Holly Drive Leadership Academy
Case Study
Role: Digital Communications Specialist, Web Developer, and Graphic Designer
Deliverables: New website, refreshed logo, signage, billboard, and social media campaign to increase enrollment
The Outcome: 135% increase in website traffic, including a 200% increase in organic searches
The Challenge
Holly Drive Leadership Academy is a small K-8 charter school that serves primarily low income African American and Latino student populations. Prior to us working with them, the school relied on word to mouth to attract new students, but they realized that strengthening the schools online presence would ensure parents found them when researching potential schools.
The school’s website was several years old and had not been optimized for mobile. Parents of the current student population had difficulties finding the information they were looking for and the school did not come up in relevant Google searches.
Our Approach
We analyzed the content that was on the old website and talked with the school’s principal to determine what information was the most relevant for the current student population as well as for parents researching different schools options. Based on these conversations, we refined the messaging, improved the user flows, and created a more straightforward navigation bar. While working on the website redesign, we also took new pictures of the school and staff and modernized the school’s brand identity. In addition, we created a Google Business profile to improve the school’s SEO results.
Once the website was finalized, the school wanted to ensure that their new brand identity was visible also in the physical environment. We designed signage in front of the school and a billboard that advertised the school to the local community. To advertise the school online, we created two short videos, one featuring kindergarteners and the other 5th graders and launched the video ads on Facebook and Instagram.
135% increase in website traffic
Average session duration increased by 280%
Increased visibility on Google
Digital ads reached over 6,200 people
The Impact
By updating the website, we were able to improve the school’s SEO resulting in a 135% increase in website traffic, including a 200% increase in organic searches. In addition, the average session duration increased by 280%. The school has also been able to reach new potential parents through its Google Business profile. During the last quarter, 46% of the people who visited the school’s Google Business profile had looked for non-branded search terms, such as charter schools near them. The digital ads gained 43,121 impressions and reached 6,241 people.
