Art & Design UniversityFrom paid-search dependency to a balanced enrollment engine
RGI turned Academy of Art University's heavy paid-search dependency into a balanced organic-and-paid engine — doubling enrollment efficiency while cutting wasted spend.
The results, in short
Enrollment efficiency
Application rate, after optimization
Lower wasted lead volume, higher quality
01The challenge
Academy of Art was pouring heavy monthly budget into paid search, but applications and enrollments lagged far behind the spend. The funnel looked full — and converted poorly.
High spend, low returns
Heavy paid-search spend paired with low application rates.
Weak enrollment conversion
Enrollment conversion was low — weak ROI despite heavy investment.
Over-dependence on paid search
The large majority of the funnel relied on paid-search traffic.
Unsustainable growth model
A quantity-over-quality strategy inflated cost-per-acquisition and couldn't scale.
02Our approach
RGI rethought the university's performance-marketing model — rebalancing the channel mix and rebuilding the conversion funnel around applicant quality, not raw volume.
Rebalanced the channel mix
Shifted from heavy paid-search dependency to a healthy mix of organic and paid, with paid in a supporting role.
Strengthened natural search
Grew organic into a reliable channel that consistently outperformed paid through the back half of the year.
Optimized the conversion funnel
Improved tracking and the applicant-to-enrollment flow to convert better, not just attract more.
Leaner, controlled paid search
Made paid search efficient and accountable instead of the entire engine.
Quality over quantity
Traded a high volume of expensive leads for fewer, higher-quality ones — fewer leads, more enrollments.
03The results
Fewer leads, better applicants, and a funnel that no longer depends on a huge ad budget.
We didn't just cut costs — we increased enrollment efficiency 2×, building a stable, predictable growth engine.
“RGI helped us cut wasted spend, double our enrollment efficiency, and build a sustainable funnel that doesn't rely on heavy ad budgets.”
Academy of Art University
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Tell us where growth has stalled. We'll show you where the enrollment is — and the fastest way to get it.