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Question: Why are our websites so successful and popular with students?
Answer: Because we deliver what students want. We target students, we don't target marketers. We publish websites that you would use if you were a student.
June 6th 2007 marks the end of the fifth year of this being the number one website showcasing Australia's higher education sector.
This is the number one internationally ranking website on all major search engines.
Click on the search engine logos to see if it is still number one:
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| Search Engine |
Ranking
(6/6/07) |
 |
1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
But wait, there's more ...
All search terms are not equal. Some search terms are used much more frequently than others and consequently will receive many more hits. In other words, it is best to be number one for a popular search term than for an unpopular one.
That is why we only target the most popular search terms.
It is possible to determine the popularity of search terms by using keyword usage analysis tools such as those provided by Wordtracker and Overture.
The following table shows how many times each day a particular search term was used on selected international search engines according to Wordtracker and Overture:
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Frequency of keywords used for international searches (as at 1/08/05) |
| Search Term |
 |
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| Australian Universities |
102 |
156* |
| Study in Australia |
32 |
41 |
| Study Abroad Australia |
43 |
18 |
| List of Australian Universities |
28 |
-* |
| Universities in Australia |
17 |
-* |
| Note*: Overture combines these terms into the one result of 'Australian University' |
As you can see, the search term 'Australian Universities' is used to search the Internet for information up to three times more often than other search terms relating to this area.
Think about it, ask yourself and your colleagues, if you wanted to find information about studying at American universities would you search for:
a) American Universities,
b) Study in America, or
c) Study Abroad America?
The table above shows us the answer. The majority of users would search for 'American Universities', just as international students wanting to know about Australia's higher education sector are over three times more likely to use the term 'Australian Universities' than other search terms to find the information they require.
That is why we are the number one website showcasing Australia's higher education sector.
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Still want more? ... Research into the Internet search behaviour of students repeatedly shows the importance of web searches in locating information about programs and institutions.
Figure 1: Student Web Searching Behaviour
(SOURCE: Gomes, L. & Murphy, J. (2003), 'An exploratory study of marketing international education online', International Journal of Educational Management, Vol.17, Iss.3.)
You can see from Figure 1 that prospective students are over four times more likely to access information about institutions and programs through web searches than through portals or promos. As the number one website that students find when searching the Internet, we are of course the number one source of information that they use to locate institutions and make decisions about what and where to study. |
So do you want to target international students wanting information about Australia's higher education sector by marketing on the number one website or the number ten website?
And do you want to market your product on a website that targets prospective students, or do you want to market your product on a website that targets you, the marketer?
If you would prefer to target international students where they are (on the number one website), and if you would prefer to reach them by using a service that targets them rather than you, then send us an email at:
... including the words: 'Aus Uni Marketing' in the subject line.
(Please use the email account provided to you by your institution and state your authority to deal with these matters)
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