How IISDT gained the traction - A case study

Background – Indian Institute of Skill Development Training, Indore. It is an ISO Certified Govt. Registered Skill Development Training and Vocational Education Autonomous Organization. They have 350 centers (Owned+Franchise) through which they offer 300 courses. We started working with them in 2019 and worked till 2023, when they created a team within the organization.

Challenge – IIST was struggling to attract students and convert them their courses. The challenge was more pronounced at new franchise center, resulting in closure of some centers also. Organic traffic was extremely low (~4000 per month). Bounce rate was more than 95%.

3. Strategy and Implementation

A) Website Management & Optimization

Website Audit and Redesign:

• Audit & Planning: We conducted a comprehensive website audit to identify technical issues, outdated content, and design inconsistencies.

• Responsive Design: Redesigned over 350 web pages to ensure optimal performance across devices, improving site speed and user navigation.

• CMS Integration: Enhanced content management processes by integrating CRM tools, ensuring better lead tracking and seamless content updates.

B) SEO and Content Marketing

Keyword Research and On-Page Optimization:

• Keyword Discovery: Leveraged tools like SEMrush, Google keywords and other tools to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords relevant to vocational training and skill development. This research highlighted long-tail phrases such as "affordable technical courses" and "job ready courses for youth."

• On-Page Updates: Optimized meta tags, headings, and URL structures to improve relevance and crawlability. Regularly refreshed content to align with current trends and search engine updates. Tags were added to each image and internal linking was done.

Page Design improvements:

• Heat Maps: We used tools like hotjar to find the locations where customers were going off. Sample user sessions were analysed in detail to create user story and page designs (especially course pages) were improved.

Blog Strategy:

• Content Calendar: Developed a series of blog posts addressing topics such as “Top Skills for the Future,” “Career Opportunities in Vocational Training,” “How Certification Can Boost Your Career” and a few course-specific blogs. Pillar-cluster model was used to increase relevance and specificity.

• Integrated Linking: Each blog post included internal links to course pages and external authoritative sources, enhancing SEO performance.

• Engagement & Shareability: Posts were written in a conversational tone with actionable insights, which increased social shares and organic backlink opportunities.

C) Google Ads Campaigns

Campaign Setup and Optimization:

• Segmentation: Structured campaigns around different courses and target segments (e.g., fresh graduates, professionals, women in skill development).

• Ad Copy Development: Crafted compelling ad copies that highlighted key USPs such as industry-aligned training, job placement support, and recognized certifications. We also incorporated clear calls-to-action (CTAs) like “Enrol Now”, “Get Certified Today”, “Get Job Ready in 6 months”.

• Ad Extensions and A/B Testing: Utilized ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets) to enhance ad visibility. Continuous A/B testing helped identify high-performing ad variations.

• Budget Optimization: Employed negative keywords and refined bidding strategies based on time-of-day and geographic performance, leading to a ~20% improvement in conversion rates and a significant reduction in wasted spend. Performance max campaigns helped a great deal. Specific campaigns were run for new geographies.

D) Email Marketing

Segmentation and Automated Drip Campaigns:

• List Segmentation: Created detailed segments based on user behaviour, course interests, and engagement history.

• Content Integration: Developed a series of drip emails that featured blog highlights, course updates, and success stories. This approach helped nurture leads through every stage of the enrolment process.

• Performance Tracking: Monitored open rates, click-through rates, and conversions using UTM parameters and integrated analytics. A/B testing of subject lines and email content further optimized engagement, resulting in a near 30% improvement in open rates. We used Bravo mail server and the analytics helped.

E) Tracking and Client interaction

• A weekly tracking was done on each important aspect of SEO and PPC.

• A monthly online interaction with client and feedback on every single lead helped us keep improving the campaign.

4. Results and Outcomes

• Organic Traffic:

  • Achieved a tremendous increase in organic traffic through robust SEO practices and continuous blog content updates. In 4 years, organic traffic went up from 4,000 per month to 1,20,000 per month.

• Website Engagement:

  • Improved average session duration by 20%, thanks to a more intuitive user interface and relevant, engaging content.

• Lead Generation via Google Ads:

  • Recorded a 40% increase in qualified leads, with conversion rates improving by 20% through targeted ad campaigns and effective bid management.

• Email Marketing Success:

  • Enhanced email campaign performance with a 30% increase in open rates and a 20% boost in lead conversions, demonstrating effective segmentation and content personalization.