Work
The Challenge
While working at Pivotus agency, I led the transformation of University of Tasmania’s underperforming Google Ads account. The account had poorly structured campaigns with generic messaging, broad unfocused targeting, and inefficient budget allocation that failed to showcase their diverse course offerings effectively.
The Goal
Increase student applications across the university’s course offerings while reducing wasted ad spend.
The Solution
Campaign Restructure
- Organized campaigns by course levels (Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Double Degrees, Online, Research, Short Courses).
- Created one ad group per course type for maximum targeting precision.
- Shifted from generic university promotion to course-specific messaging.
Strategic Approach
- Search Campaigns: Course-specific targeting with ad customizers for tailored messaging.
- Deep University Analysis: Comprehensive mapping of all course offerings and website structure.
- Business Data Sheet: Foundation for campaign structure and keyword targeting methodology.
Key Implementations
- Advanced ad customizers implemented for hyper-specialized messaging at scale.
- Used extensions to showcase course-specific value propositions.
- Prioritized high-intent keywords related to specific course searches.
- Implemented negative keyword strategies to prevent irrelevant traffic.
The Results
+821%
Applications (YOY)
-63%
Campaign costs
-42%
Average CPC
+112%
Users Reached
Key Takeaways
- Course-specific campaign structure outperforms generic university promotion for higher education
- Ad customizers enable hyper-personalization at scale for diverse educational offerings
- Granular targeting with dedicated ad groups improves Quality Scores and reduces costs
- Deep institutional understanding drives precise campaign architecture and better results
- Search-focused strategy captures high-intent education seekers more effectively
Want to see what better Google Ads insights could do for you, or your clients?
Book an on-site strategy session in Melbourne or a no-pressure audit. I’ll give you a clear picture of where you stand. And how I can translate your data to transform your business.
