COMPANY
YEAR
ROLE
Project description
As Digital Marketing Manager for Oregon State University's College of Engineering, I identified a significant opportunity to improve the college's visibility during the earliest stages of the prospective student decision-making process.
While many recruitment efforts focused on students already searching for specific engineering degrees, there was limited content available for students still exploring potential majors, comparing engineering disciplines, or researching engineering careers. This created a gap in the recruitment funnel and reduced our ability to attract qualified prospective students through organic search.
To address this challenge, I lead the launch of a Discover Engineering Content Hub, a comprehensive SEO and content marketing initiative designed to answer common prospective student questions, improve search visibility for high-intent recruitment keywords, and position Oregon State Engineering as a trusted educational resource.
The project included keyword research, content strategy, information architecture, SEO planning, content creation, performance measurement, and ongoing optimization.
Content Hub: Discover Engineering
Timeline
August 2025 - Present
The initiative began with a comprehensive review of prospective student search behavior and competitive search results within higher education and engineering recruitment.
After identifying key search opportunities, I developed a scalable content framework centered around common student questions related to engineering careers, degree selection, salaries, educational pathways, and discipline comparisons.
The hub continued expanding through the creation of SEO-focused articles, internal linking improvements, and ongoing content optimization efforts designed to improve search visibility and user engagement.
KPIs
Success was measured against several key objectives:
Increase organic traffic from prospective students
Improve rankings for high-intent engineering recruitment keywords
Increase visibility for non-branded search queries
Expand awareness of Oregon State Engineering programs
Improve engagement with engineering recruitment content
Strengthen authority and trust signals within engineering education search results
Create a scalable source of long-term prospective student acquisition
Process
Research & Planning
I began by researching how prospective students explore engineering majors online.
Rather than searching directly for Oregon State programs, many students start with broader questions such as:
What engineering major is right for me?
What do engineers do?
Which engineering degree pays the most?
Mechanical vs. electrical engineering
Types of engineering careers
Is engineering a good major?
These searches represent some of the earliest stages of the student recruitment journey and provide opportunities to engage students long before they reach an application page.
Using keyword research and search intent analysis, I identified content gaps and built a content roadmap focused on answering prospective student questions while naturally introducing relevant Oregon State Engineering programs.
The resulting strategy prioritized high-volume, high-intent recruitment topics capable of driving both immediate traffic and long-term organic growth.
Implementation
I designed and launched the Discover Engineering Content Hub as a centralized destination for prospective student resources.
The content framework was organized around key recruitment themes:
Engineering career exploration
Engineering degree comparisons
Salary and career outcome content
Discipline-specific program information
Major selection guidance
Student-focused educational resources
Each article was developed using SEO best practices, including:
Search intent alignment
Strategic keyword targeting
Internal linking
Optimized metadata
Structured content hierarchy
Clear pathways into academic program pages
The hub was intentionally designed to serve both users and search engines, ensuring content remained valuable, discoverable, and aligned with recruitment goals.
Measurement & Optimization
Following launch, I established a regular performance review process focused on:
Organic traffic growth
Keyword ranking improvements
Search visibility
User engagement metrics
Internal content pathways
Program page referral traffic
Content performance data informed future topic selection and optimization efforts, creating a feedback loop that continuously improved overall search visibility.
As new opportunities emerged, additional articles were developed to expand keyword coverage and strengthen topical authority across engineering education subject areas.
Results
32,000+ new users acquired through Organic Search alone
The Discover Engineering Content Hub created an entirely new acquisition channel for prospective students, generating more than 32,000 new users while expanding Oregon State Engineering's reach beyond traditional recruitment tactics.
Improved search visibility
The content hub significantly expanded Oregon State Engineering's presence for highly relevant recruitment-focused search queries.
By targeting early-stage student questions and career exploration topics, the college gained visibility among prospective students who may not have otherwise discovered Oregon State Engineering through traditional branded searches.
This increased search presence helped move the college higher into the student decision-making process while creating additional pathways into academic program content.
Strengthened brand authority
Beyond traffic growth, the initiative positioned Oregon State Engineering as an authoritative source of information about engineering education and careers.
Rather than relying solely on program pages, the college began providing educational resources that helped prospective students better understand engineering disciplines, career opportunities, and educational pathways.
This increased visibility and credibility among both prospective students and search engines, strengthening the overall digital presence of the college.
Long-term recruitment asset
Unlike paid advertising campaigns that stop generating traffic when budgets are exhausted, the Discover Engineering Content Hub created a sustainable recruitment asset that continues attracting prospective students through organic search.
The content strategy established a scalable framework that allows new articles, topics, and recruitment opportunities to be added over time, creating compounding value and supporting long-term enrollment marketing objectives.
DESERT FOX DIGITAL