Running a daycare or preschool in Columbus, Ohio? We understand the unique challenges you’re facing around improving student enrollment, signaling trust with parents, and securing top spots in online searches. Whether you’re starting out fresh or trying to destroy nearby competitors, optimizing your approach to marketing, web design, and SEO strategy can make a significant impact online!
Get answers to the four most common marketing questions about daycare and preschool enrollment, SEO, localization, and process below:
Question 1: What’s the Best Way to Get Leads and Improve Enrollment?
If you’re from the area, you know that parents will go out of their way to enroll their children in a school they love. So, let’s break down the most effective marketing strategies to keep the seats filled at your school:
- Referrals Matter – Word-of-mouth marketing is the gold standard and most effective. Make sure your current families have great experiences, and then incentivize them to refer others. Offer discounts or referral bonuses and stay top of mind. You can also gamify by offering a prize for the most likes on a social post or the most referrals. Parents know other parents with similar net wealth and kids of the same age, so tap into their network.
- Be Available and Follow Up – When a parent calls, they expect to talk to someone, and if they don’t get an answer, they will never call you back 85% of the time. Give it your all to pick up the phone. That also means when they reach out through a form, respond ASAP because the odds of getting a hold of them drop drastically after five minutes. Speed is key for leads.
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind – It takes roughly seven touch points before you can get a parent’s attention. Persistence is the key, and how you do it starts with follow-up. Automate a drip email program to nurture your leads. Have sequences that make sense, and while you’re at it, mix in phone calls. You must tell parents, “I’m here,” because you’re fighting for the free time parents have between work and home.
- Quality Control Is a Must – In Columbus’s childcare market, staffing and consistency are ongoing and significant challenges. Retaining administrative staff and great teachers directly impacts your enrollment. Why? Because 1) parents don’t convert if your team isn’t following up, and 2) parents won’t reach out if other parents have bad experiences. You need well-trained staff who will respond to inquiries, send emails, make timely calls, and develop a good reputation within your learning community.
- Meet Parents Where They Are – Columbus is growing fast, and your next student could be just one event away! Attend local events such as the Powell Festival, the Westerville Music & Arts Festival, or community farmers’ markets. These events attract high-intent families and decision-makers. A single enrollment can more than pay for your attendance, especially when you can tap into their network. You can also explore email marketing to reach nearby businesses and promote your school to working parents.
- Use Extra Budget on Advertising – Your competitors are advertising online through Google, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
Question 2: Should I Invest in SEO / AEO and Why?
Absolutely. SEO and AEO are more important than ever for lead generation. You’re not just competing with nearby schools for attendance, you’re also competing for visibility on answer engines (ChatGPT, Copilot, etc):
- Parents Are Always Searching – Did you know that combined, there are over 2,500 searches each month for Columbus daycares, Columbus childcares, and Columbus preschools? Are you getting 1% of that traffic? Parents are in the market, researching which schools are best, what curricula are offered, and what to expect at each stage of childhood development. To capitalize on this, your web presence must offer quality content and provide answers through on-page content, social posts, blogs, FAQs, resource pages, and more.
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the Future – Google and Bing now prioritize direct answers to questions. By creating content that answers what parents are asking, you increase your visibility and become the go-to answer from ChatGPT and similar answer engines. Note that in 2026, roughtly 37% of people start their search using AI, so if you’re not working on appearing there, connect with a marketing agency to get started.
- SEO is Foundational for Answer Engines – Don’t skip SEO for this reason. Ensure you’ve got on-page, off-page, and technical SEO covered.
For help with daycare SEO / AEO, contact us today for a free consultation.
Question 3: How Can I Improve the Local Presence of My Daycare or Preschool?
If you’re not showing up in local search, you’re missing out on dozens of potential leads every week. Here’s how to fix that with Local SEO:
- Google Business Profile (GBP) – If you don’t already have one, stop what you’re doing and set it up. Then have every parent, staff member, and vendor leave a review. Google uses your profile to rank you against competitors in local search, and it is one of the most powerful (and free) tools in your local marketing toolkit. Keep your GBP optimized! And if you haven’t done so already, do the same for Bing Places for Business
- Local Listings Matter – Sites like Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, and other directories are key. Make sure your business is listed consistently with the same name, address, phone number, and URL as your GBP listing.
- Your Website Is Your #1 Sales Tool – Your website should be clean, fast, mobile-friendly, and aligned with your brand. Search engines reward fast local websites and penalize slow ones. A Columbus web design agency can help you get started with a Minimum Viable Website (MVW).
- Content Marketing – Create content targeting keywords such as ‘nearby,’ ‘Columbus,’ and other local terms. When doing so, frame your content around your parents and what they might be searching.
Question 4: When Will I Know My Marketing Job Is Done?
It’s never done, and that’s OK because 1) your competition isn’t sleeping, and 2) your parents’ demographic will change (Boomer, Millennial, Gen-Z).
The key to successful marketing is to iterate and move forward, so at a minimum:
- A/B test your messaging, visuals, and call to action.
- Monitor what marketing channels generate the most conversions.
- Review your website traffic to identify problematic areas and fix them with better web design.
- Keep adapting because once you stop, your competitors can make up ground.
The Bottom Line
Growing enrollment at a Columbus daycare or preschool has always been about building trust, showing up where parents are searching, and staying consistent. When your website is fast and clear, your local SEO is dialed in, and your follow-up process is tight, your business can benefit from marketing.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start filling seats, Uplancer can help! From web design and local SEO to lead generation and automation, we help Columbus daycares and preschools build marketing systems that are easy to manage and work when you’re not. Connect today for your free consultation.
