Increasing organic clicks by 136% while building long-term search authority
St John’s College School is one of Cambridge’s leading independent schools, known for academic excellence and its focus on nurturing confident, curious learners.
The school partnered with Zest Media Group to increase its visibility in search, strengthen its position against competing independent schools in Cambridge and attract more prospective families to key admissions pages.
Alongside a comprehensive SEO strategy, we delivered a targeted digital PR and backlink campaign designed to improve authority, strengthen trust signals and support sustainable organic growth.
1.5 Million
Search Impressions
25 +
High-Quality (DR 70-91) Backlinks Secured
136%
Increase in Organic Clicks
149%
Increase in Search Visibility
Our solution.
Our strategy combined technical SEO, content optimisation and authority building to improve the school’s performance across both branded and non-branded searches.
The SEO campaign focused on helping St John’s College School appear earlier in the admissions journey, particularly when parents were actively researching private and independent schools in Cambridge.
Activity included:
Technical SEO improvements
Keyword research and content optimisation
Landing page enhancements
Competitor analysis
Search visibility monitoring
Ongoing performance reporting
Digital PR and media outreach
Editorial placements
Contextual link building
Internal page targeting
Anchor text diversification
Authority-building content campaigns
As visibility increased, the school began ranking more prominently for valuable searches including private schools in Cambridge, independent school Cambridge and boarding school Cambridge, helping it reach families who may not previously have been aware of the school.
The backlink campaign supported this growth by securing relevant, high-quality links from trusted media, parenting and education publications. Coverage was achieved across national and international media as well as respected education-focused websites, strengthening the school’s backlink profile and wider search authority.
Summary.
Over a 12-month period, St John’s College School achieved substantial growth in organic visibility and search traffic while developing a stronger and more authoritative backlink profile.
By combining technical SEO, targeted content optimisation and strategic digital PR, Zest Media Group helped the school establish a more competitive presence across high-intent education searches, attract more prospective families and create a sustainable foundation for future organic growth.
Let’s work together.
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