Technical SEO for Schools
The Impact of Mobile Optimisation on SEO: A Detailed Guide for Schools
Published by SEO for Schools • Author: Paul Delaney
Most parents discover and research schools on a phone. Google uses mobile rendering for indexing and evaluates page experience signals like Core Web Vitals. This guide turns mobile SEO into a repeatable school workflow: audit, fix, measure and govern—without compromising safeguarding or accessibility.
Why mobile matters for school SEO
- Mobile-first indexing: Google primarily uses the mobile version of content to index and rank pages.
- Parent experience: Clear navigation, quick load, and readable content reduce calls to the office and increase enquiries/tour bookings.
- Ranking & visibility: Good mobile UX aligns with Google’s page experience guidance and Core Web Vitals thresholds.
Read more: Google’s pages on mobile-first indexing and page experience.
Core Web Vitals for schools (mobile thresholds)
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Measures how quickly the main content renders. Aim for ≤ 2.5s (Good) on mobile. Common school bottlenecks: hero images, carousels, large PDFs linked from home.
- Optimise hero images (
srcset,sizes,width/heightattributes, modern formats like AVIF/WebP). - Use server-side caching/CDN; reduce TTFB.
- Preload the LCP resource.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Visual stability. Aim for ≤ 0.10 (Good). Fix jumpy headers, cookie banners and timetable widgets.
- Always set
width&height(or aspect-ratio) on images/iframes. - Reserve space for banners; avoid injecting content above existing content.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
Overall responsiveness. Aim for ≤ 200ms (Good). Typical issues: bloated JS, heavy calendars, large menus.
- Defer non-critical scripts; remove unused libraries.
- Break up long tasks; hydrate components lazily.
Reference material: LCP, CLS, INP on web.dev.
Mobile SEO audit checklist (60–90 minutes)
- Confirm mobile-first indexing is enabled and crawlable:
- Check Search Console > Settings > Indexing crawler (Google smartphone).
- Verify robots.txt and mobile parity (same primary content, structured data, hreflang, meta robots).
- Run PageSpeed Insights for key pages (Home, Admissions, Term Dates, News, Policies). Record mobile scores and CWV field data.
Tool: PageSpeed Insights - Check Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console (mobile).
Docs: Core Web Vitals report - Viewport & typography:
- Ensure a responsive meta tag:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> - Base font size ≥ 16px; line height ~1.5–1.7; avoid justified text.
- Tap targets ≥ 44×44 CSS px; adequate spacing around links.
- Ensure a responsive meta tag:
- Navigation & media:
- Test mobile menus, search, and sticky headers for accessibility (keyboard focus, ARIA labels).
- Replace large image carousels with static hero or light carousel with lazy-load.
- Use responsive images (
srcset/sizes), lazy-load below the fold (loading="lazy").
- Reduce JavaScript:
- Remove unused theme plugins (sliders, counters, megamenus) that block interaction.
- Defer third-party scripts (analytics, video embeds) and use
async/defer.
- Files & downloads:
- Replace heavy PDFs with HTML pages for policies and menus where practical.
- If PDFs remain, compress and link with size (e.g., “(PDF, 1.2MB)”).
Mobile implementation playbook (what to change)
Images & media
- Serve next-gen formats (WebP/AVIF) with fallbacks.
- Add
width/heightto all images to prevent CLS. - Inline critical hero CSS; lazy-load non-critical images/iframes.
CSS & layout
- Minify CSS; reduce large frameworks; avoid blocking imports.
- Use system fonts or a slim font subset; preload key font files and set
font-display: swap.
JavaScript & interaction
- Code-split large bundles; defer hydration for below-fold components.
- Break long tasks; schedule work with
requestIdleCallback. - Use passive event listeners for scroll/touch.
Server & delivery
- Use HTTP/2 or HTTP/3; enable compression (Brotli/Gzip).
- Cache HTML and static assets via CDN; set sensible TTLs.
- Prioritise critical resources via
<link rel="preload">.
Content & UX for small screens
- Write short intros (2–3 lines), scannable headings, and use lists for key facts (term dates, uniform, lunch menus).
- Put primary actions first: Report a safeguarding concern, Contact, Absence, Admissions.
- Use accessible colour contrast; ensure focus styles are visible.
When publishing pupil images, follow data protection rules and local safeguarding policy; see ICO guidance on photos in schools.
Governance: roles, SLAs & change control
| Area | Owner | SLA/Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PageSpeed/CrUX checks | Comms/IT | Monthly | Track LCP/CLS/INP for top 20 pages |
| Image & PDF hygiene | Editor | On publish | Use responsive images; minimise PDFs |
| Theme/plugin review | IT | Termly | Remove unused JS-heavy add-ons |
| Accessibility spot-check | SEND/Comms | Termly | Captions, alt text, keyboard nav |
Measurement & KPIs (mobile)
- LCP (mobile): % of pageviews ≤ 2.5s (Good).
- CLS (mobile): % ≤ 0.10 (Good).
- INP (mobile): % ≤ 200ms (Good).
- Time to first interaction: menu/search responsiveness on key pages.
- Admissions funnel: mobile traffic → prospectus views → enquiry/tour bookings.
Use PageSpeed Insights (field + lab data) and Chrome UX Report (CrUX) for real-user data.
Copy & code templates
Responsive image (hero)
<link rel="preload" as="image" href="/images/hero-1024.avif" imagesrcset="/images/hero-768.avif 768w, /images/hero-1024.avif 1024w, /images/hero-1600.avif 1600w" imagesizes="(max-width: 768px) 90vw, 1000px"><img src="/images/hero-1024.avif" srcset="/images/hero-768.avif 768w, /images/hero-1024.avif 1024w, /images/hero-1600.avif 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 90vw, 1000px" width="1000" height="580" alt="Pupils reading in the school library" loading="eager" decoding="async">Defer non-critical JS
<script src="/assets/js/gallery.js" defer></script><script src="https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api" async></script>Accessible, mobile-friendly viewport
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">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.
