Table of Contents

SEO Improvement Guide for Starfish English Fujieda

Created: July 2, 2025
Purpose: Comprehensive guide to improve local SEO, Japanese search optimization, and social media SEO for Starfish English eikaiwa in Fujieda, Japan

Executive Summary

This document provides actionable SEO strategies specifically tailored for Starfish English, an eikaiwa (English conversation school) serving students aged 8 through seniors in Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan. The recommendations focus on Japanese local SEO, social media optimization, and technical improvements to increase visibility for potential students searching for English education services.

Current Site Analysis

Strengths

✅ Bilingual Jekyll site structure (Japanese/English)
✅ Proper hreflang implementation for language alternates
✅ Mobile-responsive design
✅ Local business information (address, phone, hours)
✅ Google Maps integration
✅ Clear age-appropriate course structure (8+ through seniors)
✅ Professional instructor profiles with local experience
✅ 360° virtual classroom tours (unique differentiator)

SEO Gaps Identified

❌ Missing meta descriptions on key pages
❌ No structured data (JSON-LD) markup
❌ Limited Japanese keyword optimization
❌ No Google My Business optimization mentioned
❌ Missing local SEO schema markup
❌ No sitemap.xml referenced
❌ Limited Open Graph social media tags
❌ No robots.txt optimization

Japanese Local SEO Best Practices

1. Keyword Strategy for Japanese Market

Primary Japanese Keywords to Target:

英会話藤枝 (Eikaiwa Fujieda)
英語教室藤枝 (English classroom Fujieda)
英会話スクール静岡 (English conversation school Shizuoka)
大人英会話藤枝 (Adult English conversation Fujieda)
シニア英語旅行 (Senior English travel)
子供英語藤枝 8歳以上 (Children English Fujieda 8 years and up)
ネイティブ英語講師藤枝 (Native English teacher Fujieda)
英検対策藤枝 (Eiken preparation Fujieda)

English Keywords:

English conversation school Fujieda
Eikaiwa Fujieda Shizuoka
Native English teachers Japan
Business English Fujieda
Senior travel English Japan

2. Content Length Requirements

Japanese pages should target 4,000-5,000 characters
English pages should target 1,600-2,000 words
Title tags: 30-40 characters for optimal display
Meta descriptions: 140 characters PC, 80 characters mobile

3. Cultural Considerations

Emphasize trust, credibility, and detailed information
Avoid aggressive CTAs like “Buy Now!”
Focus on “experience,” “trial,” and “consultation”
Highlight teacher credentials and experience in Japan
Include detailed course information and policies## Google My Business Optimization

1. Essential Setup Requirements

Verify Business Address: Ensure 5-1-53 Oosu, Fujieda is verified
Complete All Sections: Business hours, services, contact information
Category Selection: Choose “English Language School” as primary
Secondary Categories: “Educational Service,” “Language School,” “Tutoring Service”

2. Optimization Strategies

Regular Posts: Weekly updates about classes, student success stories
High-Quality Photos: Classroom, teachers, student activities (with permission)
Customer Reviews: Encourage satisfied students to leave reviews
Q&A Section: Proactively answer common questions
Service Descriptions: Detail each course type and age group

3. Japanese-Specific GMB Features

Japanese Business Description: Include key services in Japanese
Local Attributes: Emphasize small class sizes, native teachers
Accessibility Information: Mention classroom is on ground floor

Social Media SEO Strategy

1. Platform Priorities for Japan

Instagram (Primary Focus – 66M Japanese users)

Content Strategy: Behind-the-scenes classroom moments, student progress
Hashtag Strategy:
- Japanese: #藤枝英会話 #静岡英語教室 #大人英語 #シニア英語
- English: #FujiedaEnglish #EikaiwaJapan #EnglishConversation #ShizuokaEnglish
Story Features: Daily classroom activities, pronunciation tips
Age-Appropriate Content: Separate highlights for different age groups

Facebook (Business Focus – 15M Japanese users)

Professional Content: Teacher qualifications, course announcements
Event Promotion: Open houses, trial lesson schedules
Educational Posts: English tips, cultural insights
Community Building: Student testimonials, achievement celebrations

LINE Business (97M Japanese users)

Consider LINE Official Account: For direct communication with students/parents
Rich Messages: Course schedules, holiday notices
Automated Responses: FAQ answers in Japanese

2. Content Calendar Strategy

Monday: Motivation Monday – Student success stories
Tuesday: Teaching Tips – Short English lessons
Wednesday: Classroom Wednesday – Behind-the-scenes content
Thursday: Teacher Thursday – Instructor spotlights
Friday: Fun Friday – Interactive English games/quizzes
Saturday: Student Saturday – Showcase student achievements
Sunday: Cultural Sunday – Japanese-English cultural insights

Technical SEO Improvements

1. Meta Tags Enhancement

Current Head Structure Enhancement Needed:

<!-- Add to _includes/head.html -->
<meta name="description" content="{{ page.excerpt | default: page.description | default: site.description | strip_html | strip_newlines | truncate: 160 }}">
<meta name="keywords" content="{{ page.keywords | default: site.keywords }}">

<!-- Open Graph for Social Media -->
<meta property="og:title" content="{{ page.title | default: site.title }}">
<meta property="og:description" content="{{ page.excerpt | default: page.description | default: site.description | strip_html | strip_newlines | truncate: 160 }}">
<meta property="og:image" content="{{ page.image | default: '/assets/images/starfish-english-social-share.jpg' | absolute_url }}">
<meta property="og:url" content="{{ page.url | absolute_url }}">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Starfish English Fujieda">

<!-- Twitter Cards -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@StarfishFujieda">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="{{ page.title | default: site.title }}">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="{{ page.excerpt | default: page.description | default: site.description | strip_html | strip_newlines | truncate: 160 }}">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="{{ page.image | default: '/assets/images/starfish-english-social-share.jpg' | absolute_url }}">

2. Structured Data Implementation

Local Business Schema (Priority 1):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
  "name": "Starfish English",
  "alternateName": "スターフィッシュ英会話",
  "description": "English conversation school in Fujieda serving students aged 8 through seniors",
  "url": "https://eikaiwa.test",
  "telephone": "+81-80-5458-8832",
  "email": "starfishfujieda@gmail.com",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "5-1-53 Oosu",
    "addressLocality": "Fujieda",
    "addressRegion": "Shizuoka",
    "postalCode": "426-0051",
    "addressCountry": "JP"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": "34.826722",
    "longitude": "138.254634"
  },
  "openingHours": "Tu-Sa 09:00-17:00",
  "serviceArea": {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Fujieda"
  },
  "offers": [
    {
      "@type": "Offer",
      "name": "Free Trial Lesson",
      "description": "30-45 minute personalized English lesson",
      "price": "0",
      "priceCurrency": "JPY"
    }
  ]
}

Course Schema for Each Course Page:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Course",
  "name": "Senior Travel English Course",
  "description": "Specialized English course for travelers aged 60+",
  "provider": {
    "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
    "name": "Starfish English",
    "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "addressLocality": "Fujieda",
      "addressCountry": "JP"
    }
  },
  "courseMode": "In-person",
  "educationalLevel": "Beginner to Intermediate",
  "audience": {
    "@type": "EducationalAudience",
    "audienceType": "Adult learners aged 60+"
  }
}

3. Site Architecture Improvements

Create Missing SEO Files:

robots.txt:

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /_site/
Disallow: /assets/js/
Sitemap: https://eikaiwa.test/sitemap.xml

sitemap.xml Generation:

Add Jekyll sitemap plugin to _config.yml
Include all language variants
Priority settings: homepage (1.0), course pages (0.8), blog posts (0.6)## Content Optimization Recommendations

1. Page-Specific SEO Improvements

Homepage (ja/index.markdown & en/index.markdown):

Add meta description: “藤枝市の英会話学校スターフィッシュ英語。8歳からシニアまで、ネイティブ講師による少人数制レッスン。無料体験実施中。”
Add keywords: “英会話藤枝, 英語教室静岡, ネイティブ講師, 大人英語, シニア英語”
H1 optimization: Include target keywords naturally
Content length: Expand Japanese content to 4,000+ characters

About Page:

Add instructor schema markup for Richard and Terrie
Include experience keywords: “35年日本在住”, “アメリカ出身”, “日本語堪能”
Add local connection: “藤枝在住”, “静岡県での指導経験”

Course Pages (Need Individual Pages):

Create separate pages for each course with detailed descriptions
Include age-specific keywords and content
Add FAQ sections for each course type
Include pricing information (even if consultation-based)

2. Blog Content Strategy

Weekly Blog Topics:

Monday: 英語学習のコツ (English Learning Tips)
Wednesday: 文化の違い (Cultural Differences)
Friday: 生徒の成功事例 (Student Success Stories)

Evergreen Content to Create:

“藤枝で英会話学校を選ぶ5つのポイント”
“8歳から始める英語学習のメリット”
“シニア世代の英語学習のコツ”
“英検対策の効果的な勉強法”
“ビジネス英語でよく使う表現50選”

3. Local SEO Content

Location-Specific Pages:

“藤枝市の英会話教室比較”
“静岡県で英語を学ぶメリット”
“藤枝駅からのアクセス方法”

Age-Specific Landing Pages:

“8歳からの英語教育 in 藤枝”
“中学生の英語対策藤枝”
“大人の英語学習藤枝”
“60歳からの旅行英語静岡”

Competitor Analysis & Positioning

1. Competitive Advantages to Emphasize

Unique Selling Points:

35年の日本経験: Longer than most competitors
8歳から高齢者まで: Widest age range accommodation
少人数制: Personal attention emphasis
360°教室ツアー: Unique transparency feature
Native + Bilingual: Best of both worlds

2. Keyword Gap Analysis

Underutilized Keywords to Target:

“英会話藤枝市” (location-specific)
“ネイティブ講師静岡” (feature-specific)
“大人英語初心者” (demographic + level)
“英語 60歳から” (senior-specific)
“英検準2級対策藤枝” (exam-specific)

Technical Implementation Timeline

Phase 1 (Week 1-2): Foundation

Add meta descriptions to all existing pages
Implement basic Open Graph tags
Create robots.txt and submit sitemap
Set up Google Analytics 4 and Search Console
Claim and optimize Google My Business

Phase 2 (Week 3-4): Content Enhancement

Add structured data to homepage and about page
Create individual course pages with detailed content
Optimize images with alt text and local keywords
Implement breadcrumb navigation
Add FAQ schema to common questions

Phase 3 (Week 5-6): Advanced Features

Add review schema for testimonials
Implement local business schema
Create location-specific content
Set up social media profiles and optimize
Begin regular content publishing

Phase 4 (Week 7-8): Monitoring & Optimization

Monitor search rankings for target keywords
Analyze user behavior through Analytics
Optimize based on performance data
A/B test meta descriptions and titles
Collect and respond to reviews

Measurement & KPIs

1. Search Performance Metrics

Organic traffic growth: Target 30% increase in 3 months
Local search visibility: Track “English school Fujieda” rankings
Japanese keyword rankings: Monitor top 10 target keywords
Click-through rates: Improve meta descriptions for 2%+ CTR
Core Web Vitals: Maintain green scores

2. Local SEO Metrics

Google My Business views: Track monthly profile visits
Direction requests: Monitor location engagement
Phone calls from GMB: Track conversion actions
Review ratings: Maintain 4.5+ star average
Photo engagement: Monitor classroom virtual tour views

3. Social Media Metrics

Instagram engagement rate: Target 5%+ engagement
Follower growth: 20% quarterly increase
Hashtag performance: Track branded hashtag usage
Story completion rates: Monitor educational content
Profile visits from social: Track referral traffic

Budget Considerations

1. Free Optimizations (Immediate Implementation)

Meta tag improvements
Google My Business setup
Basic structured data
Social media profile optimization
Content optimization

2. Low-Cost Tools ($10-50/month)

Ubersuggest or SEMrush: Keyword research and tracking
Canva Pro: Social media content creation
Buffer or Later: Social media scheduling
Google Workspace: Professional email and drive

3. Optional Premium Features ($100+/month)

Professional photography for GMB and social media
Paid social media advertising for trial lesson promotion
Premium SEO tools (Ahrefs, Moz)
Professional content creation services## Next Steps & Action Items

Immediate Actions (This Week)

Set up Google My Business if not already done
Add meta descriptions to all existing pages
Implement basic Open Graph tags in head.html
Create and submit sitemap to Google Search Console
Audit current Google Analytics setup

Short-term Goals (Next Month)

Create individual course pages with detailed content
Add structured data markup for local business
Optimize for top 5 Japanese keywords
Set up social media profiles on Instagram and Facebook
Begin weekly blog content creation

Long-term Strategy (3-6 Months)

Build local authority through community engagement
Expand content library with age-specific resources
Develop video content for social media
Partner with local schools for referral opportunities
Track and optimize based on performance data

Follow-Up Questions Needed

To complete the most effective SEO strategy for Starfish English, please provide the following information:

1. Business Details

Current Google My Business status: Do you have a claimed GMB listing?
Google Analytics setup: Is GA4 currently installed and configured?
Current website URL: What is the live production URL?
Social media presence: Do you have existing Instagram/Facebook accounts?

2. Competitive Intelligence

Main competitors: Who are your top 3 local English school competitors?
Unique advantages: What makes Starfish English different from others in Fujieda?
Student feedback: What do current students most appreciate about your school?

3. Content & Marketing

Photography assets: Do you have professional photos of the classroom and teachers?
Student testimonials: Can you share specific student success stories for content?
Marketing budget: What is your monthly budget for SEO and social media tools?
Content creation capacity: How much time can you dedicate to weekly content creation?

4. Technical Considerations

Website hosting: Who hosts your current site and do you have admin access?
Development resources: Do you have technical support for implementing changes?
Analytics access: Do you have access to Google Search Console and Analytics?

5. Goals & Priorities

Primary goal: Is it more students, specific age groups, or brand awareness?
Geographic reach: Do you want to attract students from beyond Fujieda?
Timeline: What’s your target timeline for seeing SEO improvements?
Success metrics: How do you currently measure marketing success?

Recommended Tools & Resources

1. Free SEO Tools

Google Search Console: Track search performance and indexing
Google Analytics 4: Monitor website traffic and user behavior
Google My Business: Manage local business presence
Google Keyword Planner: Research Japanese and English keywords
Ubersuggest (Free): Basic keyword research and site audit

2. Content Creation Tools

Canva: Social media graphics and promotional materials
Google Docs/Sheets: Content planning and keyword tracking
GIMP or Canva: Image editing and optimization
YouTube Creator Studio: If you decide to create video content

3. Social Media Management

Meta Business Suite: Manage Instagram and Facebook from one dashboard
Later or Buffer (Free plans): Schedule social media posts
Instagram Creator Studio: Analytics and content planning
LINE Official Account: Direct communication with Japanese students

4. Monitoring & Analytics

Google Alerts: Monitor mentions of your school online
Social media native analytics: Track engagement and growth
Manual search ranking checks: Monitor keyword positions
Review monitoring: Keep track of new reviews across platforms

Conclusion

This comprehensive SEO improvement guide provides a roadmap for significantly enhancing Starfish English’s online visibility in the competitive Fujieda English education market. By implementing these Japanese-specific local SEO strategies, optimizing for social media discovery, and focusing on the unique 8-to-seniors age range, the school can establish itself as the premier English education choice in the region.

The key to success lies in consistent implementation, cultural sensitivity in content creation, and leveraging the school’s unique advantages—particularly the instructors’ 35+ years of Japan experience and the innovative 360° classroom tours.

Success metrics should be monitored monthly, with adjustments made based on performance data and changing search patterns in the Japanese market. The combination of strong local SEO, engaging social media presence, and valuable educational content will drive qualified leads and support the school’s growth objectives.

Remember: SEO is a long-term investment. Expect to see initial improvements in 2-3 months, with significant results typically visible within 6-12 months of consistent implementation.

This guide was created specifically for Starfish English Fujieda based on current Japanese SEO best practices and local market research. For questions about implementation or updates to this strategy, please refer to the follow-up questions section above.

SEO Improvement Guide