Over the past six months, the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) web team has made significant strides in improving the university’s search engine performance. Through a focused and data-driven Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy, the team was able to increase visibility across Google Search, leading to stronger rankings and more opportunities for prospective students and stakeholders to discover UIS online.

The Strategy: A Coordinated SEO Effort

Beginning in mid-October 2025, the UIS web team launched a comprehensive SEO optimization initiative using the Siteimprove tool. This effort focused on several key areas:

• Technical SEO improvements – Enhancing site performance, fixing crawl issues, improving indexing, and ensuring mobile-friendly design.
• Structured data (schema) implementation – Added and refined schema markup across key pages (such as programs, events, and organizational information) to improve how UIS content is understood by search engines and to enhance visibility through rich search results.
• Content optimization – Updating existing pages with clearer keyword targeting, improved metadata, and more user-focused content.
• Site structure enhancements – Improving internal linking and navigation to help both users and search engines better understand the site.
• Broken link remediation – Identified and fixed broken internal and external links to improve user experience, maintain site credibility, and ensure search engines can efficiently crawl and index UIS pages.
• Ongoing monitoring and adjustments – Using tools like Google Search Console to track performance and refine strategy over time.

The Results: Strong Gains in Search Performance

Comparing the period from October 14, 2025 to April 13, 2026 against the previous six months, the impact of these efforts is clear.

📈 Improved Search Rankings

One of the most significant achievements was the improvement in average search position:

• Average position improved from 19.7 to 10.3

This represents a major leap—from the second page of search results closer to the first page, where visibility and click potential are dramatically higher.

👀 Increased Visibility

• Total impressions increased from 46.3 million to 50.4 million

This indicates that UIS pages appeared more frequently in search results, reaching a wider audience across a broader set of queries.

🔍 Stable Engagement with Room to Grow

• Click-through rate (CTR) remained relatively steady (1.3% → 1.2%)
• Total clicks were consistent (610K → 596K)

While clicks remained stable, the increase in impressions paired with improved rankings suggests that UIS is now competing in more—and more competitive—search spaces. This positions the university for continued growth as optimization efforts continue.

What This Means for UIS

The improvement in average position is particularly impactful. Moving closer to page one of search results significantly increases the likelihood that prospective students, parents, and partners will find UIS organically.

Even more importantly, these results demonstrate that:

• The site is being recognized as more relevant and authoritative by search engines, important for SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
• UIS content is reaching new audiences at a larger scale
• The foundation is in place for continued SEO growth and conversion improvements

Looking Ahead

The UIS web team views this as a strong step forward, but not the finish line. Future efforts will focus on:

• Conducting ongoing GEO audits to evaluate how UIS content performs in AI-powered search and generative results, and making adjustments to improve visibility, accuracy, and relevance in these evolving platforms.
• Increasing click-through rates through better titles and meta descriptions
• Expanding high-performing content areas
• Continuing technical enhancements for performance and accessibility
• Leveraging analytics to identify new opportunities for growth

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Conclusion

Through a coordinated and strategic approach to SEO and GEO, the UIS web team has successfully improved the university’s search visibility in just six months. The gains in rankings and impressions highlight the effectiveness of these efforts and set the stage for continued digital growth.

As UIS continues to invest in its web presence, these improvements will play a key role in connecting more people to the university’s programs, resources, and opportunities.