24.02% Visitor Increase YOY for Guardian Christian Academy’s Website Redesign

Guardian Christian Academy has been around since 1975. In those 45 years, they’ve become one of the premier private schools in Chesterfield county. With a mission to combine education with religious teachings, they strive to be accessible and inclusive for families from all walks of life.

Despite their excellent efforts on campus, GCA’s digital offerings were anything but accessible. Their website was dated and in desperate need of a renovation. With a complicated layout and an overabundance of pages, Vince Caroll and the rest of the GCA staff were looking for an update that reflected their current values.

Vince came to Emerge looking for a website and logo redesign that would turn their older site into a responsive and accessible hub that would attract new families to join the GCA family. The result is an inviting and energetic website that shows off the passion these educators have for teaching the next generation.

Acing the Group Project

It all started with a brand discovery session between ourselves and Guardian’s leadership team.

Our designer Jon and copywriter Sam met with them to discuss their brand and website goals. By asking specific questions about their desired tone, target audience, and industry standards, we were able to figure out exactly what GCA was looking for in their website redesign.

It became clear that their focus was on diversity, accessibility, and confidence. They wanted families and students to find a home at GCA, no matter their background. They also wanted to convey their staff’s knowledge and commitment to education, along with their extensive community outreach programs.

Taking these specific tones and desires into account, Jon crafted a new logo and website design, while Sam spiced up GCA’s content with SEO focused keywords. After months of close collaboration, the final site launched in November 2020.

Graduating with Flying Colors

Since Guardian Christian Academy’s new site launched, they’ve seen an increase in traffic and keyword rankings across the board.

When comparing user data year-over-year from the 4th quarter (October-December), GCA saw 24.02% more users and 18.63% more organic Google traffic in 2020 compared to 2019.

This increase makes sense when you look at the keywords they rank on page 1 for on Google search results. As of 02/01/21, these are their top ranking keywords:

• christian schools in chesterfield va #1
• private schools chesterfield #1
• private school athletics chesterfield #3
• christian school tuition chesterfield #7
• afe christian schools chesterfield #1
• accredited christian schools chesterfield #1
• christian preschool chesterfield #1
• christian elementary school chesterfield #2

As a result of these high rankings, the site has seen an increase in visitors. From when the site launched in November to the end of January 2021, the click-through-rate increased by 31%, going from 240 clicks to 455 during that period.

When Chesterfield families search for private schools in the area, Guardian Chrisitan Academy will be one of the first results they see. Local traffic is key to a business’s success, and once they have a foothold in that area, GCA can start expanding into surrounding area searches, like Midlothian and Richmond.

The Next Steps

GCA continues to be a pillar of the Chesterfield community, and their website only further cements their position. Thanks to the site’s responsiveness and simple design, Vince Carroll and company have appealed to a more diverse group of families wanting the best for their children’s education.

Our hard work and collaboration resulted in a brand and website that speaks to GCA’s dedication to families, education, and community outreach.

If your site is in need of a redesign with an SEO backbone, then contact Emerge! We specialize in helping small businesses create the site that best represents their brand and image. Schedule a consultation with us to start realizing your website’s potential.