A University of Auckland duo took the Google AdWords accreditation process to a whole new level after they successfully increased traffic to a Warkworth-based website fourfold.

Students Phoebe Joiner and Daniel Talbot scooped the award for best campaign at a celebration event earlier this month. Representatives from Google and New Zealand tech companies also attended the event.

The Academy, which is run by Talbot's sister, benefited from a website revamp and AdWords campaign to boost the company's search engine ranking and presence on Google.

“Our campaign led to a four-fold increase in site visits and a number of new enrolments. It worked excellently because we were given complete access to change the website as we wished. She has been really pleased with the results," Joiner says.

Joiner is studying a conjoint Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce in Management, Marketing, Politics and International Relations and Writing Studies. Talbot is studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Drama.

For the last four years, The University of Auckland has been running a free AdWords Accreditation Programme for students. The course also includes workshops on New Zealand digital media, online marketing, and running a real digital media campaign.

Google AdWords courses and exams cover a range of areas, including basic and advanced advertising. Setup, management and optimisation are part of the programmes in areas such as search, display, video, shopping and mobile advertising.