Point Loma Nazarene University
Success story
PLNU’s Improved Site Search Sees 33% Spike in Student Engagement
We spoke with David Gladson, Director of Marketing at Point Loma Nazarene University, to learn how they upgraded their internal search experience to make it work for every audience on campus.
2-3x the Click-Through Rate and Better Search Insights
AddSearch’s built-in analytics, enhanced by ESAB’s own Google Analytics setup, gave the team visibility into top-performing search terms, no-result queries, and click-through rates (CTR).
“We all knew our internal site search was a problem. None of us liked it.”
David Gladson, Director of Marketing, PLNU
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PLNU: Empowering Exploration in the Classroom—and Online
Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private liberal arts college located on the oceanfront in San Diego, California. Known for small class sizes and a strong sense of mission-driven education, PLNU serves around 3,500 students each year.
Like many universities, PLNU’s website must serve a wide range of audiences: prospective students, current students, faculty, and alumni. That means making it easy for everyone to quickly find what they need, from financial aid details to campus resources and academic programs.
As part of a broader digital improvement effort, the PLNU team took a hard look at how search was working on their website—and realized it wasn’t.
A Smarter Search for a Mission-Driven Campus
PLNU’s internally built search tool demanded constant maintenance and made even simple updates difficult to execute. Worst of all, it wasn’t delivering a great experience for users. When the pain outweighed the payoff, they knew it was time for a change.
That’s when a conversation with peers in higher education led him to AddSearch.
PLNU needed a flexible search solution that could adapt to the needs of multiple audiences, offer granular control, and be easy for a small team to manage. They found all of that in AddSearch.
“Compared to building our own index, this was a very painless process—and we got great support.”
David Gladson, Director of Marketing, PLNU
AddSearch Just Works—Even During a Redesign
Despite undergoing a full website redesign at the time, implementation was still fast and seamless. Training the team was simple, and now, even interns can make updates without relying on developers.
With AddSearch, the PLNU team can:
- Instantly adjust keyword results to align with seasonal campaigns or enrollment goals.
- Promote specific content depending on where prospective students are in their journey.
- Deliver tailored search results to distinct user groups like high schoolers, current students, or parents.
- Distribute search management across team members—no bottlenecks, no approval delays.
But perhaps the biggest win? Peace of mind.
“I finally deleted site search from my list of things to worry about. That’s what makes this product so awesome.”
David Gladson, Director of Marketing, PLNU
Results That Speak for Themselves
Since switching to AddSearch, PLNU has seen significant improvements in users’ search behavior and engagement with the site.
- Search usage increased by 33%: more users are turning to site search as their preferred navigation method.
- 10% fewer users clicking multiple results: this means users are finding what they need faster.
- Increased time on site after search: students are sticking around longer to explore what PLNU has to offer, which is critical for influencing enrollment decisions.
“We need them to do a lot of exploring on the site. We don’t just want them to go on one page and be done.”
David Gladson, Director of Marketing, PLNU
With AddSearch, Point Loma Nazarene University now has a search experience that supports its mission: serving students with clarity, purpose, and ease.
Want to make site search one less thing to worry about? Join forward-thinking institutions like PLNU and give your team the tools to create a better search experience.
Ready to simplify your website search?
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