Stories have an extensive history. They’ve been part of human culture ever since the beginning of time. From oral traditions to cave paintings, humankind has always been drawn to a good story - it’s how we learn, how we connect with others, and how we leave behind a lasting legacy. The same idea applies to telling the story of your school.

In today's digital age, storytelling has evolved to encompass a variety of formats and channels, with social media being one of the most effective platforms for educational institutions to showcase their rich history, accomplishments, and the vibrant communities they nurture. Every school has a unique story worth shouting about, and at Interactive Schools it is our purpose to inspire you to tell yours.

Twitter has undergone significant changes since Elon Musk bought the platform for a staggering $44 billion. The little blue bird is no longer, verification is the order of the day, and sadly, Twitter is no longer: so we’re reintroducing X!

Meta has also undergone its fair share of changes, with the introduction of collaborative posts on Instagram and of course, the launch of their direct competitor to X, Threads. Read on for Interactive Schools’ breakdown of these platforms, and our recommendations on how schools can use them.

Most people will have come across a Google review in their lives. They’re written by people to share their experiences with a business and can be used to build credibility. Schools are no exception to this, with reviews often coming up in a prominent location on a search engine results page (SERP) as soon as a school name is searched.

In the last few weeks, Interactive Schools has received an email from Google letting us know that they will be deactivating Universal Analytics (UA) on July 1st 2023 in favour of the newer Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

We’re here to support you every step of the way with transitioning your website to this new version of Google Analytics and answer any questions you may have.

What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has several advantages over the previous Universal Analytics. Google has told us that GA4 is:

• Privacy-focused

• Durable for the future

• Intelligent, using machine learning to discover insights about how customers are using your website across platforms and devices

• Able to seamlessly integrate with Google’s advertising platforms to optimise campaign performance

Which Google Analytics version is installed on my website?

Your website currently uses Universal Analytics. This will stop processing data on July 1st 2023.

What does this mean for me?

With Universal Analytics being deactivated next year, you’ll want to switch over to GA4 as soon as possible. This is because GA4 tracking on your website starts from the day it is installed, and not retroactively.

We would also recommend saving downloads of your data from Universal Analytics so you can retain a copy of it. These will remain accessible.

How do I change over to GA4 on my website?

First of all make sure you are able to access both Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. From here:

Step 1: Google Analytics

1. Login to Google Analytics at analytics.google.com

2. Navigate to the admin area

Have you noticed that unannounced Twitter security updates are causing your account/s to be suspended? This can be very frustrating, especially in a time where communication and community engagement is more important than ever. We have put together steps on how to unlock your suspended Twitter accounts. It may not be initially apparent that your account is suspended, until you try to carry out an action, like following another account, Tweeting, or even accessing your personal information!

…and as always, Interactive Schools is on the ball with bringing you an annual set of exciting challenges to get involved in.

This year, #SocialAdvent has been rebranded! Thank you for all of your lovely feedback over the past few years - it’s great to hear about all of the fun that you have taking part in this annual event. However, we also recognise that 25 challenges requires a lot of attention over a busy period. With that in mind, we are introducing the all new…

… drumroll please ...

Part 1 of our 2-part blog post showed how to spot the differences between the Millennials, Gen Z, and Generation Alpha.

Now, let’s see how one school - Pine Crest, the Pre-K-12th-grade school in Florida - reaches different age groups where they are.

Schools are targeting Millennials and Generation Z more and more. Makes sense, right? They’re parents and older students!

But right behind them is Generation Alpha, born starting in 2010.

This emerging generation will soon outnumber the Baby Boomers. Many of them will live into the 22nd century.

What does this mean for schools?

Well, the Alpha Gen is growing up with smart-everything. So even if these children are not in your marketing sights right now, they can reveal coming trends.

Studies show that new technology is first adopted by the youngest generations. Then, their elders jump aboard.

Teens were the early adopters of photo filters and social media stories. Now adults use both - much to their kids’ occasional embarrassment! Schools do, too, of course, in their digital storytelling.

And, take note: these children already have more influence in the admissions process.

Although the oldest AlphaGener is no older than 11, we can already spot how they differ from their parents and older siblings - the Millennials and Gen Z.

Before schools can engage with the Alpha Gen, we must understand them. And the ways marketing and communications are shifting with their ascendancy.

So, let's spot the differences between these three generations. Then, let's explore ways to attract this fully-digitized generation’s attention.

Finally, we'll see how one school - Pine Crest, the PK-12 day school in Florida - embraces a future-thinking model that creates an atmosphere of innovation in the classroom and in their marketing.

At Interactive Schools we promote telling your #SchoolStories in as many ways as possible, to share both accomplishments and daily life at your school with existing and prospective families. These #SchoolStories can be told in so many different ways: a school podcast, a blog, a video or even just a simple tweet. These awards celebrate this storytelling from schools, and how well they are able to promote their authenticity and school values within them, whilst also sparking an emotional connection.

We received almost 1000 entries from schools across the globe (highlighted below!) so our judging panel had their work cut out. Eventually the winners were decided on, and you can see these award-winning #SchoolStories below!

Changes are coming to the Google Algorithm and Interactive Schools are on hand with a plan to address these! 

We’re also here to offer a brief explanation as to what’s changing and how your website will be impacted. The key areas to be noted are:

Google Badging

Google has stated that by next year, they will introduce a visual indicator to show within search results which pages meet their page experience specifications. These will include Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP) icons as well as slow and mobile-friendly labels. While Google is yet to announce the shape, size, and position of such indicators, there is a good chance that users will choose to view sites with positive icons over others. It’s also a mark of how seriously Google are taking their forthcoming page experience guidelines. 

Mobile-first design

Google will be indexing and grading from mobile sites exclusively. This means website layout should be fairly simple and the site navigation optimized for a mobile user experience. Both of these are features Interactive Schools strives to provide on all client sites.

SEM / Ads

Ads will now appear as a regular search result.

Mixed sentence length

The most effective webpage content will consist of a mix of long sentences and short sentences in text.

Long tail keywords

Search results will focus on a batch of keywords in one sentence rather than a single keyword in order to provide the most relevant information to users. It’s important to remain cautious and not spam keywords as this has the opposite effect and negatively affects SEO.

Consistent publication of engaging content

Google tests new content to see if it responds well to the search intent of the keywords inputted. If the searchers’ behaviour indicates that they’re getting their questions answered through your content, your page will be promoted in the search results list. As a general rule, Google’s AI prizes thought leadership content produced at least twice per week.

Niche expertise

Being a niche expert means having a hub of 10+ authoritative pages revolving around the same “nucleus” keyword. For example, the keyword “crm software” could be the nucleus keyword for a CRM company which has industry landing pages targeting “crm software for small business” “crm software for real estate” and “crm software for manufacturing”; and FAQ landing pages targeting “crm software pricing” “crm software advantages” and “best crm software 2021”. The consistency of the nucleus keyword across the pages of the website creates a kind of magnetism: the site attracts traffic from any Google search containing the nucleus keyword. 

Meta tags

Consistent and relevant keyword batch usage in your title tag should contain relevant multiple keywords. Adjectives around a keyword are important for readability.

YouTube and video

YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine globally. Increasing the quantity of video footage in relation to your school and exposure on the platform is ideal for boosting SEO.

Dwell time

Google also values the amount of time users spend on your pages, prioritising sites with higher usage time in search results. For this reason it’s important to look at increasing the amount of time users spend on your website.