SearchStax Site Search solution gives marketers the agility they need to optimize website outcomes.
Product Overview
SearchStax Managed Search offloads Solr management, giving IT teams enhanced operational agility.
Product Overview
“We want people to get where they need to go as fast as possible. That means fewer clicks, less frustration and more students completing RFIs or applications; SearchStax gives our visitors a reliable, direct path to those essential resources.”
Tyler George | Website and Content Strategy Manager
Nestled along the Pacific coastline in San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian liberal arts university known for its close-knit community and commitment to academic excellence and service. With around 4,750 students across undergraduate and graduate programs, PLNU combines the personalized experience of a small university with the opportunities of a larger institution, making its website a critical gateway for prospective students, current students and families alike.
One specific challenge in the way of serving the right content and resources to their varied visitor personas was their under-performing website search bar. The PLNU web team had long struggled with outdated site search solutions. For years, the school relied on Google’s free Programmable Search Engine, then migrated to AddSearch. Neither option provided the flexibility or relevance needed for today’s digital expectations.
“Our previous site search implementations didn’t feel like the right fit,” explained Tyler George, Website and Content Strategy Manager at PLNU. “The results weren’t very relevant, and they didn’t do a good job of reading the content on our site. We wanted a smarter system that could keep up with how search—and student expectations—were evolving.
With only three people managing the entire Drupal-based site, the PLNU web team delivered results many institutions achieve with teams twice their size. To execute this, they needed a solution that would deliver powerful search and provide them with the marketing agility to easily manage the experience.
After evaluating options and consulting with their development partner, Symetris, PLNU selected SearchStax Site Search. The decision came down to two key differentiators:
“When we first signed with AddSearch six years ago, AI wasn’t really part of the equation. Now, it’s everywhere. We needed a solution that was staying current with new technology and moving in the right direction,” explained Tyler.
SearchStax offered both the immediate improvement in relevance they were looking for and the confidence that future features, like AI-driven capabilities, would be part of the roadmap.
Since implementing SearchStax, PLNU has made site search a daily priority. Kylie Miller, Website Specialist and alumna of the university, uses search analytics every week to identify trends, resolve no-results queries and adjust the search experience.
“I love the analytics. They help me see how students are actually searching, and then I can pivot search results using synonyms to meet their language. For example, students type in calendar, but we had it labeled academic catalog. Making that connection helps everyone, from prospective students to grandparents looking for commencement details.”
PLNU’s strategic use of Site Search has led to an overall improved visitor experience:
For PLNU, the website is a critical driver of enrollment and request for information forms (RFIs). Every tweak to search and navigation contributes to getting prospective students from inquiry to application.
“At the end of the day, we want people to get where they need to go as fast as possible,” said Tyler. “That means fewer clicks, less frustration and more students completing RFIs or applications; SearchStax gives our visitors a reliable, direct path to those essential resources.”
The team uses search insights to keep the site aligned with enrollment priorities. For example, they continually optimize how RFIs and applications are embedded and presented, making small adjustments that have a measurable impact on student follow-through. They also look at seasonal patterns, such as spikes in calendar searches during orientation or FAFSA deadlines, to ensure prospective students find the information they need quickly, rather than leaving the site in frustration.
Search doesn’t operate in a vacuum at PLNU; their strategy considers the importance of creating a cohesive search experience, from how prospective students find them on Google or in LLM searches to how current students interact with the website search bar. The web team integrates insights from SearchStax Site Search with broader SEO/GEO and analytics data to create a full picture of the student journey.
The team reviews search analytics daily and shares monthly reports with their SEO specialist. Together they compare top no-results searches and click data from SearchStax with performance trends in Google Analytics 4 and Semrush. This collaboration uncovers content gaps, and ensures the site’s content matches both what students are asking internally and what they’re searching for externally.
This “end-to-end” approach not only improves onsite search relevance but also feeds back into PLNU’s SEO strategy. By reverse-engineering content from what students can’t find on their site, the team strengthens both discoverability and usability; it creates a true loop where the team:
Accessibility is another priority for PLNU. The web team ensures their site experience is WCAG compliant, employing SearchStax to ensure their search experience is usable for all visitors. They’re also exploring the role of AI in shaping digital experience.
Recently, the university launched an AI-powered chatbot to complement search. “Some users prefer a chatbot; others just want to search directly,” Tyler said. “We see them working in tandem and want to provide both, so people have the option that works for them.” While search provides answers to people who know what they’re looking for, the chatbot offers a dialogue for those who need additional help.
As the team considers AI tools for their website experience, features like SearchStax Smart Answers are on their radar for serving information faster and delivering on their visitors’ increasing preference for asking full questions to the search bar.
PLNU has transformed search from a pain point into a strength. By adopting SearchStax Site Search, they’ve created a smarter, student-centered experience that supports enrollment goals, improves accessibility and keeps pace with modern expectations.
But most importantly, the marketing agility they gain from the platform allows them to move quickly and craft an owned experience that resonates with their students’ timely needs, all without waiting on IT tickets or development cycles.
“This school means a lot to me,” Kylie shared. “I know how frustrating it can be to struggle with a website as a student. With SearchStax, we can make it easier for students to succeed—and that is the biggest measure of impact we could ask for.”
Site Search
Drupal
North America
Higher Education
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