Using SEO to Increase Traffic to Your Skillshare Class

Are you ready to up your SEO game? We’ve got tips to make sure that students from across the internet can find and WATCH your class easily.

When you’re looking to learn something, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re like us, chances are the first place you go is a search engine like Google or Bing. But who decides what those first few links are in the search results? And –– more importantly –– how do you ensure that your Skillshare classes are near the top of those results?

Here are a few easy steps you can take to ensure that your Skillshare class ranks higher in search.

1. Make your title specific and clear

Search engines crawl the internet every day, visiting millions of websites and finding the right content to match to a unique search query. Your class title is the most important part of your page, so you want to make sure that google can identify it properly. Here are the best tricks to follow:

1. Aim for class titles of 65 characters or less. This ensures that search engines scan and represent your full title.
2. Write titles that specifically explain what students will learn, create, or gain. Your goal is to help both students and search engines understand exactly what your class is about. For example, instead of “Hand Lettering,” try “Hand-Lettering Basics with a Brush Pen.”
3. Avoid salesly superlatives (“super,” “best,” “great”) that use up valuable characters but don’t explain what the class is about. Studies also suggest that titles with superlatives are less likely to be clicked by users. When writing your title, instead of “Best Photoshop Class Ever,” try “Photoshop Fundamentals for Marketing Professionals.”
4. Think about keywords that students might be searching for in your topic, and include them in your title. If you want to go even farther, you can research search terms using Google Trends.
5. Aim for titles without punctuation. As a general rule, commas and colons are okay, but question marks and exclamation marks can actually devalue your content in search engines. Instead of “DSLR Creativity! What Do You Want to Create?” try “Getting Creative with Wide-Angle Lenses in DSLR Photography”
6. If you’re teaching multiple classes that relate to one another, consider using a consistent phrase to enhance discoverability within the Skillshare community. For example, teacher Christine Fleming has taught a number of classes under an umbrella name, “Art School Boot Camp: Developing Your Style,” “Art School Bootcamp: Drawing Dynamic Gestures,” and more.

2. Fill out your teacher bio

Be sure to include lots of detail in your teacher bio, including links to your website, portfolio, articles you’ve written, etc. You want to include anything that would communicate to a student that you are going to deliver quality content in your course. Skillshare teacher Christine Flemings’ bio is a great example to work from.

3. Write a detailed class description

The first 1-3 sentences of your class description are what will most likely show up in a Google search or social description, so be sure these accurately represent your class. Consider adding your name, running time, difficulty levels, and key topics so that students immediately know what the class is about. Elena Karp does a great job of this in her class “Classic Roast Chicken: A Recipe for All Seasons.” Her opening sentence is: Join Plated’s Head Chef Elana Karp for a thorough, informative 25-minute class on making the perfect one-pan roast chicken — and customize it to what’s fresh in every season.

4. Promote your class using links

You should link to your class through everywhere you live online. Use your class referral link throughout your social media bios (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), your online shops (Etsy, Big Cartel), and any personal blogs or websites. If you have multiple classes, you can also use your channel referral link, which is found in the referrals section of your profile. The more authentic links you have to your class throughout your online presence, the better you will rank with search engines.

If you have friends who would be willing to link to your Skillshare class, that’s another great way to extend your class’s online presence through links.

6. Encourage students to leave reviews

The more positive reviews, the better on Google search – so take a moment in your class description and at the end of your class to encourage students to leave reviews, comments, and feedback.

For more ways to make the most of your class, be sure to check more Marketing Tips & Merchandising Tips in the teacher resources!