Case Studies September 12, 2025

Boosting Conversions by 21.9%

The Crummer Graduate School of Business struggled with PPC campaigns that failed to efficiently convert prospective students. A data-driven strategy focused on landing page optimization and relevant ad copy led to a 21.9% increase in their conversion rate and made their ad spend 13.8% more efficient.

About Crummer Graduate School of Business

Blacksmith transformed Crummer’s student recruitment funnel by increasing their lead conversion rate with paid advertising.

The Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College is consistently ranked among the top institutions for its excellent MBA programs and executive education. Despite this prestige, Crummer saw the need to improve its visibility and attract more prospective students. Understanding this challenge, Crummer partnered with our agency to implement a strategic paid media program designed to enhance their online presence and optimize their recruitment funnel from click to conversion.

Services Rendered

Strategy Consulting

We began with a comprehensive strategy phase to define the client’s target audience, key performance indicators (KPIs), and optimal channel mix. This created a data-driven blueprint for the entire paid media campaign, ensuring all efforts were aligned with their core business goals.

PPC Management

Our team provided end-to-end PPC management, handling all aspects of the campaign from account setup and daily monitoring to strategic bid adjustments and budget allocation. This active management was focused on maximizing the client’s return on ad spend (ROAS).

UI/UX Design

To ensure a high conversion rate for the traffic generated, our UI/UX design team was engaged to optimize the campaign’s key landing pages. This focused on creating a smooth user experience and a frictionless path from ad click to conversion.

Poor Mobile Experience

The website was not optimized for mobile devices, which was a major problem considering the number of prospective students browsing on their phones. Slow load times, awkward layouts, and cut-off forms created friction for mobile users arriving from paid ads, leading to lost opportunities.

Cluttered Pages with Inconsistent Branding

Landing pages were filled with dense blocks of text and while the brand colors were used, the typography and overall design lacked consistency. Different fonts, mismatched hierarchy, and weak visual flow made the experience feel unpolished, lowered engagement, and increased bounce rates.

Buried Forms and Calls-to-Action

The main interest form was located at the bottom of the page, requiring users to scroll past large amounts of content before finding it. For PPC visitors who expected immediate next steps after clicking an ad, this created unnecessary friction and reduced conversions.

After

The Solution

Forms Placed Where They Matter

One of the most effective changes was moving the inquiry form from the bottom of the page to the hero section, where prospective students first land after clicking an ad. This immediately removed friction for high-intent visitors, giving them a clear and convenient next step. The result was a smoother path from ad click to inquiry submission.

Consistent Branding and Visual Hierarchy

We implemented a unified font scheme and applied Crummer’s brand colors with intention. A clear visual hierarchy was introduced, using bold headings and supporting typography to guide attention to the most important information first. This not only created a polished, trustworthy look but also made the landing pages easier to scan.

Clean Layouts with CTAs that Flow

To improve the user journey, we restructured the page with adequate white space, simplified text blocks, and strategically placed CTAs throughout. The streamlined flow ensured that PPC clicks translated into meaningful engagement rather than bounces.