Our Story: How SEO Helped Save Our Dance School

Years ago, my wife, Elizabeth—who founded the American Dance Institute in 1985—was ready to walk away. She loved teaching, but the constant technical demands of the digital age were overwhelming to her. I stepped in, rebuilt our online presence, and we began ranking at the top of Google’s "organic search results" (that was all there was then). That was the first critical turning point—when we embraced SEO. It didn’t just grow our school; it transformed our ability to compete. As the Google search engine introduced new features, including the "3-Pack Map Rankings",  "Local GMB," and now "AI search results",  I was forever learning to stay on top. 

Then the  Pandemic hit our school and all of the dance schools around the world.

Before the pandemic, American Dance Institute was thriving. Enrollment had climbed to 1,100 students—the highest in our 40-year history. Our studios buzzed with life: toddlers in pink leotards, teens pushing limits in hip hop, adults rediscovering their love of dance.

Then, overnight, everything changed. The pandemic brought our industry to a standstill. While the national dance community began to rebound, Seattle’s recovery lags. Once fueled by young, confident tech workers from Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, AI-driven layoff fears now clouded our local economy. Families hesitate to commit to anything long-term.

There were moments we weren’t sure we’d make it.
But this was the second critical turning point—when SEO saved us.

Our advanced SEO strategies, honed over more than a decade, kept us visible even when foot traffic disappeared. Ranking #1 in Google for high-intent searches like ballet classes, hip hop classes, toddler dance classes, and adult dance classes brought in a steady trickle of new students. That trickle kept the lights on.

Today, with four locations and six state-of-the-art studios, we’re still rebuilding—but we’re doing it from a position of strength. SEO keeps us competitive, keeps us in front of the families who need us most, and gives us the stability to plan for the future.

And that’s why I help other dance schools do the same.
Because I know from experience: the right online visibility can be the difference between closing your doors and building a future.