Off-page optimisation • Ethical link earning for UK schools
Strategies for Building Quality Backlinks: Boosting Your School’s SEO
Published by SEO for Schools • Author: Paul Delaney
Quality backlinks help search engines recognise your site as a trusted resource. For schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs), the highest-value links are editorial citations from reputable local organisations—councils, colleges, clubs, charities, universities and press—that point to useful pages (Admissions, Term Dates, Events, SEND support, Facilities). This guide upgrades basic understanding into a repeatable, policy-safe system you can run each term, with measurement in Google Search Console.
Principles: what “quality” means
Relevance & trust
Links from organisations your families already trust (council, NHS pages, colleges, charities, local news) carry the most weight because they help real users and signal subject and geographic relevance.
Reference: Google — SEO Starter Guide.
Editorial choice
Editors link because your page is the best resource to solve a problem. That’s the core of link “quality”. Avoid manufactured schemes; they risk long-term damage.
Placement & context
Links placed inside a relevant paragraph on an indexable page are more valuable than those hidden in footers or long lists. Descriptive anchor text aids accessibility and clarity.
Framework: Plan → Publish → Promote → Earn → Measure
| Stage | What you do | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Identify audience problems (Admissions, Term dates, SEND, Careers). Choose a hub page to build or improve. | Clear target URL |
| Publish | Create an accessible, up-to-date page with clear CTAs and references to official sources. | Link-worthy asset |
| Promote | Share on social; tag partners; send short pitches to web editors and reporters. | Discovery |
| Earn | Partners and press cite your page in articles and directories. | Quality backlinks |
| Measure | Use Search Console Links + Performance; log new domains; refine content. | Evidence & iteration |
Build link-worthy assets (by audience need)
Evergreen hubs
- Admissions: timelines, criteria, how to apply; cite council & GOV. UK pages.
- Term Dates: current academic year, INSET days; printable view.
- SEND pathways: local NHS and LA services; contacts; parent support.
- Facilities for hire: halls, pitches, rates, safeguarding conditions.
UK content style: GOV. UK content design.
Data & impact pages
- Destinations: apprenticeships, colleges, universities (aggregate, anonymised).
- Community benefit: volunteering hours, charity totals, club participation.
- STEM/careers events: exhibitors, outcomes, resources.
Journalists and councils cite these when your data is clear, sourced and human.
Campaigns that naturally earn links
1) Admissions season
- Publish “How to apply for Year 7 in [Town]” with deadlines and LA links.
- Ask the local authority to list it under family admissions guidance.
- Pitch to local media: “Plain-English guide for parents in [Town]”.
2) Open evenings & tours
- Event hub with dates, schedule, booking CTA; add photos and map.
- Exhibitors and feeder primaries link to the hub in their announcements.
3) Community programmes
- Shared facilities, adult learning, clubs: publish details and safeguarding rules.
- Clubs/charities add your page to “partners” or “where we play” pages.
4) Alumni & destinations
- Quarterly alumni spotlights; LinkedIn shares trigger employer/university links.
- Create an alumni hub with a form and privacy notice.
5) Curriculum projects
- Science fair portfolios, local history work, eco projects: publish galleries with alt text.
- Museums, organisations and local historians may cite them.
6) Sponsorships (properly qualified)
- Support local clubs; request a mention with
rel="sponsored". - Separate editorial coverage (normal links) from sponsorship acknowledgements.
Google — Qualify outbound links.
Outreach playbooks (partners, press, academia)
Partners & directories
| Target | Ask | Anchor & URL |
|---|---|---|
| Local authority family hub | Add your admissions or SEND guide under “Help for families” | Descriptive: “Admissions at [School]” → /admissions/ |
| Feeder primaries | Link to Transition/Year-6 resources | “Transition to [School]” → /admissions/transition/ |
| Colleges/universities | Cite your destinations or careers event | “Careers & destinations at [School]” → /careers/ |
| Clubs/charities | List you as a partner with a short blurb | “Community partnership with [School]” → /community/ |
Local media & education reporters
- Publish on your site first; then email a two-sentence pitch with link, quotes and consent-checked images.
- Offer outcomes/data that matter to families, not generic praise.
- Ask for a link back to the source page for attribution.
Follow UK advertising and privacy rules (ASA/CAP, ICO). References below.
Reclamation: unlinked mentions, image credits, broken links
Unlinked mentions
When your school is named without a link, send a polite note requesting attribution to the most relevant hub (not the homepage). Maintain a simple “mentions” sheet and review monthly.
Image credits
Provide a credit line when sharing photos. If a publisher uses your image without a link, ask for “Credit: [School]” linking to the source article.
Broken link replacement
Search your own site for moved/retired pages; create redirects. If a partner links to an old URL, provide the updated link and request a fix.
Outdated third-party pages
If a council/partner page lists incorrect details, send a concise correction with the canonical URL on your site.
Governance: compliance, safeguarding & risk
| Area | Policy | Owner | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safeguarding | Consent register for images; follow KCSIE; remove data on request | DSL/Comms | Always |
| Advertising claims | Comply with CAP/ASA; avoid misleading comparative claims | Comms/SLT | Per campaign |
| Link ethics | No paid link packages or mass exchanges; sponsorships marked rel="sponsored" | SEO/Comms | Ongoing |
| Privacy | UK GDPR and PECR for analytics/ads; data minimisation and ROPA | DPO | Ongoing |
| Risk | Quarterly link audit; remove spammy entries; disavow only when necessary | SEO | Quarterly |
References: DfE — KCSIE • ICO — UK GDPR overview • ASA/CAP — Advertising Codes • Google — Link spam policies.
Measurement: Search Console & analytics
Search Console
- Links → Top linking sites: monitor new domains after each campaign.
- Links → Top linked pages: identify winning hub types (Admissions, Community, News).
- Performance: track branded impressions/CTR; filter by the linked page.
Guide: GSC Performance report.
Analytics & UTMs
https://www.example.sch.uk/admissions/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=year7-guidehttps://www.example.sch.uk/news/stem-fair/?utm_source=press&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=stem-coverageReport sessions, landing page views (if ads), and outcomes (RSVPs, enquiries, calls). Keep lower-case UTM values and one campaign name per initiative.
UTMs: Google guidance.
Print-screen cards & templates
Quarterly Link Earning Plan (Schools & MATs)
Screenshot or print this card| 1. | Choose two hub pages to improve (Admissions + Community). |
| 2. | Publish updates with clear CTAs and official references. |
| 3. | Share on social; tag LA, feeders, partners, media. |
| 4. | Outreach email to LA family hub and reporter (2 lines + link). |
| 5. | Ask exhibitors/partners to list and link to event page. |
| 6. | Log new links; fix broken partner URLs; request corrections. |
| 7. | Review GSC “Top linking sites/pages”; brief SLT with wins. |
| 8. | Plan next quarter based on gaps (e.g., alumni, facilities). |
Partner/Press Outreach (Short Template)
Screenshot or print this cardSubject: Useful resource for families in [Town] – quick addition?Hi [Name],We’ve published a plain-English guide to [topic] with dates and links toofficial sources. Families in [Town] ask us these questions regularly,so we maintain one page we can keep updated.Guide: https://www.example.sch.uk/[hub]/Would you be happy to add it under [relevant page] for your readers?Happy to provide a quote or image.Thanks,[Your name], [Role], [School]Link Safety Rules (10)
Screenshot or print this card| 1. | No paid link packages or mass swaps. |
| 2. | Use rel="sponsored" for sponsorship-based links. |
| 3. | Use rel="ugc" for forum/user links. |
| 4. | Prefer descriptive anchors that match the page. |
| 5. | Publish on your site first; link back as the canonical source. |
| 6. | Fix partner links that point to old URLs; set redirects. |
| 7. | Quarterly audit in GSC; log new domains and remove spam. |
| 8. | Safeguarding: consent for images; route concerns privately. |
| 9. | Privacy: UK GDPR & PECR for tracking/ads. |
| 10. | Measure outcomes (RSVPs, enquiries), not just link counts. |
FAQs
What counts as a “quality” backlink for a school?
A contextual link from a reputable, relevant site (council, education partners, charities, local news) pointing to a useful page on your site.
Do social media links help rankings?
Social links are usually nofollow/UGC. Their benefit is indirect: they create discovery that leads to editorial links and increased branded searches.
Is it OK to sponsor a club to get a link?
Yes, but mark the link rel="sponsored" per Google’s guidance. Editorial coverage of the partnership can be a normal link.
How many links do we need?
No magic number. Aim for steady acquisition from relevant local and sector sites. Quality and consistency beat volume.
Where should partners link—homepage or a hub?
To the most relevant hub (Admissions, Term Dates, Community, Event page). That helps users and improves relevance signals.
What anchor text should partners use?
Plain English that matches the page: “Admissions at [School]”, “Term dates 2025/26”, “Facilities for hire at [School]”.
Should we use press releases?
Publish an on-site article first. If you send a release, keep it concise and ask outlets to link to your canonical page.
When should we disavow links?
Rarely. Only for persistent toxic domains you cannot remove and that you believe could harm your site. Focus on earning better links.
Do .gov.uk or .ac.uk links rank us higher?
Not automatically. Relevance and trust matter more than domain suffix. That said, council or university citations are often highly trusted.
How do we measure success beyond link numbers?
Track Search Console branded impressions/CTR, new referring domains, UTM sessions to key hubs, and outcomes such as RSVPs, enquiries and calls.
Need practical SEO support?
Speak With Paul Delaney
Paul Delaney helps schools turn complex SEO into simple, effective actions. As a guest writer for SEO for Schools, Paul shares step-by-step playbooks and evidence-based guidance that busy teams can apply immediately. With three decades’ experience working with UK and international institutions, he understands the challenges school teams face and is well positioned to offer support and guidance.
For our readers, Paul offers free 30-minute sessions for institutions exploring how to raise visibility, strengthen brand trust and streamline admissions. Sessions are practical, jargon-free and free from sales pressure. You can contact him using the buttons below—please mention SEOforSchools.co.uk.
