Site Clinic: What International School of Beijing's (ISB's) Website Gets Right (and Where It Can Improve)

Why Analyzing ISB’s Website Matters

When searching for "international school in Beijing," the first organic result on Google (after ads) is the International School of Beijing (isb.cn). That’s a strong position—one that many schools would love to have. But being first doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement.

A website is often the first impression a prospective family or teacher has of a school, and it plays a critical role in both branding and search engine visibility. With that in mind, I took a closer look at ISB’s website from both a UX and SEO perspective to see what they’re doing well—and where they might refine their approach.

The following is a short 10 minutes impression in form of a small site clinic.

First Impressions: Cookies, Popups & Visual Appeal

Right away, two cookie banners appear—one at the top and one at the bottom. That’s overkill. The bottom one, which only has a "Got it" button, could be removed without any real loss of functionality.

Then comes a popup about ISB’s Open House. This kind of overlay is common on international school websites, but it’s not ideal UX. Search engines recognize that intrusive popups can be frustrating, and while this won’t trigger a penalty, it doesn’t help rankings either.

Beyond that, the website makes an impact with a high-quality background video. It’s visually engaging and gives a strong sense of the school environment. However, such videos add significant data load, which could affect page speed. Optimizing for performance while maintaining quality would be worth considering.

SEO Breakdown: What’s Working & What Could Be Better

• Title Tag Optimization: The homepage title highlights Early Years (EY) and IB Diploma, but Google truncates part of the title. Adjusting it for better visibility might be beneficial.
• Ranking Strength: ISB ranks well in Google US, pulling in 1,300 keyword rankings and an estimated 4,300 visitors per month. It also performs decently on Baidu, with 933 monthly visitors from 9 keyword rankings.
• .cn Domain Strategy: The website uses a .cn domain but is entirely in English. There’s no language switch option visible, suggesting an English-only approach. Despite this, the Chinese name in the footer helps with Baidu visibility.
• Keyword Wins & Misses:

A Smarter Content Strategy: Going Beyond Just Schools

One of the smartest things ISB is doing? They aren’t just targeting families actively searching for a school. They’ve taken a broader approach by creating content that appeals to people in the early stages of moving to Beijing.

Take their article on “10 Places to Grocery Shop in Beijing.” It ranks for “grocery shopping in Beijing” and attracts expats planning their move. While these readers might not be looking for a school yet, ISB gets on their radar early. Later, when they do start searching for schools, ISB has already built familiarity—making them more likely to engage, click, or even convert.

This is a textbook example of upper-funnel content marketing, positioning ISB as a helpful resource beyond just education. It also opens the door for remarketing opportunities, if ISB is running such campaigns.

What Could Be Improved?

1. Simplify the cookie consent approach by removing the unnecessary second banner.
2. Reconsider the Open House popup or at least delay it until users engage with the site.
3. Optimize the homepage video to balance quality and loading speed.
4. Refine the homepage title tag to ensure key terms aren’t cut off in search results.
5. Continue expanding upper-funnel content to attract future families early in their decision-making process.

Final Thoughts

ISB’s website is strong, and their top ranking reflects that. But with a few tweaks—streamlining UX elements, refining their content strategy, and optimizing performance—they could further strengthen their online presence.

As international school marketing becomes more competitive, smart SEO and user-friendly design will continue to play a crucial role. ISB is in a great position, and with some refinements, they can ensure they stay there.

Also look at SAS Shanghai American School Mini Site Clinic: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/site-clinic-how-shanghai-american-school-ranks-almost-pentzek-%25E6%25BD%2598%25E6%258B%25A9%25E7%25A7%2591-halmc/?trackingId=TWZeI5zQ4N4em2RYXv4Tnw%3D%3D

and of SIS in Shenzhen: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/site-clinic-how-shanghai-american-school-ranks-almost-pentzek-%25E6%25BD%2598%25E6%258B%25A9%25E7%25A7%2591-iofpc/