Case Study: UC Davis achieves a 31% increase in organic traffic and 4.5X the impact of paid campaigns with BrightEdge

UC Davis Achieves a 31% Increase in Organic Traffic

UC Davis, led by Director of Web Communications Adam Napolitan, faced a challenge: majors and programs weren’t being presented as core products and prospective students were chiefly concerned with outcomes—what jobs a degree or major would lead to. The team needed a focused communications strategy to showcase majors in a way that answered those top student questions and drove measurable interest.

They launched the “What Can I Do With My Major? Blog” and used BrightEdge tools (DataCube, ContentIQ, StoryBuilder, GA integration and AI Insights) to guide keyword strategy, editorial planning and technical SEO. The campaign delivered nearly 400,000 pageviews and 200,000 users (over 160,000 new), produced a 31% increase in organic traffic, achieved 4.5× the impact of national paid campaigns, drove a 70% rise in majors-related content traffic (31% to majors pages, 18% to minors, 222% to graduate programs), and helped lift enrollment in covered programs above national averages.

UC Davis

Adam Napolitan

Director Web Communications