QEH School, Bristol

Home / Case Study / QEH School, Bristol

How long term digital partnership delivered stronger visibility, higher quality traffic and more engaged prospective families

Background

QEH is one of Bristol’s leading independent day schools, offering a Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form with a strong reputation across the region. For more than three years Lykke Education has worked with QEH with a long term programme of digital support across SEO, PPC and website development. The aim has remained the same throughout: help the school reach more of the target families and strengthen the digital journey that leads to enquiries, visits and applications.

Our work with QEH began with a website rebuild in 2022 and grew into an ongoing strategy for visibility and supporting event promotion. Today the school benefits from improved keyword positions, higher quality organic traffic, stronger engagement rates and highly efficient paid campaigns that support key admissions moments throughout the year.

James Breeze, Director of Marketing and Admissions at QEH, put it simply: “By collaborating with Lykke on our digital approach, we have further optimised how families find and engage with us. The resultant increase in enquiries and event attendance demonstrates the efficacy of this partnership within our wider marketing plan.”

Building a website that supports the full parent journey

The partnership began with the design and development of QEH’s new custom WordPress website. The project focused on user experience, navigation and technical performance. Independent school websites must serve many audiences at the same time. Prospective parents need clarity and confidence, current families need quick access to key information.

Our team rebuilt the entire digital structure to improve speed, search visibility and the usability of each page. The result was a modern, mobile responsive site designed to encourage exploration and reduce friction in high priority journeys such as open day bookings, admissions information and year group pathways.

More than three hundred pages were rebuilt or redesigned, supported by over twenty bespoke templates and a set of engaging visuals and layouts tailored to the identity of QEH. The website continues to support high engagement, lower bounce rates and longer session times. These gains play a vital role in helping both organic and paid campaigns convert more effectively.

James Breeze commented: “Paul’s commitment to understanding our objectives was key to the project’s success. The new website has significantly enhanced the online experience for prospective families and provided a more effective platform for our established community.”

Long term SEO that prioritises quality over volume

Once the new site launched in 2022 we introduced a long term SEO strategy focused on non branded visibility across Bristol and the wider South West. Our approach centred on improving search positions for the terms families use when researching independent education. This included targeted senior, junior and sixth form keywords as well as local intent search terms.

Over the first twelve months QEH appeared in more than fifteen thousand additional searches. Organic sessions increased by a further twenty five percent and the school gained visibility for more than five hundred new non branded keywords. The combination of a technically strong website, well structured content and consistent optimisation created a sustainable foundation for ongoing growth.

Rather than focus on headline position wins alone, we prioritised the quality of visitors reaching the site. Traffic became more relevant, dwell time increased and engagement with admissions focused pages improved. This strengthened every stage of the funnel and continues to support enquiries across Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form entry points.

PPC campaigns that deliver during high pressure admissions periods

Paid media plays a vital role for QEH during peak admissions periods. While SEO builds visibility and trust over time, PPC allows us to target specific audiences with precision at key moments in the cycle.

We have run successful campaigns for multiple open days, taster events and sixth form information evenings. By targeting specific postcode areas, refining audience profiles and aligning messaging to each event, we achieved an average open day sign up cost of twenty pounds per family. These campaigns delivered not only higher attendance but a better match of prospective families to year group availability.

Paid activity also supports top of funnel awareness through year round search campaigns, helping the school appear where competitors may lack visibility. This balanced approach ensures QEH can maintain a strong presence locally while promoting individual admissions events when it matters most.

A collaborative and proactive partnership

A major reason for the success of this long term relationship is the working rhythm between our team and the QEH marketing department. James and Jen play an active role in shaping priorities, reviewing results and planning the next stage of work.

We hold regular review sessions to look at data, refine messaging, assess website behaviour and plan future campaigns. This ensures the work reflects the real world pressures of school admissions rather than a fixed digital plan. It also allows for fast adjustments during competitive periods or when internal priorities shift.

Our approach is supportive, friendly and transparent. We explain decisions, share reasoning and keep all activity measurable so that the admissions team and SLT can understand the value each channel delivers. This keeps everyone confident and aligned with the school’s goals.

Continuous improvement and future plans

Three years into the partnership, QEH is positioned strongly within the Bristol independent schools market. The website is performing well, organic visibility continues to grow and paid campaigns consistently deliver engaged prospective families.

Looking ahead, we will continue to refine year group specific journeys, expand localised content and support the school through key admissions peaks. With demand patterns shifting across the sector, maintaining agility will be essential. QEH’s willingness to innovate and adapt ensures the work remains effective and focused on long term growth.

If your school is facing similar challenges

Whether your goal is stronger visibility, more engaged prospective parents or a more effective website, we can help. Our experience with QEH reflects how long term, collaborative digital work can improve outcomes across admissions, marketing and community engagement.

Get in touch with Lykke Education to explore how we can support your school.

Working with Lykke has improved how families find and engage with us. The uplift in enquiries and event attendance shows how much of a difference the right digital strategy can make

James Breeze, Director of Marketing and Admissions at QEH

By collaborating with Lykke on our digital approach, we have further optimised how families find and engage with us. The resultant increase in enquiries and event attendance demonstrates the efficacy of this partnership within our wider marketing plan.