]

Hubby says you can 'submit yourself' to Google.

Find this by Googling 'submit to Google'

[Mouseketeer]

How many of us have now checked ;p

 

If I put in our name our website comes up first, but it isn't updated for months at a time, then about 5 sites that we are (somehow) listed on, interesting though

[klc106]

Thanks all

[Foreveryoung]

Our search always brings us quite at the top in results for our facebook page as we have lots of likes on the page, our website I set up and it's one of the free ones. When setting it up I put in various key words which would result in us being found, also every so often I ask all the board and staff to search our pre school name in general Google search as the more hits it gets the, higher up the stakes we get.

Also registered with everything else.

Good luck with everything, I'm sure you've already done leafleting at local primary schools, have you asked if you can do a table at parents evenings at the local schools as a way of being a face not just a leaflet? Health visitors invite your local ones in to see the setting, tell them your experience with various childrens needs give them leaflets too, they are the ones that see the children and know if they are in care/coming up to needing care. Fingers crossed for you x

[MarshaD]

I opened with five children last September and after what seems like an eternity numbers have picked up. I am now pulling the stops out to try and stop the same thing happening again this year. My local surgeries, health clinics etc unhelpfully won't take leaflets so that didn't help for me. I spent a fortune on advertising and although they mention you in twitter feeds etc - only seems to have got me people enquiring for jobs! A friend of mine has recommended a leaflet drop so planning to try this as it will cost a lot less than what I have spent on mags etc.

 

The best drivers seem to be the website, FB, Netmums (I try and stick something on the noticeboard about once a month) and good old word of mouth mainly via the Church where we are based and a local school both with which I've got good links. I've done a fair bit of work on the website and now come up on the first page of Google when searching preschools in our area. If you've submitted to Google you can also set up a Google plus page (a bit like Facebook) as I believe that counts as does keeping content regularly updated. I post to ours at least once a week. Also as someone has said get friends and family to click on it and share on their FB.

 

Do you take funded two year olds? This made a huge difference to us and if your FIS know you are willing to place people they will steer them towards you. In any case be sure to remind your FIS that you have spaces.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Inge]

just to add to this I believe there are changes to Google Search coming into effect on 21st April mean that websites not optimised for mobile devices (or 'responsive') will appear lower on google results pages; making it much harder for those businesses to be easily found online.

Found this guide/ information..

 

all a bit over my head really, but maybe it will affect some of you with web sites etc.

We did find that you need to put in a lot of key words to be found on a search and that the more hits you have the higher it gets in the searches..

but best adverts were all word of mouth, leaflets/ flyers and stalls at local school fêtes.. set up a simple game, get yourself seen and lots of information for parents..

[lashes2508]

If you advertise on net mums , get your parents to leave feedback .

Encourage parents to keep hitting and searching your website , the more hits the better .

 

Use your local children's centre if you have one .

 

How about some publicity by staging an open day or such like , an event where children and families can come for an activity day.

 

Ask some local businesses to support you with costs ,

Do you have a mother and toddler group , we get lots of children via this.

[thumperrabbit]

We wouldn't survive if it wasn't for our Mother & Toddler group - in fact pre-school doesn't open everyday so we can run one

[louby loo]

One of the things that seems to work well for us - is simply being seen 'out and about' with the children :1b

Costs nothing, just need to make sure all staff have our contact details to give out if asked.

This usually happens on a visit to the local park playground, and we have the chance for an informal chat with the parents whilst the children are playing. I think this works well as the parents can see how we interact with our children, how we ensure their safety when out etc. Also I think this works really well with first time parents that my feel awkward with that first initial visit- as they sort of know us already.

[klc106]

Thanks all. We have just ordered more signs to put up around the local area. We are a village has a woods at the bottom so no passing trade so we are working on using main roads. We are also planning a fun day in June which we plan to put big posters etc up of things we do, parents comments and sample uniforms. We have recently put up posters in local shops and On notice boards. Fingers crossed

Edited April 12, 2015 by klc106

[apple]

Have you considered a banner to put up on railings nearby in the village or nearest town? Banners are fairly inexpensive, durable and can be used year after year if you get your wording right. You can also include a QR code on these or any publicity that you produce (these are the little bar like codes that you can scan with your mobile and takes your straight to your website). Really simple to set up too.