Giles Foreman Centre for Acting · London & Paris

Month one

In brief.

The short version of the first of three months' work on both websites: each site's first numbers, what was done, and what comes next, in six pages.

Read the full report 17 pages, with the detail behind every figure

A report for Giles Foreman by Calum McKay · 27 August – 23 September 2026

Two GFCA actors rehearsing a scene in warm studio light

In rehearsal at GFCA.

I · At a glance

London & Paris

The groundwork is done.Now the numbers can mean something.

Month one switched on the measurement, repaired what the move from the old websites broke, and renamed every page for the people searching.

London
26

people registered interest in a course

London
3

applied through the website

Paris
9

people wrote to GFCA Paris

Paris
21+

people completed an application

A baseline, not a result. These count everyone who got in touch, however they found GFCA. They are the starting line that later months are measured against.

Done

  • Measurement switched on for both sites and the Paris enrolment site
  • 26 old addresses signposted to the right pages
  • All 14 pages given a clear name and description in Google
  • Every photo described, and both broken links repaired

Learned

  • Paris is on Google's first page for 9 course searches, such as "acting school paris"
  • London is found mostly by people who already know its name
  • About half of visitors decline cookies, so enquiries are now counted straight from the forms

Next

  • New pages for what people search: the method, international students, alumni successes
  • GFCA's Google Maps listings, once the sign-in is done
  • The Paris diploma page into Google, with its start date

Enquiries from each site's own form records, 30 Aug – 23 Sep. Paris applications from Analytics, which only sees people who accept cookies, so the true number is higher.

02

III · What comes next

October and November

Months two and three.What goes on stage, and when.

New pages for what future students search, GFCA's Google Maps listings, and the Paris diploma page into Google. New wording comes to you before anything goes live.

October

Month two
  • The diploma page into Googlestart date and summary added, then Google asked
    Paris
  • A new page on the methodYat Malmgren, Christopher Fettes, Drama Centre
    Paris
  • The homepage opening rewrittenfor people searching "acting school Paris"
    Paris
  • The part-time page rewrittenfor adults looking for evening classes
    London
  • Google Maps listings completedfor both studios, once the sign-in is done
    Both

AlsoBing for both sites · two Paris pages back to one main heading · the diploma shortcut made permanent · London's page list re-sent to Google

November

Month three
  • A new page for international studentsfees, scholarships and visas, in one place
    London
  • Alumni successes, on their own pagethe old alumni page still ranks near the top
    London
  • Links between the course pagesso visitors and Google move from one to the next
    Both
  • Course details in Google's formatlength, fees and how to apply, shown in results
    Both
  • French pages Google can findif you want them: your call first (page 6)
    Paris

Alsoa speed check of every page · directory listings matched to Google Maps · London's school details, if its plan allows

The review

End of November

A review together: what moved, what it brought in, and what is worth doing next.

A theatre spotlight on a bar, its beam falling to the stage

Four steps first planned for month one (Bing, a speed check, links between the course pages and course details) were rescheduled here while month one went to measurement and the fixes the audit turned up. Order may shift as the numbers come in.

05

III · What comes next

What's needed from you

What's needed from you.Two things first; the rest over the next two months.

First, please

  1. A ten-minute call to sign in to Google

    The Google Maps listings for both studios need a code sent to GFCA's phone. Everything else about them is ready to start.

  2. The next start date for the Paris diploma

    The page already has the fees and an FAQ. The start date is the one thing people look for that it doesn't say, and it is holding up the page's way into Google.

Over the next two months

  1. Your sign-off on new wording

    Drafts of the method page, the Paris homepage opening and the London part-time page arrive in early October.

  2. The older Search Console account

    If there is one, perhaps set up by a previous web designer. It would show how the sites did before August.

  3. Which year GFCA was founded

    The London site says 2012 and the Paris site 2015. Google notices when facts disagree.

  4. Your OK for "How did you hear about us?"

    One question on the enquiry forms shows where every enquiry came from, without cookies.

  5. A word with the gilesforeman.fr developer

    A one-line change to show where applicants came from, and a monthly count of applications.

  6. Read-only Google Ads access, London

    It shows how often each search is made, and so which new pages matter most.

  7. French pages Google can find

    Today Google only sees the English pages. French pages of their own may carry a cost: is French worth it?

  8. And one quick question

    Does anyone run a website checker on the Paris site? Something visits its homepage at 2pm several times a week.