His appointment reflects his leadership in higher education digital marketing and Search Influence’s longstanding collaboration with UPCEA, the leading association for online and professional education.
Serving on the UPCEA Board
UPCEA elected new officers and directors in November, with appointments taking effect at the conclusion of the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans on April 17, 2026. As Corporate Partner Representative, Will will serve as a liaison between corporate partners and institutional members, contributing insight from the evolving landscape of higher education digital marketing.
UPCEA leadership emphasized the importance of strategic, forward-thinking expertise during a pivotal moment for online and continuing education. As institutions adapt to AI-driven search behavior, enrollment shifts, and increased competition, the role of data-informed digital marketing has never been more essential.
About Will Scott, AI SEO Expert
Will Scott is a recognized leader in digital marketing and is credited with coining the phrase “barnacle SEO” in 2008. A founding faculty member of Local U, Will frequently presents at national conferences and contributes to major online marketing publications. With a Master of Architecture from Tulane University, he approaches marketing as a systems problem, solving for visibility, measurement, and long-term impact.
Since launching his first website in 1994, Will has overseen teams that have developed thousands of websites, produced hundreds of thousands of directory pages, and generated millions of visits through search.
Strengthening the Search Influence + UPCEA Partnership
Will’s appointment to the UPCEA Board of Directors reflects more than an individual milestone. It represents the continued alignment between Search Influence and UPCEA’s shared commitment to research-driven innovation in higher education digital marketing.
As a Platinum Partner of UPCEA, Search Influence has worked alongside the association to produce actionable, industry-leading research that helps institutions adapt to shifting search behaviors and evolving enrollment strategies. Together, we have collaborated on three major national studies:
2023 SEO Readiness Research Study, which benchmarked how prepared colleges and universities are for the demands of modern search visibility.
Through conference sessions, webinars, and ongoing thought leadership, the UPCEA x Search Influence partnership delivers practical frameworks for institutions looking to strengthen their visibility, improve ROI, and future-proof their higher education digital marketing strategies.
Learn More About Higher Education Digital Marketing
Will’s appointment reflects the deep alignment between Search Influence and UPCEA’s mission to expand educational access and outcomes.
To learn more about our partnership or to discuss how your institution can strengthen its higher education digital marketing strategy, contact Search Influence today.
Half of prospective students now use AI search tools weekly to research programs. If your institution isn’t showing up in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews, you’re invisible to half your audience. In 2026, success is measured by AI citations and brand mentions within generative summaries, not just clicks. This guide covers what actually works for AI search visibility, based on testing, not theory. (Data source: UPCEA/Search Influence 2025 AI Search in Higher Education study)
The Shift in Student Search You Can’t Ignore
Half of prospective students now use AI-powered search tools at least weekly, and 79% read Google’s AI Overviews before clicking any result. That’s according to the 2025 AI Search in Higher Education study by UPCEA and Search Influence, which surveyed 760 adults actively researching programs.
Source: UPCEA/Search Influence AI Search in Higher Education Study, 2025
While your team optimizes for Google rankings, half of your prospective students are also asking ChatGPT:
“What are the best nursing programs near me?”
“Which universities have strong data science programs?”
“Should I go to [Your University] or [Competitor]?”
The uncomfortable truth: traditional SEO rankings don’t automatically translate to AI search results. Your brand is no longer just what you say about yourself, or even what others say about you. It’s what AI believes about you and shares with millions of prospective students.
I’ve been tracking this space since late 2022. Higher education institutions with strong Google rankings often get completely left out of AI-driven search results. While smaller schools with better-structured content show up consistently.
Traditional search engines still drive most organic traffic. That’s not changing soon. But AI search is a new channel growing fast, and it’s where a third of your prospective students are already researching. The catch: AI-generated search results often summarize information without requiring users to click through, which means even sites with strong search engine optimization can see declining traffic from AI-driven queries.
The universities that appear in AI-driven search results now will have a head start that the rest can’t easily catch up to.
What actually works?
How AI “Decides” What to Recommend
To make these SEO strategies work, you need to understand how these systems operate. It’s different from traditional search engines.
Large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity don’t crawl your site in real-time and rank web pages. They operate on different principles:
They draw from training data
Content that existed when the model was trained becomes part of its “knowledge.” This is why outdated information persists. The model learned it months or years ago.
They reference recent web crawls
Some models (like Perplexity and ChatGPT with browsing enabled) pull fresh content. But the freshness varies by platform and query type.
They cite authoritative sources
AI systems prefer content that appears to know what it’s talking about. They’re pattern-matching on what “good sources” look like — structure, depth, and credibility signals.
They match search intent, not just keywords
AI understands concepts and entities through natural language processing, not keyword matching. You don’t need “best MBA program for working professionals near Chicago” repeated verbatim. You need content that actually covers the topic in depth and with specificity. Traditional search engines match keywords; AI systems match user intent and search intent. This is why traditional keyword research alone isn’t enough anymore. You need to understand what prospective students actually want to know, not just what phrases they type.
They prioritize E-E-A-T signals
AI systems, like traditional search engines, favor content that demonstrates Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Faculty credentials, institutional accreditation, specific outcomes data, and cited sources all signal that your content is worth recommending. Generic marketing copy doesn’t cut it.
What this means for you:
Your content needs to be structured so AI can understand it, not just index it. With Google, you’re trying to rank. With AI, you’re trying to be the source that gets cited when AI generates its response. Different goal, different tactics.
SEO fundamentals still apply—but the emphasis shifts.
SEO fundamentals still apply. Sites that rank well in Google tend to get cited more by AI, but it’s not automatic. Backlinks from authoritative sites signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and valuable, and AI systems pick up on these same credibility signals. You need to optimize for both traditional search and AI platforms.
One principle remains constant: creating exceptional, high-quality content is the best way to boost SEO performance and satisfy prospective students. Content should prioritize people over bots. If it genuinely helps your target audience, it will perform well with AI systems too.
When students ask about programs you offer, competitors show up, and you don’t. This is the most painful finding, but it’s the most actionable.
Missing differentiators
AI can describe your university in generic terms, but doesn’t mention what makes you unique. Your $50M new engineering building? Your unique co-op program? Your 95% nursing board pass rate? If AI doesn’t know about it, AI can’t recommend you for it.
Outdated information
Programs that no longer exist, old leadership names, incorrect tuition figures, former campus locations. AI models don’t always have up-to-date information, and even when they do, they may have ingested outdated pages from your site.
Generic descriptions
AI says you’re “a comprehensive university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields.” That’s true. It’s also useless. Nobody chooses a university based on that description.
Step 2: Create Content That AI Wants to Cite
AI systems prefer citing website content that appears authoritative and thorough. They’re trained on high-quality content, so they pattern-match on what those sources look like. Your content creation strategy needs to account for this.
Create content that answers the specific questions students ask during their research process. That means your content needs to:
Be structurally parseable
AI reads differently from humans. Clear heading hierarchies (H2, H3, H4) help AI understand the relationship between concepts. Dense paragraphs of text are harder to parse than structured lists.
Formats that work well:
FAQ sections that mirror natural language questions
Definition lists for key terms
Comparison tables
Bulleted lists with specific data points
Step-by-step numbered processes
Include specific, citable data
Vague claims get ignored. Specific data gets cited.
Include:
Enrollment numbers (total, by program, by format)
Graduation and retention rates
Employment outcomes (percentage employed, average salary, top employers)
Program rankings and accreditations
Tuition costs (total and per credit hour)
Financial aid statistics (percentage receiving aid, average package)
Student-to-faculty ratios
Research funding and grants
Answer the questions prospective students actually ask
Look at your website chat logs. Look at your admissions email inbox. Look at your campus visit Q&A sessions. What do prospective students actually want to know? This is better than any keyword research tool for identifying relevant keywords and topics.
Create structured content that directly answers those questions, and format it so AI can find and cite those answers.
Create multimedia content
Creating multimedia content (videos, infographics, virtual tours) enhances engagement and helps students envision themselves on campus. Video testimonials, program overviews, and campus walk-throughs give AI systems additional content to index. YouTube content especially matters; it’s owned by Google and feeds directly into AI training data.
Same content, restructured for AI visibility.
Step 3: Make Your Brand “Like Fluoride in the Water”
You want your brand to be so present across the web that AI just… knows you.
Think about Kleenex. Or Xerox. Or Google (as a verb). Nobody has to explain what these brands are. AI models have seen so many references across so many contexts that the brand is baked into their understanding.
Obviously, you can’t become Kleenex overnight. That takes decades. But you can systematically increase your brand’s presence in the sources AI learns from:
When journalists write about trends in nursing education, they quote someone. Why not your nursing dean? When publications list “top programs for X,” they source from somewhere. Why not your outcomes data?
Publish research that others cite
Original research gets cited. Surveys, studies, white papers, data analyses. Your institutional research office has data that would be valuable to others. Package it and publish it.
Maintain active, consistent social presence
AI models train on social media content. LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube. Your consistent presence builds brand recognition in the training data. Video SEO matters here too; YouTube is owned by Google and feeds into AI training data. Optimizing content for YouTube (with strong titles, descriptions, and transcripts) improves visibility across both traditional search and AI platforms.
Show up in industry rankings and lists
Rankings aren’t just for prospective students. They’re for AI training data. When AI learns “best X programs,” it learns from published lists.
Create content that other institutions reference
Thought leadership content that other universities link to and cite. Best practices guides. Innovative program design. This creates a citation network that AI follows.
AI learns about your brand from everywhere—not just your website.
The goal isn’t any single mention. The goal is to be so present across the web that when AI thinks about your program area, your institution naturally comes to mind. Like fluoride in the water, invisible but everywhere.
Step 4: Don’t Neglect Local SEO for Regional Student Search
Local SEO is critical for attracting regional students, especially for institutions with multiple campus locations. For higher education institutions serving regional markets, local SEO directly impacts AI search results and recommendations.
When a prospective student asks, “What are the best nursing programs near me?” or uses voice search for “colleges in [city],” AI pulls from local signals. These natural language queries are increasingly common as generative AI tools encourage students to ask more conversational questions.
What to do:
Claim and optimize Google Business Profile for each campus location
Ensure NAP (name, address, phone) consistency across all web pages
Create location-specific content for each campus
Incorporate keywords naturally for regional search intent (“nursing program in [city],” “[state] MBA programs”)
Encourage and respond to Google reviews. They’re credibility signals for both traditional search engines and AI
Build citations in local directories and regional publications
Local SEO isn’t separate from AI SEO; it feeds it. AI systems learn about your regional presence from these same signals. Higher ed marketers often overlook local SEO because they’re focused on national rankings, but for most higher education institutions, regional search visibility is where enrollment actually happens.
Optimizing Academic Program Pages for AI-Driven Search Results
Program pages are where enrollment happens, or doesn’t. When a student asks ChatGPT, “What are the best MBA programs for working professionals?”, AI scans the web, evaluates sources, and generates an answer. Your program page either contains everything AI needs to recommend you, or it doesn’t. There’s no second impression.
Institutions should create dedicated landing pages for each academic program with detailed information. Most university program pages fail this test. They’re designed for humans who already know about the institution and are browsing to learn more. AI doesn’t browse. It extracts, evaluates, and cites, or moves on.
Students now expect instant, personalized answers to their questions during their college search. Your program pages need to deliver.
The Anatomy of an AI-Optimized Program Page
1. Clear Program Identity (Above the Fold)
Start with unambiguous program identification:
Exact degree name and type (BS, BA, MS, MBA, MEd, PhD, etc.)
Program format (on-campus, fully online, hybrid, evening/weekend)
Duration (credit hours required, typical time to completion)
Accreditation status and accrediting bodies
Department and college affiliation
Why this matters: AI needs to correctly categorize your program. If your page title says “Business Administration” but doesn’t specify MBA vs. undergraduate, AI may miscategorize you.
2. Outcomes Data (Make It Prominent)
Universities are often reluctant to publish employment data — worried about liability, or not confident in the numbers. But students make decisions based on outcomes, and AI cites specifics.
Include:
Employment rate within 6 months and 1 year of graduation
Average and median starting salary
Salary range (10th to 90th percentile)
Top employers hiring your graduates (named companies)
Job titles graduates hold
Career paths and advancement trajectories
Professional licensure/certification pass rates (nursing boards, CPA exam, bar exam, etc.)
Graduate school acceptance rates (for undergrad programs)
If you have strong outcomes, show them. If you don’t have this data, start collecting it.
3. Curriculum Overview (Structured for Scannability)
Don’t just link to a PDF catalog. Present curriculum information directly on the page:
Core/required courses with brief descriptions
Elective options and specialization tracks
Unique program features (capstone projects, internship requirements, study abroad, lab experiences)
Sample course sequence or suggested schedule
Total credit hours and breakdown by category
Format this as a table or structured list, not paragraphs.
4. Admission Requirements (Be Specific)
Prospective students ask AI-specific questions: “What GPA do I need for X program?” Make sure AI can find the answer on your page.
Test score requirements or policies (GRE, GMAT, test-optional status)
Prerequisite courses
Required application materials
Application deadlines (early, regular, rolling)
International student requirements
5. Cost and Financial Information (Don’t Hide It)
Tuition is one of the top questions students ask. AI will answer it. The question is whether AI gets the answer from your site or somewhere else.
Include:
Total program cost
Per-credit-hour rate
Fee breakdowns
Scholarship opportunities specific to this program
Graduate assistantship availability
Employer tuition reimbursement partnerships
Financial aid statistics for this program
ROI calculations, if available
6. FAQ Section (Mirror How Students Ask)
FAQ sections structured as question-and-answer pairs are exactly what AI systems are looking for. Easy to implement, high impact.
Address questions students actually ask:
“Can I complete this program while working full-time?”
“What’s the difference between the online and on-campus versions?”
“Is this program accredited?”
“What kind of support services are available for online students?”
“Can I transfer credits into this program?”
“What technology/software will I need?”
“Are there networking or career services?”
Use the exact phrasing students use. That’s what they’ll type into ChatGPT.
7. Student Testimonials and Success Stories
Real stories from real students are citation gold. AI systems recognize authentic student testimonials as credibility signals, and prospective students find them compelling. Student testimonials provide the social proof that influences user behavior during the decision-making process.
Include named testimonials (with permission), specific outcomes, and career trajectories. “Sarah graduated in 2023 and now works as a data analyst at IBM” is more citable than “Our graduates go on to great careers.”
Video testimonials work even better. They’re harder to fake and more engaging. If you have them, embed them on the page with transcripts for AI to parse. This combines video SEO with powerful conversion content.
Common Mistakes I See
Mistake 1: Content buried in PDFs
AI can’t easily parse PDF content. If your program details live in a downloadable brochure or catalog PDF, they might as well not exist for AI purposes. Extract that content and put it on the page.
Mistake 2: Fragmented information across multiple pages
If students (or AI) have to click through five pages to understand your program (overview, curriculum, admissions, financial aid, outcomes), AI won’t piece it together. Consolidate essential information into a single page, with links to deep dives.
Mistake 3: Missing or hidden outcomes data
If you have good outcomes, show them prominently. If you have mediocre outcomes, at least show the data you’re proud of. Something specific beats nothing every time.
Mistake 4: Generic marketing copy
“Prepare for success in a dynamic global economy” means nothing. Literally nothing. It’s filler text that adds no information.
Compared to: “92% of graduates employed in their field within 6 months, with an average starting salary of $68,000. Top employers include Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins.”
Which one would you cite? Which one would AI cite?
Mistake 5: No FAQ section
If your program page doesn’t have an FAQ section, you’re leaving AI citations on the table. This is the easiest win. Just add it.
Structured Data and Schema for Higher Education
This section gets technical. Schema markup is how you explicitly tell AI what your content means — metadata that machines read. It’s becoming increasingly valuable for AI visibility.
Why Schema Matters for AI
When AI systems encounter structured data, they don’t have to guess what your content means. You’re telling them directly:
This is an educational organization
This is a course/program
This is an FAQ
This is an event
These are the properties (name, cost, duration, requirements)
Think of it as the difference between handing someone a box of puzzle pieces versus handing them the completed puzzle. Same information, wildly different usability.
AI systems can extract information from unstructured text. But structured data is unambiguous. It removes interpretation. It’s machine-readable by design.
Schema removes ambiguity
Schema Types That Matter for Higher Ed
If you’re not technical, share this section with your developer. If you are technical, here are the four schema types to prioritize:
EducationalOrganization Schema
Your foundation tells AI who you are at the institutional level.
This is especially important for entity disambiguation. If your institution shares a name with another (e.g., multiple “Trinity” universities, multiple “State” schools), schema helps AI understand which one you are. The same applies to Google’s Knowledge Graph. That information panel that appears when someone searches your name. Claim and optimize your Knowledge Panel through Google’s verification process. When AI systems reference knowledge graphs, they’re pulling from that same entity data.
{
“@type”: “EducationalOrganization”,
“name”: “University Name”,
“alternateName”: “Common Abbreviation”,
“description”: “Full description of the institution”,
“url”: “https://www.university.edu”,
“logo”: “https://www.university.edu/logo.png”,
“address”: {
“@type”: “PostalAddress”,
“streetAddress”: “123 Campus Drive”,
“addressLocality”: “City”,
“addressRegion”: “State”,
“postalCode”: “12345”
},
“telephone”: “+1-555-123-4567”,
“foundingDate”: “1890”,
“accreditedBy”: [
{
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Higher Learning Commission”
}
]
}
Course Schema
For each academic program. This is where the detail matters.
{
“@type”: “Course”,
“name”: “Bachelor of Science in Nursing”,
“description”: “Four-year nursing program preparing students for RN licensure”,
“provider”: {
“@type”: “EducationalOrganization”,
“name”: “University Name”
},
“hasCourseInstance”: [
{
“@type”: “CourseInstance”,
“courseMode”: “onsite”,
“courseWorkload”: “PT120H”
},
{
“@type”: “CourseInstance”,
“courseMode”: “online”
}
],
“occupationalCredentialAwarded”: “BSN”,
“numberOfCredits”: 120,
“educationalLevel”: “Bachelor’s Degree”,
“timeRequired”: “P4Y”
}
FAQPage Schema
For those FAQ sections. This makes your Q&A pairs directly extractable.
{
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Can I complete this program while working full-time?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Yes, our evening and weekend format is designed for working professionals…”
}
}
]
}
Event Schema
For open houses, information sessions, and application deadlines.
EducationalOrganization schema on your homepage — Define who you are
FAQPage schema on key program and admission pages — Quick win, high impact
Course schema on each academic program page — The biggest lift, but most valuable
Event schema on recruitment event pages — Good for search and AI
Full disclosure: implementing this well usually requires developer resources. Your marketing team can specify what needs to be marked up, but implementation typically needs IT involvement. It’s not a quick win, but it compounds over time. Once it’s in place, it keeps working.
Technical Foundations for AI Visibility
Technical SEO and Site Performance Still Matter
Technical SEO is essential for maintaining a website’s backend health and ensuring it can be identified by search engines. Site speed, mobile responsiveness, crawlability, and security (HTTPS) still matter. AI systems may not rank web pages the way traditional search engines do, but they do learn from sites that meet basic technical standards. Search engine optimization fundamentals haven’t gone away; they’re table stakes for any higher education SEO strategy.
If your higher ed website is slow, broken on mobile, or has crawl errors, fix that first. No amount of schema markup or AI-friendly content will overcome a site that doesn’t load. Run technical SEO audits before diving into the AI-specific optimizations. AI tools can automate tasks like competitor analysis, backlink monitoring, and technical SEO audits. Tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or AI-powered platforms like Semrush can streamline this analysis.
Managing AI Crawlers
AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity use their own crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot) to index content. You can control their access through robots.txt. Same as traditional search engines.
Most universities should allow these crawlers. If AI can’t access your content, AI can’t recommend you. But if you have gated content or specific sections you want to exclude, you can block specific bots:
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /internal-documents/
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Disallow: /internal-documents/
There’s also a newer standard emerging: llms.txt. This file (placed at your domain root, like robots.txt) tells AI systems how to interpret your site—what’s most important, how content relates, and what context matters. It’s not universally adopted yet, but worth watching as AI crawling matures.
Using AI to Support Student Recruitment
Everything above is about getting *found* by AI. But AI can also be a tool you use directly in recruitment. This section is optional reading (the core work is in the previous sections), but worth considering if you’re building out your digital strategy.
AI Chatbots for Enrollment
A lot of colleges and universities are implementing AI chatbots now. Some are doing it well. Most are not.
My take:
Do:
Use chatbots for high-volume, repetitive questions (office hours, application deadlines, document requirements, program listings)
Train them on your actual FAQ data — real questions from real students
Have clear handoff protocols to human staff for complex questions
Track what questions come up most often — this is gold for content strategy
Set appropriate expectations (tell users they’re talking to a bot)
Expect them to replace human connection — they augment, not replace
Use generic chatbot responses — customize for your institution
Forget to update the knowledge base as information changes
An important distinction: The 50% of students using AI search tools weekly? They’re not looking to talk to a bot on your website. They’re using ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews because they perceive these as unbiased, aggregated answers.
Your institutional chatbot serves a different purpose. Convenience and availability, not research.
A student at 11 pm who wants to know if their transcript was received?
Chatbot territory.
A student trying to decide between your program and a competitor?
That needs a human.
AI-Powered Personalization
Some colleges and universities are using AI tools to create more personalized digital experiences:
Homepage personalization
Showing different content based on visitor signals — location, referral source, previous visits, stated interests. A visitor from Texas sees Texas-specific information and regional alumni. A visitor who previously looked at nursing programs sees nursing content prominently.
Program recommendations
“Based on your interests, you might also consider…” recommendations powered by AI analysis of similar student paths.
Dynamic financial aid estimates
AI-powered calculators that provide personalized estimates based on student-provided information.
Email campaign personalization
Content customization within email campaigns based on recipient behavior and preferences.
AI personalization in action.
The caveat: privacy matters. FERPA applies to student records. GDPR may apply to international visitors. State privacy laws are evolving. Be thoughtful about what data you collect, how you use it, and how you communicate that to visitors.
The line between “helpful personalization” and “creepy surveillance” is real. Stay on the right side of it.
Measuring AI SEO and Search Engine Optimization Performance
You’ve audited, optimized, and implemented. How do you know if any of this is working?
Measuring AI visibility is nothing like measuring traditional SEO. It’s messier, less precise, and still evolving. And the metrics that matter are different. You’re not just tracking organic traffic, website traffic, and keyword rankings anymore. AI-driven search features are changing how students discover information, and AI-generated search results often summarize information without requiring users to click through to your website. You need new metrics for a new search strategy.
What You Can Track
Brand mentions across LLMs
AI SEO tracking tools like Scrunch, Profound, RankScale, and others now track how often your brand appears in AI responses across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.
Full disclosure, we use Scrunch at my agency, and I think it’s the most thorough option for agencies and enterprises. But there are others at different price points:
Scrunch: Enterprise-focused, full-stack tracking, API access
Profound: Enterprise-focused, detailed insights across 10+ AI engines, custom pricing
RankScale: Budget-friendly, credit-based pricing
The tracking piece is becoming a commodity. Most tools can tell you if you’re showing up. The differentiation is in what they do with that data.
Example AI visibility dashboard—showing metrics that matter.
Position in AI-generated lists
When someone asks “best X programs,” where do you show up? First? Fifth? Not at all? This is trackable and meaningful.
Citation rate
How often does AI cite your content as a source? This is particularly important for Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, which show their sources. Being cited is different from being mentioned; it’s a stronger signal.
Sentiment and accuracy
What does AI say about you? Is it positive, neutral, or negative? More importantly, is it accurate? Inaccuracies need to be addressed.
Competitor share of voice
How do you compare to competitors in AI recommendations? If students ask about your program category, who gets mentioned most?
What You Can’t (Easily) Track
Individual user conversations with AI (privacy and access limitations)
Exactly how AI weighs different factors (black box)
Real-time changes to AI recommendations (there’s always a lag)
Causal attribution (did they enroll because AI recommended you?)
Direct impact on website traffic from AI-driven search results (unlike Google Analytics for traditional search)
The “Windsock” Approach
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: all AI tracking data is imperfect. Analytics aren’t an absolute truth. They’re opinions with decimal points.
AI tracking tools are a windsock, not a GPS. They tell you direction, not precise position.
You’re looking for directional trends:
Are mentions increasing over time?
Is share of voice improving vs. competitors?
Are inaccuracies getting corrected after you update content?
Is sentiment trending positive?
Don’t obsess over precision. Don’t argue about whether you’re mentioned in 47% or 52% of relevant queries. Pick your tool, track consistently, and look for trends up and to the right over time.
Example AI visibility dashboard—showing metrics that matter.
What This Means for Higher Ed Marketers and Marketing Teams
Where do you actually start? These higher education SEO strategies need to fit into your broader web strategy. My recommendations, scaled to your marketing teams and resources:
If You Have Limited Resources (Marketing Team of 1-3)
Start here:
Audit what AI currently says about your institution. This takes 30 minutes and costs nothing. Open ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Ask the questions we covered. Document what’s wrong.
Fix factual inaccuracies on your website. If AI is saying something wrong, it probably learned it from your site (or from outdated information). Update your site.
Restructure your top 3-5 program pages. Pick your highest-priority programs. Add clear headings, FAQ sections, and outcomes data. This is manual work, but high impact.
Add FAQ sections to key pages. If you do nothing else, do this. FAQs are the easiest content for AI to cite.
If You Have Moderate Resources (Marketing Team of 4-10)
Add:
Implement basic schema markup. Start with EducationalOrganization on your homepage and FAQPage schema on key pages. This requires developer time but pays dividends.
Create a thorough “About” page optimized for AI. A single page that fully answers “What is [University Name]?” with specific data points, history, differentiators, and programs.
Set up tracking with an AI visibility tool. Pick one, commit to it, and track monthly. RankScale is affordable for smaller teams.
Train your content team on AI-friendly formatting. Share this guide. Make it part of your content standards.
If You’re Ready to Go Deep (Dedicated Digital Team)
Then:
Full schema implementation across all program pages. This is a project. Scope it, resource it, execute it systematically.
Competitive analysis based on AI presence. What are competitors doing that you’re not? Where are they getting cited and you’re not?
Ongoing optimization and monitoring program. Monthly reviews of AI visibility data. Quarterly content updates based on findings.
Integration with broader GEO strategy. AI SEO doesn’t exist in isolation. Connect it to your overall search strategy, content creation strategy, and brand strategy. Your SEO strategies should address both traditional search engines and AI platforms.
PR and content strategy aligned with AI visibility. Proactive outreach to get mentioned in publications AI learns from.
The Bottom Line: Adapting Higher Education SEO Strategies for AI
What this all comes down to:
Brand used to be what you said about yourself. You controlled the message.
Then it became what others said about you. Reviews, social media, word of mouth.
Now it’s what AI understands and believes about you. AI synthesizes everything (your content, others’ content, structured data, citations) and forms a representation of your institution that it shares with millions of users.
Universities that move early get the edge. The rest play catch-up.
The tactics here work. I’ve tested them. I’ve seen universities go from invisible in generative search results to consistently recommended. But tactics change. AI changes fast. What won’t change is the need to help AI systems understand who you are, what you offer, and why you matter.
Ultimately, that’s not so different from what we’ve always done in higher ed marketing. We’re just speaking to a new kind of audience. One that never sleeps, has perfect memory, and is advising a third of your prospective students.
The question isn’t whether to adapt. It’s how fast.
What’s Next
Ready to see where you stand?
Start with our free AI Website Grader at ai-grader.searchinfluence.com. It analyzes your site’s AI visibility and gives you a baseline to work from. Then schedule a conversation with our team to walk through the results and identify your highest-impact opportunities.
UPCEA/Search Influence: “AI Search in Higher Education” (2025 research study)
SparkToro/Datos: AI Search Usage Data reports
Google Search Central: AI Overviews documentation
Tools Mentioned:
ChatGPT
Claude
Perplexity
Google AI Overviews (in Google Search)
*Will Scott is cofounder of Search Influence, a digital marketing agency specializing in higher education. He teaches the SMX Masterclass on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and has been tracking the AI search space since late 2022. Connect with him on LinkedIn.*
Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation has engaged Search Influence to conduct a comprehensive AI SEO audit. This audit will focus on how the program’s academic content is represented across AI-driven and traditional search environments.
As generative search tools and AI-powered summaries continue to influence how people discover and evaluate academic programs, institutions are examining how their content appears, is summarized, and is connected across search platforms.
The Search Influence and Harvard Law School partnership reflects those evolving discovery patterns and the growing role of AI in early research.
Reviewing How Academic Content Is Interpreted by Search Systems
As part of this engagement, our team will evaluate how the Program on Negotiation’s existing digital content is interpreted by AI systems, including LLMs and other AI-generated search experiences. The audit will examine structural clarity, entity alignment, and contextual signals that influence whether the program’s academic expertise, programs, and resources are surfaced during AI search.
In parallel, we will also assess traditional SEO foundations. This includes reviewing how high-performing content is connected across the site and how effectively that content supports broader program awareness and discoverability across search experiences.
About the Program on Negotiation
Based at Harvard Law School, the Program on Negotiation is a university consortium dedicated to developing the theory and practice of negotiation, mediation, and dispute resolution. Founded in 1983 as a research initiative, the program brings together faculty, students, and practitioners from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University.
The program serves a global audience through executive education programs, faculty research, publications, training initiatives, and educational resources that support both academic study and applied practice.
A New Standard for Academic Visibility in Search
Search visibility is no longer limited to rankings or keywords. AI-driven systems increasingly shape which academic programs are surfaced, how expertise is summarized, and what information enters early consideration.
For institutions, this creates a new responsibility: ensuring that academic authority, depth, and context carry through as content is interpreted across evolving search environments. Understanding that representation is now a core part of a modern search strategy.
Our AI SEO audit work focuses on helping institutions gain clarity into how their existing content and signals are reflected across both AI-driven and traditional search systems.
Expert-Level AI SEO and Traditional SEO Services
If you’re responsible for visibility, enrollment, or institutional reputation, understanding how your programs appear across today’s search landscape is no longer optional.
At Search Influence, our seasoned team works with institutions to evaluate search visibility at a strategic level (across AI-driven platforms and traditional search) and to identify where alignment, clarity, and authority can be strengthened.
Explore our AI SEO and traditional SEO services to see how our work supports institutions navigating the next phase of search.
This post was updated by Paula French on 1/22/26 to reflect current best practices. It was originally published on 11/7/25
Key Insights
Half of all prospective students now use AI tools daily or weekly, making AI-optimized content and entity SEO essential for institutional visibility.
Fewer than 50% of higher ed marketers track cost per inquiry (CPI), even though those who do report stronger ROI and campaign satisfaction.
82% of prospective students are more likely to consider programs that appear on page one of search results, underscoring the link between SEO investment and enrollment growth.
Most universities lack a formal SEO strategy. 51% admit they don’t have a defined plan, leaving major opportunities for early adopters to dominate AI and organic search.
Integrated, data-driven marketing across SEO, content, email, and paid media consistently outperforms siloed efforts by improving student engagement, retention, and brand trust.
AI Overviews, social search, and shrinking applicant pools have rewritten how students discover programs.
The old playbook won’t cut it; higher education marketers need clear, actionable guidance fast. This FAQ compiles the most-searched questions we hear from universities and colleges and gives concise, research-backed answers you can apply today.
This guide draws on three cornerstone studies from Search Influence and UPCEA:
Together, these reports reveal how today’s students search, how institutions measure success, and where colleges can strengthen their digital foundations. By applying these insights, your marketing team can build an integrated strategy that reaches prospective students across multiple channels and platforms.
Ready to level up your visibility across digital marketing channels? Let’s start with the basics.
General Higher Education Marketing FAQ
What is higher education marketing?
Higher education marketing is the process of promoting academic programs and institutional value to attract, engage, and enroll students.
It helps higher education institutions communicate who they are, what they offer, and why they matter to students, families, and communities. Because prospective students make decisions over months or even years, higher ed marketing often targets multiple audiences, from high school students to alumni and employers.
Success depends on building a unified digital marketing strategy that combines brand storytelling with recruitment goals across multiple platforms. By integrating search engine optimization (SEO), digital advertising, content marketing, email marketing, social media, and PR, institutions can reach students at every stage of their decision-making journey while reinforcing trust and brand recognition.
What are common marketing mistakes colleges make?
Common marketing mistakes include underfunding SEO, inconsistent messaging, and failing to track ROI.
Many colleges focus heavily on awareness but neglect measurable outcomes like inquiries or conversions. Others overlook technical SEO, rely on outdated personas, or split marketing and admissions efforts into silos, causing disjointed communication.
According to Search Influence and UPCEA’s Marketing Metrics Report, fewer than half of higher education marketers consistently track cost per inquiry (CPI), making it difficult to prove campaign performance.
To avoid these pitfalls, institutions should refresh audience research, develop clear KPIs, and schedule regular SEO and accessibility audits to keep content relevant and visible.
How can AI improve college marketing campaigns?
AI improves college marketing campaigns by helping institutions analyze data, personalize outreach, and optimize performance.
Artificial intelligence can identify which students are most likely to apply, surface trending keywords, and even predict when to re-engage inactive prospects. AI-powered chatbots and automation tools also allow universities to provide instant responses and tailor messaging to individual interests.
Search Influence’s 2025 research found that 50% of prospective students use AI search tools weekly, and 1 in 3 trust those tools for program research. With proper oversight and brand alignment, colleges can use AI to streamline workflows, improve targeting, and stay visible in AI-driven search environments.
How do colleges measure marketing success?
Colleges measure marketing success by tracking metrics like inquiries, applications, conversion rates, and cost per inquiry.
These indicators show how effectively marketing turns awareness into enrollment. A strong measurement plan tracks the full student funnel — from impression to click, inquiry, application, and enrollment — using tools like CRM systems, GA4, and Looker Studio dashboards.
The most effective higher ed marketing teams use dashboards like Looker Studio, Power BI, or Tableau to create data visualizations and surface the metrics that matter.
Search Influence’s Marketing Metrics study found the average CPI for professional and online education is about $140. Institutions that review KPIs monthly and adjust quarterly see better alignment between marketing efforts and enrollment goals, improving both efficiency and ROI.
How has higher education marketing changed in 2025?
Higher education marketing strategies in 2025 have shifted toward AI-driven search, conversational content, and data-informed decision-making.
Students now rely on AI tools, social search, and short-form video to discover programs instead of just traditional search engines.
As a result, institutions must create structured, citation-ready content that answers questions quickly and builds trust. With 1 in 3 students trusting AI for research, universities that adapt early with AI-optimized content, transcripts, and accessible multimedia will gain a lasting visibility advantage.
What’s the role of marketing in student retention?
Marketing supports student retention by maintaining engagement and strengthening community after enrollment.
Consistent communication helps students feel informed, supported, and connected to campus resources and culture. When retention-focused marketing shares success stories, wellness initiatives, and career resources, it reinforces the value of the student’s decision to attend.
Retention campaigns might include orientation emails, progress check-ins, and alumni outreach. By treating current students as an ongoing audience, institutions improve satisfaction, increase graduation rates, and build loyalty that lasts beyond commencement.
How should universities balance brand awareness and program-specific marketing?
Universities should balance brand awareness and program-specific marketing by distinguishing long-term reputation goals from short-term enrollment targets.
Brand campaigns showcase the institution’s mission, faculty excellence, and campus life, while program campaigns speak directly to prospective students evaluating their next step.
When both are managed under one unified digital strategy, the impact multiplies. Broad brand storytelling fuels recognition, and targeted program pages capture conversions. Shared messaging calendars and attribution tracking ensure that every channel, from video to search, contributes to the same institutional goals.
SEO for Higher Education FAQ
How is AI changing higher education search?
AI is transforming higher education search by prioritizing context, authority, and trust signals over keyword repetition.
According to our AI Search in Higher Education report, how prospective students search has become increasingly diversified: 84% use search engines, 61% use YouTube, and 50% use AI tools.
Institutions that adapt to AI-first search behaviors will see stronger rankings, visibility, and engagement.
How do universities benefit from search engine marketing?
Search engine marketing helps universities reach qualified students through a blend of paid and organic visibility.
SEO builds long-term authority and organic traffic, while paid search campaigns deliver immediate exposure for time-sensitive initiatives like application deadlines or open houses.
When SEO and paid ads work together, they cover the full student journey, helping institutions lower costs per inquiry while improving overall visibility.
What are common SEO mistakes colleges make?
Common SEO mistakes include outdated or unstructured content, a lack of strategic links to program pages, and a lack of citations for programs.
Next, we see weak internal linking and missed opportunities to drive prospects from blog pages to program pages.
Many institutions overlook technical elements like schema markup or have a challenge with implementing it as deeply as needed.
Search Influence’s SEO Readiness Research Study found that 51% of higher ed marketers lack a formal SEO strategy, and only 19% excelled in audits. Regular audits, technical maintenance, and clear governance can quickly improve performance and help colleges compete for attention online.
How does ChatGPT or Gemini impact higher ed SEO?
ChatGPT and Gemini are changing SEO by influencing how students consume information.
Instead of clicking through multiple websites, users often receive summarized answers directly within AI-generated results.
To stay visible, institutions must ensure their content is accurate, well-structured, and clearly attributed. Creating pages that answer student questions concisely, like tuition costs, outcomes, or requirements, increases the chances of being cited in AI Overviews.
Why are student testimonials essential for SEO success?
Student testimonials boost SEO by adding authentic content that reinforces expertise and trust.
Testimonials create fresh, relevant text that both search engines and prospective students value.
Featuring these stories on program pages, blogs, and video platforms supports Google’s E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and helps potential students see themselves in your campus community.
What’s the best approach to link building for higher education?
The most effective link building approach focuses on authority and relevance.
Universities can earn backlinks by publishing research, contributing expert commentary, and partnering with associations or media outlets.
Quality always outweighs quantity; credible academic and industry sources signal trust to search engines. Regularly reviewing link profiles ensures ongoing improvement without the risks of spammy or irrelevant backlinks.
How can universities appear in Google’s AI Overviews?
Universities appear in AI Overviews when their content is credible, well-structured, and up to date.
Successful universities create off-site citations through directories, earned media, and social channels that reinforce co-occurrence and co-citation.
Pages that use schema markup, summarize information clearly, and cite trustworthy sources are more likely to be pulled into generative results.
Updating program data quarterly, maintaining consistent branding, and writing in a clear, student-focused tone all improve a university’s ability to show in AI Overviews.
What is entity SEO, and why does it matter for colleges?
Entity SEO helps search engines understand a university’s identity, structure, and expertise. By marking up elements like programs, faculty, and events with schema and maintaining consistent naming conventions, institutions make it easier for search engines to recognize authority.
Strong entity SEO enhances visibility in both AI and traditional results, ensuring your institution is accurately represented wherever prospective students search.
Can Search Influence assist with social media as part of AI SEO?
Yes, Search Influence integrates social media and AI SEO strategies to help colleges strengthen visibility across both traditional and emerging search environments. Our approach connects entity optimization, structured data, and content strategy with social engagement signals.
Search Influence will guide your social media team or will produce optimized social media content in support of your SEO strategy.
This integration ensures that universities build authority where students spend their time (on search engines, AI tools, and social platforms), resulting in greater reach and improved brand perception.
Where can I find reliable recommendations for tracking competitor visibility in AI searches?
Tools like RankScale, Scrunch, and Profound can help universities monitor how competitors appear in AI-generated search results.
These tools track which websites are cited in AI Overviews, how often they’re mentioned, and what types of content earn inclusion. Using this data, marketing teams can identify content gaps, update program pages, and refine SEO strategies to stay competitive as AI-driven search continues to evolve.
Higher Education Paid Search FAQ
Can Search Influence help with paid digital advertising for universities?
Yes, Search Influence manages digital advertising campaigns that are built to generate qualified leads and maximize ROI.
Our team uses geo-targeting, remarketing, and deadline-based ad strategies to attract prospective students at key decision points.
Aligning paid campaigns with SEO and landing page optimization ensures cohesive messaging and better conversion rates across your digital marketing efforts.
What is paid search vs SEO?
Paid search provides (mostly) immediate visibility through paid placements, while SEO builds organic authority over time.
Both are essential to a balanced marketing strategy. Paid campaigns can drive quick results, while SEO ensures lasting presence.
When integrated, they reinforce each other: paid search captures attention now, and organic SEO keeps your institution visible long after the ad spend ends.
How can paid digital advertising (PPC) support enrollment campaigns?
Paid digital advertising (sometimes called PPC) supports enrollment campaigns by driving traffic to high-value program pages during key application and decision periods.
Ads highlighting deadlines, scholarships, or open houses meet students when urgency is highest.
With tools like lookalike audiences and remarketing lists, colleges can re-engage previous visitors and nurture them toward inquiry and enrollment.
What metrics matter most in higher ed paid digital advertising (PPC)?
Conversion rate, cost per inquiry, and return on ad spend are the most important metrics in higher education paid digital advertising (PPC).
Secondary indicators (like click-through rate, quality score, and impression share) help diagnose performance.
Tracking inquiries and applications through CRM data gives institutions a full picture of what drives real conversions, ensuring that budgets support measurable enrollment growth.
Should colleges bid on branded keywords?
Colleges should bid on branded keywords to protect visibility and prevent competitors from appearing above their own organic listings.
Branded campaigns are inexpensive, reinforce awareness, and ensure control over messaging.
By occupying both paid and organic positions, institutions increase credibility and make it easier for students to find official information quickly.
How does AI automation improve Google Ads performance?
AI automation enhances Google Ads performance by dynamically adjusting bids, targeting, and creative based on real-time engagement data.
Smart Bidding and Performance Max campaigns can optimize spend while identifying new audience opportunities.
Marketers should still monitor automation closely, ensuring that AI-driven adjustments align with institutional priorities, brand tone, and geographic goals.
Higher Education Content Marketing FAQ
How does Search Influence approach content marketing?
Search Influence approaches content marketing through a research-driven process that aligns every piece with SEO and audience intent.
It starts with an audit to identify opportunities and ends with measurable results in search visibility and student engagement.
Our strategy includes building content clusters, applying schema for clarity, and measuring outcomes like AI Overview inclusion and inquiry lift. The result is a scalable, data-informed system that helps institutions consistently publish high-performing, search-optimized content.
What is content marketing in higher education?
Content marketing in higher education uses educational storytelling to inform and inspire prospective students while building institutional trust. This approach includes creating program guides, faculty Q&As, alumni success stories, and student life videos, all tailored to different stages of the enrollment journey.
Because prospective students spend significant time researching before applying, consistent, high-quality content helps position universities as credible sources of information. A well-organized content library improves search rankings, nurtures leads, and supports long-term brand awareness.
What content helps convert prospective students online?
Content that converts prospective students combines transparency, proof, and personality.
Decision-making students look for information about tuition, career outcomes, accreditation, and campus culture. They also rely on authentic voices, such as student testimonials and alumni stories, to validate their choices.
To increase conversions, universities should highlight outcomes, answer cost-related questions directly, and include clear CTAs such as “Request Information” or “Apply Now.”
Research from Search Influence shows that 82% of prospects are more likely to consider programs that appear on page one, underscoring the link between optimized content and enrollment success.
What tools are best for managing higher education content marketing campaigns?
The best tools for higher education content marketing streamline planning, optimization, and reporting.
Platforms like HubSpot, SEMrush, Clearscope, and MarketMuse allow teams to manage campaigns, track SEO performance, and measure engagement in one place.
Paired with collaboration tools like Asana or Notion, these systems help marketing teams coordinate across departments and maintain consistent messaging. Monitoring AI search performance with tools like RankScale or Profound adds another layer of insight, helping institutions stay competitive in emerging search environments.
How can universities repurpose existing content?
Universities can repurpose content by adapting top-performing assets into new formats to reach different audiences.
Regularly updating and linking repurposed content increases its lifespan and search value. A quarterly refresh of stats, links, and calls to action ensures content remains accurate and relevant to prospective students.
How do you create content that performs well in AI Overviews?
Content performs best in AI Overviews when it’s concise, structured, and authoritative.
Pages that clearly answer questions, include schema markup, and cite reputable sources are more likely to be featured in AI-generated summaries.
Breaking long content into sections, adding TL;DR summaries, and maintaining up-to-date statistics all help AI tools recognize value and accuracy. Universities that optimize for clarity and structure are better positioned to appear in both AI and traditional search results.
What role does accessibility play in higher ed content marketing?
Accessibility ensures that every student can access and understand institutional content, regardless of ability or device.
Accessible pages — those with alt text, transcripts, readable design, and proper heading structure — improve both usability and SEO.
Beyond compliance, accessibility signals inclusivity and professionalism, strengthening brand trust. Accessible content also performs better in search because it’s easier for major search engines and AI systems to interpret.
Email Marketing for Higher Education FAQ
What is higher education email marketing?
Higher education email marketing is the practice of nurturing relationships with prospects, students, and alumni through personalized communication at each stage of the student lifecycle. Unlike generic campaigns, effective email strategies deliver content that reflects the recipient’s goals and timeline.
When emails are segmented by audience and behavior, such as application status or event participation, they create a sense of relevance that drives engagement and enrollment.
What are the benefits of email marketing for colleges?
Email marketing benefits colleges by providing a direct, measurable way to engage prospective and current students.
It delivers high ROI, builds brand awareness, and reinforces trust by keeping communication consistent throughout the decision-making process.
Email plays a critical role in conversion by guiding students from awareness to action.
Well-timed sequences can nurture interest with program highlights, student stories, and reminders about upcoming deadlines.
Each message builds confidence, encouraging students to move from inquiry to application. When combined with personalized calls to action and responsive design, email becomes one of the most reliable conversion tools in enrollment marketing.
How can universities improve email engagement rates?
Universities can improve email engagement by segmenting audiences, personalizing content, and testing messages.
Emails that reference a student’s program of interest or desired start term feel more personal and relevant.
Short subject lines, strong preview text, and mobile-friendly formatting also improve open and click rates. Maintaining list hygiene and monitoring deliverability ensures that your most engaged contacts always see your messages.
How should email integrate with other higher ed marketing channels?
Email works best when it complements SEO, social media, and paid campaigns.
When a prospect engages with a search ad or social post, follow-up emails can provide more detail, invite them to a virtual event, or connect them with an admissions counselor.
This omnichannel approach keeps communication consistent across touchpoints and helps institutions track the full impact of their digital marketing strategies.
How often should colleges email prospective students?
Most colleges email prospects weekly during active recruitment seasons and scale back to biweekly or monthly when engagement naturally slows.
Frequency should balance consistency with respect for inbox fatigue.
Using preference centers or opt-down options allows prospects to control how often they hear from you, improving engagement while reducing unsubscribes.
What’s a good open rate benchmark for higher ed?
A good email open rate ranges from 17-28%, depending on audience size and message type. Smaller, more targeted lists usually perform best because they deliver content tailored to specific interests.
Regularly testing subject lines, send times, and content length can reveal what resonates most with your audience and help refine your email marketing strategy.
Snap Poll FAQ: AI Search Strategy in Higher Education
In October 2025, UPCEA partnered with Search Influence to conduct a snap poll examining how higher education institutions are responding to the rise of AI-powered search usage. The poll was shared through UPCEA’s Membership Matters newsletter and the UPCEA CORe discussion site, reaching marketers and leaders across higher education.
A total of 30 UPCEA members participated, offering a real-time snapshot of institutional readiness for AI search. The questions and response breakdowns below reflect current strategy, challenges, and tracking practices. Together, they highlight a consistent theme seen across Search Influence and UPCEA research: while awareness of AI search is widespread, execution, measurement, and infrastructure are still developing across many institutions.
Which of the following best describes your institution’s current strategy
for addressing the rise of AI-powered search tools (e.g., Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)?
60%: We’re in the early stages of exploring how to adapt to AI search
30%: We have a formal strategy and are actively optimizing content for AI tools
6.67%: We know it’s important, but haven’t taken any action yet
3.33%: We don’t think AI search will significantly impact student discovery
What challenges does your institution face in adapting to AI-powered search? Select all that apply.
70%: Competing initiatives or limited bandwidth
36.67%: Lack of in-house expertise or training
26.67%: Unclear return on investment (ROI)
26.67%: Uncertainty about how AI search works or what to do next
26.67%: Leadership buy-in or institutional support is missing
10%: Other
Has your institution’s website appeared in AI-generated search results (e.g., Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity)?
56.67%: Yes — we know it does
26.67%: Maybe — we’ve seen it once or twice, but don’t track
3.33%: No — not that we’re aware
13.33%: Not sure
Which of the following best describes how your institution tracks visibility in AI-generated search results?
64.29%: With a tool or tools
28.57%: We don’t track this formally
7.14%: Manually
What are the reasons behind your team’s current approach to AI search? Select all that apply.
59.26%: To ensure accurate and trustworthy information is presented in AI tools
48.15%: To increase visibility and stay competitive in search rankings
22.22%: Other priorities are taking precedence right now
14.81%: We’re waiting to see how AI search evolves before taking action
11.11%: Other
Marketing for Higher Education Research
Search Influence’s higher education marketing research helps universities make data-driven decisions and adapt to AI-era search. In partnership with UPCEA, these reports provide education marketing benchmarks leaders can act on. Supporting budget asks, KPI frameworks, and practical AI SEO ramp plans that align institutional priorities with enrollment marketing campaigns.
AI Search in Higher Education: How Prospects Search in 2025
This study shows how students increasingly use AI tools to explore and evaluate programs, and what that means for your visibility. We found that 50% of prospects use AI weekly, 1 in 3 trust AI for program research, and 82% prefer programs on page one of search results.
The report explains which platforms students use most, how often, and why trust varies by task. You’ll also see how YouTube and university websites influence AI-assisted decisions and how early movers gain a durable edge.
The takeaway is clear: SEO is a prerequisite for AI visibility, and institutions that operationalize AI-ready content now will win share.
Marketing Metrics Research Report: What Gets Measured Gets Managed
This report details how tracking cost per inquiry and campaign performance improves marketing efficiency and team confidence. Benchmarks include an average CPI of about $140, with email commonly managed in-house and digital advertising more often outsourced.
We highlight persistent gaps, fewer than half of teams track CPI consistently, and show how to fix them with standardized definitions, shared dashboards, and quarterly target setting. You’ll learn which metrics correlate with higher satisfaction and where to focus first to tighten attribution.
Use these insights to build executive-ready reporting that unlocks smarter budget allocation.
This study reveals that most institutions view SEO as foundational but lack a formal plan and consistent reporting. Findings include 51% of universities are without an SEO strategy, only 19% excel in third-party audits, and just 31% of institutional leaders receive regular SEO updates.
We outline concrete risks and map the fixes. Recommendations include governance models, entity maps, structured data, and content refresh rhythms tied to academic calendars.
The study is a practical roadmap for building sustainable SEO operations.
Learn More About Our Higher Education Marketing Agency
Search Influence is a higher education digital marketing agency that helps universities attract, engage, and enroll students through data-driven strategies.
From AI-ready SEO and content to paid media and analytics, we partner with colleges and universities to extend reach, raise organic traffic, and convert interest into enrollments across multiple channels.
Student discovery now happens across multiple channels and moments, not a single search engine. Prospects move fluidly between platforms, which means visibility must extend across every place they form early impressions.
AI summaries are becoming the new first impression for many learners. With 79% reading AI Overviews, institutions must ensure AI tools surface accurate, compelling information about their programs.
Most institutions recognize AI’s impact but lack the structure to act on it. Bandwidth, expertise, and unclear ownership are keeping teams from implementing consistent, repeatable AI search strategies.
Foundational SEO directly fuels AI visibility, accuracy, and trust. Structured content, semantic clarity, and authoritative signals shape how search engines and generative tools interpret and cite your institution.
Search Influence’s SEO framework is built for the intersection of rankings, AI summaries, and enrollment outcomes. Our approach unifies semantic SEO, AI visibility tracking, and full-funnel analytics to help institutions stay competitive across every modern discovery surface.
Prospects aren’t following a straight line to your programs anymore. They’re bouncing between Google, AI, YouTube, and university websites depending on what they need in the moment.
Some want quick clarity.
Some want more depth.
All expect quick answers to their questions, wherever they look.
That’s why SEO now operates as the connective tissue across every discovery channel. It strengthens the signals that help Google rank you, AI tools describe you, and students recognize you early on.
Search Influence’s SEO approach is built for this reality, where traditional search, AI-driven discovery, and enrollment outcomes converge. Here’s a closer look at the new search playing field, plus how our team keeps your programs at the forefront of the conversation.
How Prospective Students Search Today
After years of predictable search behavior (primarily with Google), student discovery has become far more multi-channel.
To understand how prospects search today, UPCEA and Search Influence conducted AI Search in Higher Education: How Prospects Search in 2025, a study surveying 760 adults exploring professional and continuing education (PCE) programs. The responses provide a clear view of the platforms learners rely on as they compare options and develop early awareness.
When searching specifically for information about programs and degrees:
84% use search engines
61% use YouTube
50% use AI tools
Instead of following one path, students build context from multiple places (i.e, search results, videos, AI answers, and university pages), depending on what helps them understand the basics, compare details, or evaluate a brand’s presence.
AI search now shapes first impressions
As prospects move between channels, AI often becomes the place where they check their understanding or look for a quick comparison. The AI Search Research Study found that:
79% read Google’s AI Overviews
56% trust the brands cited by AI
Those two behaviors matter even more in the broader context of student decision-making. Industry research shows that 67% of learners start with a consideration set of three schools or fewer. That means most prospects narrow their options early, and AI-generated summaries increasingly influence who earns a spot in that small set.
If AI tools cite your institution in response to user queries, you stay visible in those early moments of interest. If your presence is weak or inconsistent, competitors fill the gap, often before a prospect reaches your website.
Most Institutions Have Opportunity With AI Search
Even as AI becomes a bigger part of how prospects form early impressions, many colleges and universities are still figuring out how to respond. To understand where teams stand today, UPCEA conducted the AI Search Strategy in Higher Education Snap Poll in October 2025, surveying 30 members about their readiness and efforts.
The results show a clear opportunity: Most institutions recognize the importance of AI search, but few have the structure or processes to act on it consistently.
Awareness is high, execution is thin
Across the surveyed members, interest in AI search was largely widespread, but most teams have not yet fully implemented it. Many are still figuring out how AI fits alongside SEO, online advertising, email marketing, analytics, and their broader digital marketing mix.
According to the poll:
60% are exploring AI search but haven’t implemented tactics
30% have a formal AI search strategy
10% haven’t begun planning or don’t believe AI will influence program discovery
This gap between awareness and activation is where many institutions are feeling the pressure. AI is evolving quickly, but internal processes and resources haven’t caught up.
The barriers are structural
For the institutions that haven’t formalized an AI search strategy, the obstacles are operational. Surveyed members cited the following limitations:
Bandwidth: Competing priorities leave little time to evaluate AI search needs.
Expertise: Many teams aren’t yet confident in how AI intersects with SEO, content, or analytics.
Capacity: Even with interest, there often isn’t enough staff to take on new frameworks or governance models.
Uncertainty about ROI: Leaders want clearer evidence of impact before committing resources.
The challenge isn’t a lack of intent. It’s the internal constraints that make it difficult to build something consistent, repeatable, and owned across teams.
Many institutions don’t know if they show up in AI
Another challenge highlighted in the poll is the uncertainty around AI visibility itself. Many teams simply aren’t sure how their institution appears (or if it appears) in AI-generated responses.
When respondents were asked whether their institution shows up in AI answers:
56.7% said yes
26.7% said maybe
13.3% were unsure
Even among those who track their presence, only 64.29% use structured or formal methods. Most rely on manual spot checks or individual queries, which makes it difficult to understand accuracy, consistency, or how visibility changes over time.
This ambiguity makes it harder to know whether AI tools are surfacing the right details about your programs, faculty, tuition, or modality.
Foundational SEO Fuels AI Visibility and Enrollment Growth
With student discovery spreading across more surfaces, one truth becomes clear: Your programs can’t earn consideration if they aren’t visible when and where prospects look.
This is where strong foundational SEO becomes your strategic advantage. It strengthens the signals that influence both your traditional rankings and your presence in AI-generated summaries, the same summaries prospects increasingly use to form their first impressions.
Visibility won’t close an inquiry on its own, but it gives your programs a seat at the table.
Traditional SEO + AI SEO work together
A common misconception is that AI search exists outside the world of SEO. In reality, AI systems depend on the same structured, authoritative content that drives strong organic rankings.
AI tools pull from the information available in the Google index and other trusted sources. If your pages lack clarity, structure, or credibility signals, AI systems have less to retrieve and summarize.
Weak SEO leads to missing citations, outdated or incomplete details, and entity signals that are too thin for AI tools to interpret confidently.
Strong SEO increases the likelihood that your programs appear accurately in both search results and AI-generated answers, which boosts trust early in a learner’s process.
When marketers think about SEO and AI visibility as intertwined rather than separate tracks, the work becomes more streamlined and more impactful.
The three forces that make or break AI visibility
Our Co-Founder and CEO, Will Scott, often summarizes what AI-ready SEO requires with a simple, three-part framework:
Structure it.
Chunk it.
Distribute it.
This framework is what turns your website into content AI can reliably read, segment, and reuse.
Structure: Semantic SEO and the Knowledge Graph
AI systems and search engines rely on semantic clarity to understand how your institution, programs, faculty, and credentials relate to one another. Structuring your content strengthens the signals that feed the Knowledge Graph, the database of entities and relationships that both Google and AI models use to interpret meaning.
To structure your content, focus on:
Entity clarity: making program names, modalities, credentials, costs, and outcomes explicit and consistent across your site.
Schema markup: providing machine-readable context that reinforces those details and anchors them to recognized entity types.
Semantic triples: defining “who you are,” “what you offer,” and “who you serve” in a format AI systems can parse, store, and reuse.
When your content is structured this way, AI tools are far better equipped to retrieve accurate information about your institution and surface it in Overviews, summaries, and comparison answers.
Chunking: AI-readable content architecture
AI models don’t scan a page top-to-bottom the way a human does. They break content into discrete “chunks,” or self-contained sections that they can classify, interpret, and reuse. The clearer those chunks are, the more reliably AI systems can surface accurate information about your programs.
To chunk your content, focus on:
Short, intentional sections: focused paragraphs that keep each idea or task confined to one area.
Intent-aligned headers: descriptive headings that signal exactly what the section explains or answers.
FAQ-style responses: direct, self-contained answers to common queries that AI models can retrieve cleanly.
Scannable program pages: layouts that separate outcomes, costs, modality, and requirements into distinct, easy-to-parse segments.
Done right, chunked content helps AI models lift and reuse the right information without guessing at context. It also improves the human experience, making pages easier to navigate, helping prospects stay longer, and supporting the engagement metrics that strengthen organic visibility.
Distribution: Expanding your entity footprint across the web
Even with strong on-page structure and clear content chunks, AI models still look for validation beyond your website. The more your institution appears across credible sources, the easier it is for AI systems to “trust” you and surface you in summaries and comparisons.
To distribute your content, focus on:
Links: trusted sites pointing to your pages, strengthening authority signals that both search engines and AI models rely on.
Citations: brand mentions across third-party platforms (even without a link) that reinforce relevance within your field or topic area.
Barnacle SEO: placing your programs on high-authority sites that already rank for the terms your audience searches for. By “attaching” to these strong surfaces, you benefit from their visibility.
Faculty and program presence: profiles, publications, and features that broaden the network of entities connected to your institution.
While university domains are generally strong, individual programs or schools often lack the external authority signals needed for AI visibility, which is why building these signals remains an essential part of the work.
How Search Influence’s SEO Solves the AI Visibility Challenge
Higher ed teams need visibility that performs across the full funnel: in rankings, AI summaries, paid surfaces, and every point where prospects compare programs.
That’s the environment we build for.
Search Influence combines long-standing SEO expertise with modern AI-driven search strategies, digital advertising, website optimization, and lead tracking. As a New Orleans–based digital marketing agency serving institutions nationwide, we focus on ROI-driven execution: reaching the right audience, developing strategies that scale, and using the right metrics to show what’s working.
Recognized leaders in SEO, AI search, and higher education strategy
We pair two decades of SEO leadership with a leading role in AI search innovation. As an UPCEA Platinum Partner and early mover in AI SEO/GEO (generative engine optimization), we help institutions stay visible as search behavior evolves.
National thought leadership, with frequent speaking roles on SEO, GEO, AI visibility, and enrollment strategy.
Deep technical and content strength, from semantic SEO to website optimization and competitive analysis.
A full-funnel, ROI-focused digital approach that integrates SEO, paid ads, analytics, and targeted advertising to support both discovery and conversion.
This combination helps institutions strengthen their presence, outpace competitors, and achieve visibility where decisions begin.
Full-service, hybrid, or consulting: three ways to work with us
Every institution’s structure is different. Some need a full agency partnership. Others want a hybrid model that supports their in-house marketing team. Others prefer consulting to level up staff and refine direction.
We offer all three:
Full-service visibility strategy: We manage SEO/AI SEO strategy, execution, and evaluation. That means we plan, write, and implement content on your site. We also identify and secure citations, and we write content for social media that supports your AI search visibility.
Hybrid execution: Our team collaborates with yours, sharing responsibilities while keeping strategy, priorities, and performance tightly aligned. We handle strategy and performance evaluation. The execution is shared between your team and ours, depending on your strengths and capacity. We hold you and your team accountable for the completion of SEO projects to deliver results.
SEO & marketing consulting: We deliver expert, actionable guidance for institutions that want a clear roadmap for what to do and how to do it. Your team receives training and coaching. You get a partner for questions to help your team execute and learn first-class AI SEO.
Each model gives you flexibility, strategic alignment, and transparency around performance. And if you’re unsure which option fits your structure, our Higher Ed SEO In-House vs. Outsource Quiz helps you assess your needs and internal bandwidth.
Comprehensive AI visibility tracking
Most institutions don’t have a reliable way to measure how they appear in AI-generated answers or how that visibility affects traffic and inquiries. Our tracking framework closes that gap by giving teams a clear view of performance across AI search, Google, and the full enrollment funnel.
AI Traffic Report (GA4): Connects AI-influenced behavior to site traffic and engagement so you can see how visibility supports inquiry movement using the right metrics.
AI Visibility Tracker (Scrunch-powered): Monitors where and how your institution appears in AI summaries, citations, and comparisons.
This gives higher ed marketers the clarity they need to understand how AI contributes to discovery and where opportunities exist to drive visibility across the funnel.
Strengthen Your AI Search Visibility With Search Influence’s SEO Roadmap
Institutions often know they need stronger visibility across Google and AI search, but they aren’t sure where to start, or how to make progress without adding new workload to an already stretched team. Our SEO Roadmap gives you a clear, actionable plan built for today’s discovery environment, one where rankings, AI summaries, and enrollment outcomes all influence one another.
It’s a quick, low-risk way to evaluate your current position, identify the highest-impact opportunities, and show leadership what’s possible with the right strategy. (P.S. You can purchase through an online checkout – no contracts to run through legal!!)
What the SEO Roadmap helps you uncover
Keyword strategy
A clear view of what prospects search, where you appear today, and the opportunities you’re missing.
Content strategy
Specific updates to strengthen existing pages, gaps to fill with new content, and formats that perform well in both rankings and AI-generated summaries.
Technical SEO improvements
Site limitations, experience blockers, and structural fixes that influence visibility, crawlability, and AI interpretation.
Authority & link building
The external signals that matter most: profiles, directories, citations, and placements across trusted surfaces that boost credibility with search engines and AI tools.
When an SEO Roadmap is right for you
You’re concerned about how AI impacts visibility and early consideration.
Your team lacks bandwidth or dedicated SEO expertise.
New programs are launching and need fast, authoritative visibility.
Leadership wants clearer proof points before expanding investment.
Organic performance is stagnating or declining.
You’re paying for SEO tools but don’t have capacity to fully use them.
The Roadmap is designed to give higher ed marketers clarity, direction, and momentum, especially when internal teams are balancing competing priorities and evolving expectations.
Case Study: AI-First SEO Fuels Enrollment in a Crowded Market
Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) came to us with a challenge many institutions recognize: launching new online programs in a competitive market where larger universities already dominate visibility. They needed search and AI recognition quickly, both to build awareness and to compete for early consideration.
The strategy
We focused on building the authority, clarity, and structure that AI tools and search engines rely on:
Visibility & authority signals
Restructured academic content
Strengthened semantic and entity signals
Prepared high-value pages for AI citation
Conversion & user pathway improvements
Updated on-page messaging
Added program videos
Improved research and navigation pathways
Content development
Keyword-driven blogs
Instructor spotlights
High-salience academic pages
Together, these updates created a strong ecosystem of signals that both humans and AI systems could interpret consistently.
The results
MECA&D saw rapid, measurable growth in visibility and enrollment outcomes:
77% above enrollment goal
3,894% increase in ranking keywords
171% increase in website sessions
Programs now appearing in AI search
Named a US Agency Awards 2025 Finalist for Best SEO Campaign
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Search Influence’s SEO effective in AI search?
Search Influence’s SEO is effective in AI search because it is grounded in continuous testing, applied expertise, and real performance data across evolving AI systems.
Rather than chasing isolated tactics, we study how large language models and generative search engines interpret, summarize, and cite institutional content. Our team validates SEO decisions through structured experimentation, longitudinal analysis, and AI visibility tracking, allowing us to refine strategies based on what consistently improves authority, clarity, and citation likelihood.
The result is SEO built on evidence, not assumptions, that helps institutions earn stronger visibility in rankings, AI summaries, and early-stage discovery.
How does AI SEO differ from traditional SEO for higher education?
AI SEO builds on the foundation of traditional SEO by optimizing your content for how generative tools interpret, segment, and reuse information.
Traditional SEO focuses on rankings, keywords, backlinks, and on-page experience. AI SEO adds layers of semantic clarity, entity relationships, structured data, and chunked content that allow AI tools to retrieve accurate details about your programs. Institutions that strengthen both are better positioned across the full discovery journey.
Can generative AI tools replace SEO work?
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can support tasks such as keyword research, content ideation, and early drafting, but they cannot replace the strategic work of an SEO specialist.
SEO requires technical expertise, structured content planning, competitive analysis, governance, and ongoing optimization, all areas where AI still cannot make informed decisions or evaluate impact. AI accelerates parts of the workflow, but the strategy, accuracy, and prioritization must come from an experienced SEO team.
How does Search Influence track visibility across AI platforms?
Search Influence tracks AI visibility using a combination of GA4-based traffic analysis and Scrunch-powered citation monitoring to capture how your institution appears in summaries, answers, and comparisons.
We measure prompt-level behavior, accuracy of surfaced program details, competitive presence, and shifts over time. Together, these tools demonstrate how AI impacts discovery, how students encounter your information, and where further optimization can enhance your visibility.
Why does SEO directly impact enrollment growth in an AI-driven search journey?
Search behavior has changed. Prospective students increasingly rely on search engines, AI summaries, and comparison tools to shape their first impressions, and institutions that are not visible in these environments are simply excluded from consideration.
SEO directly impacts enrollment growth because it determines whether your programs appear during these early decision moments. When your information is structured, authoritative, and accessible to AI systems, you enter the consideration set sooner. Strong SEO strengthens visibility, reinforces credibility signals, attracts qualified prospects, and supports the full enrollment funnel from discovery through inquiry.
Secure Your Competitive Edge Across Search and AI
Visibility gaps in search and AI don’t fix themselves. They widen over time, especially as students rely more heavily on AI summaries and comparison tools.
Our SEO Roadmap shows you how to close those gaps with targeted updates to content, structure, authority, and tracking. It’s built for teams who need clarity, quick wins, and a strategy that leadership can confidently support.
Take the next step toward stronger rankings, stronger AI performance, and stronger enrollment outcomes. Reserve your SEO Roadmap today.
What 2025 Research Tells Us About AI Visibility, Zero-Click Search, and Enrollment Strategy
Executive Summary
Here’s the reality: the way prospective graduate students find and evaluate programs has changed faster than most of us anticipated. Research from across 2025 — including original survey data from UPCEA and Search Influence (n=705) — shows that half of all prospects now use AI tools weekly, while 82% are more likely to consider programs appearing on page one of search results. Zero-click searches have climbed to 69% of all Google queries. AI Overviews now appear on nearly half of search results.
And this is just where we are today. The trajectory for 2026 is clear.
Key Findings at a Glance
Metric
2025 Finding
Implication for 2026
Source
AI tool usage (weekly+)
50% of prospects
Expect 60%+ as tools improve
UPCEA/Search Influence
Page one consideration
82% more likely
AI citations become equally critical
UPCEA/Search Influence
Zero-click searches
69% of queries
Will exceed 75% for informational
Similarweb/SparkToro
AI Overview reach
1.5B monthly users
Expanding to 80%+ of queries
Google Q1 2025
ChatGPT weekly users
800 million
Continued exponential growth
OpenAI September 2025
AI in college search
23% (6x from 2023)
35-40% projected
Carnegie 2025
So what does this mean for 2026? Traditional higher education SEO and paid search remain foundational—that hasn’t changed. But they’re no longer sufficient on their own. Institutions that fail to invest in AI search optimization and AI visibility strategy risk disappearing from the consideration set entirely, before prospects ever visit a website.
The institutions that act now on GEO for higher education will have a 12-month head start on those still debating whether this matters.
The State of AI Search: Where We Are and Where We’re Headed
The Adoption Curve Has Been Steeper Than Anyone Expected
I’ll be honest: when we started tracking AI adoption in college search two years ago, I didn’t expect to see numbers like these so quickly.
According to Carnegie’s 2025 Summer Research Series, AI usage in the college search process jumped from 4% in 2023 to 10% in 2024 to 23% in 2025—nearly 6x in two years. Rising students show even higher adoption at 25%, while parents trail slightly at 21%.
If this trajectory holds—and there’s no indication it won’t—we’re looking at 35-40% AI usage in college search by the end of 2026. For graduate and professional programs, where prospects skew older and more research-oriented, adoption may be even higher.
The UPCEA/Search Influence study of 705 qualified respondents (March 2025) digs deeper into professional and continuing education prospects specifically:
24% use AI-powered tools daily
26% use them weekly
18% use them a few times per month
17% never use AI tools for search
Younger prospects show higher daily and weekly usage, which isn’t surprising. But here’s what caught my attention: even among older demographics, the “never use” category is a minority. This isn’t a Gen Z phenomenon anymore. By 2026, the “never use” segment will likely shrink to single digits.
Search Engines Still Dominate—But the Picture Is Getting More Complicated
When researching professional and continuing education programs, prospects use multiple platforms, often in the same search session:
Platform Usage for PCE Program Research (UPCEA/Search Influence 2025)
Platform
Extremely/Very Likely to Use
Traditional search engines
84%
University/college websites
63%
AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini)
36%
AI search engines
35%
Social media platforms
34%
Here’s the number that should get your attention: AI-assisted tools now warrant the same strategic investment as social media, where institutions spend an average of $166,303 annually on advertising, according to UPCEA’s 2024 Marketing Survey. Are you spending proportionally on AI visibility for your university? Most graduate enrollment marketing teams aren’t—yet. By 2026, that gap will separate the visible from the invisible.
The Lines Between “Search” and “Browse” Have Blurred Permanently
We asked respondents which platforms they use “in a way similar to how you would use a traditional search engine.” The results tell us something important about how prospects actually behave:
YouTube: 61%
AI-powered search tools: 50%
Amazon: 32%
Instagram: 28%
Reddit: 28%
Prospects don’t distinguish between “search” and “browsing” the way we do in marketing meetings. YouTube is a search engine to them. ChatGPT is a search engine. Instagram is a search engine. Your content has to work across all of them, or you’re only reaching part of your audience.
For 2026 planning, this means content strategy can’t be siloed by platform. The same information needs to exist in formats optimized for each discovery channel.
The Zero-Click Search Reality: Planning for a Post-Click World
Most Searches Don’t Result in Clicks Anymore
Zero-click searches—queries where users get answers directly from search results without visiting a website—have reached a tipping point:
69% of Google searches ended without a click (May 2025), up from 56% in May 2024
60-63% of all Google searches result in zero clicks according to SparkToro/Similarweb
70-90% click-through rate decline when AI Overviews appear
Google’s AI Overviews now reach 1.5 billion monthly users as of Q1 2025. The feature appears on 47% of searches today, with Google’s internal testing suggesting this will exceed 80% for informational queries in the near future.
For 2026 planning: Assume zero-click will exceed 75% for the informational queries that drive graduate program research. Questions like “What are the admission requirements for [Program X]?” or “How much does an MBA cost?”—exactly the queries your prospects are typing—will increasingly be answered without a click.
What Zero-Click Search Means for 2026 Graduate Enrollment Marketing
The implications for university marketing teams are significant, and I don’t think we should sugarcoat them:
Traditional funnel metrics are becoming less reliable.
If prospects get answers about tuition, deadlines, and program details from AI summaries, they may form opinions about your institution without ever reaching your website. Your analytics won’t capture that interaction. You’ll have incomplete data on what’s actually influencing enrollment decisions.
2026 action: Build brand visibility metrics alongside click metrics. Track AI citations, brand mentions, and sentiment—not just traffic. This requires a different approach to higher education analytics.
You’re paying more for declining performance.
Everspring reports that the average cost-per-click for higher education terms has increased 45% year-over-year, while performance has declined. That’s a rough combination that will only intensify.
2026 action: Rebalance paid media budgets. The ROI calculus on traditional higher education PPC is shifting. Organic AI visibility may deliver better long-term value.
This is already disrupting adjacent industries.
Learning platform Chegg reported a 49% decline in non-subscriber traffic between January 2024 and January 2025, coinciding with AI Overviews answering homework and study questions that previously drove site visits. Graduate enrollment marketing isn’t immune to the same dynamics.
2026 action: Don’t wait for disruption to hit your specific program category. Invest in zero-click search strategy now.
The Trust Signal Hidden in AI Overviews
Here’s where the data gets interesting. The UPCEA/Search Influence study shows how prospects actually interact with AI Overviews:
79% read the AI-generated overview when it appears
51% click on sources most of the time or always
43% click occasionally
56% are more likely to trust brands/websites cited in AI Overviews
That last number matters enormously for 2026 strategy. Being cited in AI Overviews isn’t just about visibility—it’s a credibility signal. When prospects see your institution referenced in AI-generated content, they’re more likely to view you as trustworthy. Absence from those results may communicate the opposite.
Rethinking Optimization: From Higher Education SEO to GEO
SEO vs. GEO for Universities: A Different Kind of Target
Here’s a useful way to think about the shift we’re navigating:
Traditional SEO feels like optimizing for an algorithm—a system that scores and ranks based on signals (keywords, links, technical factors). It’s mechanical, pattern-matching. You’re essentially optimizing for a librarian: cataloging, indexing, and retrieval.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) feels fundamentally different. It feels like optimizing for a reader who happens to have perfect memory and infinite patience—an entity that’s actually trying to understand what you do, synthesize it, and explain it to someone else. You’re optimizing for a research assistant: understanding, synthesizing, recommending.
Put more directly: with GEO, you’re writing content that helps an AI form an accurate opinion about your institution—because that’s what it’s going to share with prospects.
The practical difference:
SEO rewards structure and signals
GEO rewards clarity, accuracy, and citable claims
You’re not just trying to rank anymore. You’re trying to be the source an AI would quote if it were writing an article about your program category.
What This Means for University Content Strategy in 2026
For 2026, your higher education content strategy needs to serve two masters simultaneously:
Traditional search engines that still drive significant traffic and still reward keyword optimization, technical SEO, and backlink profiles
AI systems that are reading your content to form an understanding of who you are, what you offer, and whether you’re worth recommending
The good news: these aren’t entirely at odds. Clear, factual, well-structured content performs well for both. But the emphasis shifts. AI systems don’t care about keyword density—they care about whether they can extract accurate, citable information. This is the core of AI-ready website optimization for higher education.
What Prospects Trust—and Don’t Trust
The Trust Hierarchy Is Clear (and Stable)
When searching for professional and continuing education programs, prospect trust varies dramatically by source:
Trust Levels by Platform (UPCEA/Search Influence 2025)
Source
Extremely/Very Trustworthy
University/college websites
77%
Traditional search engines
66%
AI chatbots
33%
Social media platforms
20%
University websites are still the most trusted source by a wide margin. That’s actually good news for 2026. While AI tools are gaining usage, the destination of trust remains institutional websites. The challenge is making sure AI tools surface and cite your content accurately—so prospects who trust AI still end up trusting you.
Think of it this way: AI is becoming the intermediary, but your website is still the authority. You need AI to accurately represent what’s on your site.
Not Everyone Is Worried About AI Accuracy
This surprised me a bit: nearly a third (32%) of respondents have no concerns whatsoever about using AI search tools for researching professional and continuing education programs.
Among those who do have concerns:
28% worry about validity, reliability, or accuracy
7% cite privacy or security concerns
The remainder mention environmental impact, bias, and relevance
So while accuracy concerns exist, a substantial portion of your prospect pool is comfortable taking AI recommendations at face value. That makes your AI presence even more critical—if AI gets your information wrong, a third of prospects won’t question it.
What Would Build More Trust?
When asked what features would be most valuable in AI-generated search results:
Transparent sources for AI-generated recommendations: 51%
AI-generated side-by-side comparisons of programs: 50%
Emphasis on accredited institutions: 39%
AI personalization based on interests: (favored by younger prospects)
Prospects want AI to show its work. Transparent sourcing and comparison tools matter more than fancy personalization for most age groups.
2026 implication: Structure your content with clear, citable claims. Include specific data points, credentials, and outcomes that AI can reference. Make it easy for AI to cite you accurately.
Search Query Patterns: How Behavior Differs by Platform
People Talk to AI Differently Than They Talk to Google
This is one of the more actionable findings from the research. The UPCEA/Search Influence study asked respondents what they would type when searching for an MBA program across different platforms. The patterns are distinct:
Query Type by Platform
Query Type
Traditional Search
AI Search Engine
AI Chatbot
Social Media
Phrase
80%
64%
55%
71%
Question
12%
16%
23%
8%
Command
1%
8%
9%
2%
One-word
6%
6%
7%
9%
Wouldn’t use
1%
5%
6%
10%
On traditional search, 80% of prospects type phrases like “MBA programs near me.” On AI chatbots, that drops to 55%, while questions jump to 23% and commands to 9%.
What this means for 2026 content: If you’re only optimizing for keyword phrases, you’re missing the conversational queries that dominate AI interactions. Content that answers questions directly—”What is the best MBA program for working professionals?” “Compare online vs. in-person MBA programs”—will perform better in AI contexts.
The Core Keywords Still Matter
Across all platforms, the most common search approaches for MBA programs included:
“MBA programs/degrees/courses/education” (27-31%)
“Best MBA programs/schools” (8-11%)
“MBA programs near me” (8-12%)
The consistency across platforms tells us that core keyword targeting still matters. People are looking for the same information—they’re just asking for it differently depending on where they’re searching. Your content needs to address both the keyword and the question.
Platform-Specific Behaviors: What to Prioritize for 2026
ChatGPT Is the Default, But Don’t Ignore the Others
Among prospects likely to use AI platforms for program research:
AI Platform
Would Use
ChatGPT
78%
Gemini
56%
Perplexity
20%
Here’s an interesting wrinkle: older age groups were more likely to use Gemini and Perplexity than younger prospects. My guess is this reflects different adoption pathways—Gemini through the Google ecosystem that older users are more embedded in, Perplexity through professional and research applications.
2026 consideration: Your AI visibility strategy can’t focus on ChatGPT alone. Gemini is integrated into Google’s ecosystem (where 84% of your prospects still search), and Perplexity is growing fast among research-oriented users—exactly your graduate prospect demographic.
The Scale of ChatGPT Is Hard to Overstate
As of late 2025, ChatGPT’s numbers are staggering:
800 million weekly active users (September 2025)
190 million daily active users
5.72 billion monthly visits
77.2 million monthly active users in the US alone
46.7% of users are aged 18-24
For context, Perplexity AI processes 780 million monthly queries with 22 million monthly active users—substantial and growing fast, but still an order of magnitude smaller than ChatGPT.
Social Media Platform Preferences Vary by Age
Among prospects likely to use social media for program research:
Platform
Would Use
YouTube
57%
LinkedIn
49%
Facebook
43%
Instagram
35%
Reddit
31%
The age patterns are predictable:
YouTube, Instagram, TikTok: Skew younger
LinkedIn, Facebook: Skew older
Reddit: Relatively consistent across age groups
What Actually Works on Social
When using social media to research programs, prospects find these content types most helpful:
Program summaries or descriptions: 65%
Career advice related to education choices: 54%
Student testimonials: 50%
One exception worth noting: for 18-22-year-olds, university/college advertisements ranked as the most helpful content type. Traditional advertising still resonates with the youngest prospects in ways it doesn’t with older demographics.
The AI Tools Landscape: A Quick Reference
Major AI Platforms by the Numbers (Late 2025)
Platform
Monthly Active Users
Monthly Queries
Key Demographics
ChatGPT
800M weekly / 190M daily
5.72B visits
46.7% aged 18-24
Google Gemini
284M monthly visits
—
18% education sector
Perplexity AI
22M MAU
780M queries
57% aged 18-34
Claude
~3.2% US market share
—
Professional/technical skew
US Market Share Context
ChatGPT: 59.5%
Microsoft Copilot: 14%
Google Gemini: 13.4%
Perplexity: 6.2%
Claude: 3.2%
Strategic Roadmap: AI Search Optimization for Higher Education in 2026
The Shift Is Structural, Not Tactical
Let me be direct about what the data is telling us about graduate enrollment marketing:
Search behavior has diversified permanently.
Prospects use 5+ platforms interchangeably for program research. If you’re only optimizing for Google, you’re reaching a shrinking portion of your audience. Single-platform strategies are increasingly risky.
AI is compressing your funnel.
Generative AI tools deliver answers about your institution—and your competitors—before prospects visit any website. The traditional “awareness → consideration → decision” funnel is collapsing. Prospects may move from “never heard of you” to “crossed you off the list” without a single website visit.
Citation is the new ranking.
Being referenced in AI Overviews and AI tool responses builds credibility. Absence from these results may signal irrelevance. For a generation that trusts AI to give them straight answers, not appearing in those answers is a problem.
Your metrics are incomplete.
Website traffic and click-through rates don’t capture AI-mediated discovery. Brand visibility and AI citation frequency matter, but most institutions aren’t tracking them yet.
Your 2026 Action Plan for Graduate Enrollment Marketing
Q1 2026: Foundation—AI Visibility Audit and Technical SEO
Conduct an AI visibility audit. Query ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews with the exact phrases your prospects use. Screenshot what appears. Document what’s missing or inaccurate. This is your baseline for AI search optimization.
Review your website’s structure for AI readiness. AI tools favor content with clear headings, factual statements, and authoritative data that they can easily extract and cite. Does your program content deliver that, or is it buried in marketing language? An AI-ready website audit should be your first step.
Check your technical SEO fundamentals. Crawlability and site speed matter more than ever for higher education SEO. AI engines are less patient than traditional crawlers. If they can’t see your content, they can’t cite it.
Q2 2026: Content Development—GEO and Multi-Platform Strategy
Develop a YouTube strategy if you don’t have one. 61% of prospects use YouTube like a search engine. Program overviews, student testimonials, and career outcome videos aren’t optional anymore for graduate enrollment marketing.
Create content in multiple formats for AI optimization. AI chatbots favor Q&A formats. Traditional search favors keyword phrases. Social favors summaries and testimonials. The same information needs to exist in multiple expressions optimized for each platform.
Build FAQ and comparison content. These formats are highly citable by AI systems and directly address how prospects query AI tools. This is core GEO for universities.
Q3-Q4 2026: Infrastructure and Measurement Evolution
Implement structured data and schema markup. Help AI tools understand your programs, faculty, outcomes, and accreditations through proper technical implementation. This is table stakes for AI visibility in higher education.
Distribute content through authoritative channels. AI tools favor citations from recognized sources. Publishing through professional associations, research outlets, and established media increases the likelihood of AI citation—a key component of any higher education SEO strategy.
Evolve your measurement approach. Start tracking brand mentions, AI citations, and sentiment alongside traditional metrics. The full picture of enrollment marketing visibility now extends well beyond clickable results.
Methodology
UPCEA/Search Influence Study (2025)
Survey period: March 11-13, 2025
Sample:
Total participants: 1,061 individuals
Qualified respondents: 760 (met all criteria)
Completed surveys: 705
Qualification criteria:
Adults aged 18-60
Minimum high school diploma
Not currently enrolled in a PCE program
Interested in advancing skills through professional/continuing education
Respondent demographics:
55% female, 45% male
68% employed full-time
Education: 32% bachelor’s degree, 19% some college, 18% master’s degree
Focus: College choice trends, AI usage in admissions, personality-driven communication
Key longitudinal finding: AI usage in college search: 4% (2023) → 10% (2024) → 23% (2025)
Additional Data Sources
Platform statistics compiled from company announcements, third-party tracking services (Similarweb, SparkToro, Semrush), and industry research reports. All figures represent the most recent publicly available data as of November 2025.
Glossary of Key Terms
AI Overview: Google Search feature providing an AI-generated summary at the top of results, synthesizing information from multiple sources. Previously called Search Generative Experience (SGE).
Zero-click search: A query where users find their answer directly in search results (featured snippets, AI Overviews, knowledge panels) without clicking to any website.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Optimizing content and digital presence to appear in AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. Unlike traditional SEO (optimizing for algorithms), GEO focuses on helping AI systems accurately understand and represent your institution.
Professional and Continuing Education (PCE): Post-secondary programs for working adults seeking to advance skills, change careers, or earn credentials—including graduate degrees, certificates, professional development, and continuing education.
AI chatbot: Conversational AI interface (ChatGPT, Gemini) responding to queries in natural language, often synthesizing information from training data and/or real-time web search.
AI search engine: Search tool (Perplexity, SearchGPT) providing direct answers by searching the web and synthesizing results, rather than returning a list of links.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are prospective students using AI tools in their program search?
Half of prospects (50%) use AI-powered tools at least weekly for general information search. For program research specifically, 36% are extremely or very likely to use AI chatbots, and 35% likely to use AI search engines. ChatGPT dominates (78% of AI users would use it), followed by Gemini (56%) and Perplexity (20%).
Do prospects trust AI-generated information about educational programs?
It’s complicated. Only 33% rate AI chatbots as extremely or very trustworthy for program research, compared to 77% for university websites. But 32% have no concerns whatsoever about using AI for this purpose, and 56% say they’re more likely to trust brands cited in Google’s AI Overviews. Trust in AI is lower than traditional sources, but AI citations boost trust in the sources cited.
What percentage of searches result in zero clicks?
As of May 2025, roughly 69% of Google searches end without a click to any website, up from 56% a year earlier. When AI Overviews appear, click-through rates to top-ranking websites decline by 70-90%.
Which platforms do prospects use to research graduate programs?
Search engines dominate (84% extremely/very likely), followed by university websites (63%), AI chatbots (36%), AI search engines (35%), and social media (34%). But 61% also use YouTube “like a search engine,” and 50% use AI tools the same way. Platform diversification is the new normal.
How do search queries differ between traditional search and AI tools?
On traditional search, 80% use phrase-based queries. On AI chatbots, only 55% use phrases while 23% ask questions and 9% use commands. AI-optimized content should address conversational queries and direct questions—not just keyword phrases.
What content types work best on social media for program discovery?
Program summaries and descriptions (65%), career advice (54%), and student testimonials (50%) rate highest. Exception: for 18-22 year-olds, university advertisements were actually rated most helpful.
What’s the difference between SEO and GEO?
Traditional SEO optimizes for search algorithms—systems that score and rank based on signals like keywords and links. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) optimizes for AI understanding—helping AI systems accurately comprehend and represent your institution so they can recommend you to prospects. SEO is like optimizing for a librarian; GEO is like optimizing for a research assistant who needs to explain you to someone else.
About This Report
This analysis synthesizes original research from the UPCEA/Search Influence study with data from Carnegie Higher Education, Everspring, EAB, and platform-specific metrics to provide a forward-looking view of how AI search optimization is reshaping program discovery in graduate education.
The report is designed to help enrollment marketing leaders, higher education SEO professionals, and university marketing teams understand the AI visibility landscape and develop effective GEO strategies for 2026.
Primary research sponsor: Search Influence
Research partner: UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association)
Report date: November 2025
Sources and Citations
Primary Research
UPCEA and Search Influence. “AI Search in Higher Education: How Prospects Search in 2025.” Survey conducted March 11-13, 2025. n=705 qualified respondents.
The landscape described here is evolving quickly. The 2025 data establishes clear trajectories, and the institutions that invest in AI search optimization and GEO for higher education now will have a meaningful advantage heading into 2026. AI-mediated discovery is becoming the norm, not the exception. The question for graduate enrollment marketing isn’t whether to adapt—it’s how quickly you can move.
We’re excited to share that Search Influence has been named a Finalist in the Best SEO Campaign category at the 2025 US Agency Awards for our AI-driven campaign, The Art of AI SEO, created in partnership with Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D).
This recognition marks our second consecutive year of being shortlisted for this category, following our Silver win in 2023 for Best Integrated Campaign, a testament to our continued excellence in SEO, technical strategy, and AI search innovation.
The Nominated Campaign: The Art of AI SEO
MECA&D launched three new online graduate certificate programs into a highly competitive market. To stand out against major universities, the institution needed to increase visibility across both traditional search engines and emerging AI-powered platforms.
Our solution was an AI SEO strategy designed to boost discovery, strengthen authority, and drive enrollment.
Our Strategy at a Glance
AI Search Visibility
We structured site content using semantic signals, schema markup, and clear topical architecture to ensure AI systems could retrieve and cite MECA&D pages.
Conversion-Focused Program Pages
We added video content, clarified messaging, and strengthened user pathways to support prospective students at every decision point.
Content Development
We produced keyword-driven blogs, instructor spotlights, and high-salience pages that positioned MECA&D as an authoritative voice.
The Results
Our AI-optimized SEO strategy fueled exceptional performance:
77% above enrollment goals
171% increase in website sessions
3,894% growth in ranking keywords
Today, MECA&D’s Arts Education, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Arts Leadership programs all appear in AI search engines, a major competitive advantage as generative results reshape student search behaviors.
As MECA&D’s Associate Dean of Online Learning, Heather Holland, shared:
“Our online programs exceeded enrollment targets by 65% in less than a year.”
Leading AI SEO for Higher Education
As a higher education digital marketing agency, Search Influence is at the forefront of AI search strategy. Our team combines decades of higher ed SEO experience with deep expertise in AI content structuring, generative search visibility, and technical optimization.
Our CEO and Co-Founder, Will Scott, is a national thought leader in AI SEO and the instructor of an SMX Master Class on Generative Engine Optimization. Our approach has been grounded in semantic SEO and structured data since the earliest days of the Knowledge Graph, long before AI Overviews made structured content essential.
We help higher education institutions:
Build full-funnel SEO strategies tied to enrollment goals
Improve program visibility in AI and organic search
Develop content ecosystems designed for both humans and AI systems
Strengthen authority through structured data, internal linking, and topic clusters
2025 AI Search in Higher Education Research Study
This announcement follows the release of our 2025 AI Search in Higher Education Study, which uncovers how prospective students use AI tools to research programs, evaluate institutions, and form their initial consideration sets.
Higher ed marketers can access the full report to understand:
Which AI tools prospects use most
How AI citations influence credibility
What strategies institutions need to stay visible
Looking Ahead
We’re honored to be recognized by the US Agency Awards and grateful to MECA&D for their partnership. As AI search reshapes visibility, Search Influence remains committed to helping colleges and universities compete and win in this new era of search.
If you’re ready to strengthen your AI SEO strategy, our team is here to help you lead. Contact us today to learn more.
SEO is critical for higher education institutions, yet only 51% have an established SEO strategy.
If your institution isn’t investing in SEO, you’re missing opportunities to reach prospective students and keep up with your competition.
Understanding and communicating the long-term benefits of SEO to your higher-ups can help your institution make the case for more resources.
Pitching the value of SEO to your boss doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking. All you need is a little bit of industry insight, institutional data, and the right angle.
For today’s tech-savvy students, the quest for higher education starts with a simple Google search.
Prospective students are looking for your institution online, but will they find you? Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a term often tossed around in marketing meetings, and it’s never been more relevant.
So, how do you move it from a buzzword to a budgeted line item?
And, more importantly, how do you get your decision-makers to hop on board?
In this blog post, we’ll show you how to convince your boss to invest in SEO and make bigger waves in the search engines with a proper strategy.
Benefits of SEO in Higher Education Marketing
You’ve likely heard that a quality SEO strategy leads to better search performance.
Increased Visibility: A well-optimized website can dramatically increase your institution’s visibility in the search engines. This makes it easier for prospective students and their families to find you while searching for educational opportunities.
Higher Quality Traffic: Effective SEO efforts attract users actively seeking information related to higher education, thereby improving the quality of organic traffic to your website. These high-intent visitors are more likely to take desired actions, such as applying or requesting more information.
Better User Experience: SEO is not just about pleasing search engines; it’s also about providing a good user experience. A well-optimized website is generally more user-friendly. This positively impacts metrics like time spent on the site, bounce rate, and conversion rate, which in turn can boost your SEO rankings.
Competitive Advantage: A strong SEO strategy can give you a crucial edge over competitors. If your institution ranks higher in search results than other schools, students are more likely to visit your site first, giving you the first shot at making an impression.
Analytics and Insights: SEO tools provide valuable data on visitor behavior, popular content, and more. This data can be used to make informed decisions about your marketing strategy, academic programs, and even campus facilities.
Improved ROI: SEO allows you to reach the right audience at a lower cost by focusing on target keywords most relevant to your institution and its programs. This offers a better return on investment (ROI) than other marketing channels.
Despite all the benefits, SEO in higher education lags. As we found in our Higher Education SEO Research Study conducted with UPCEA, 51% of universities don’t have a strategic SEO plan.This means over half of participating universities miss out on opportunities to grow their awareness, analytics, and applications.
Luckily, it’s not too late to make the financial case for SEO investment and start climbing the search engine results.
But, if you keep pushing off investing in SEO, you just might pay later — in losses.
How to Convince Your Boss to Invest in SEO
While the merits of SEO are evident to those immersed in the digital realm, making them resonate with leadership is a different ballgame.
Approaching the conversation with a combination of data, foresight, and understanding can be the key to unlocking the coveted resource you need: SEO buy-in from your boss.
Follow this blueprint to advocate for SEO services in your marketing budget.
Build a Strong Case
Decision-makers want facts before dishing out dollars.
Presenting an audit or analysis of your institution’s current website and online marketing strategy can highlight the areas where you’re falling short.
You can tap tools like Sitebulb, Screaming Frog, Semrush, and Ahrefs for handy website analysis insights. But if you’d prefer to pass the baton to experts, you also could lean on an experienced SEO agency to conduct a professional-grade audit for you.
Maybe you’re missing meta descriptions. Or you’re dealing with poor site speed and insufficient keyword research.
Your task at hand is to show how SEO bridges these gaps.
Leverage Competitor Analysis
You may not invest in SEO. But your competition does.
It’s one thing to understand the benefits of SEO. It’s another to see competitors already capitalizing on them.
Creating a competitive analysis can be a strong motivator, especially if those competitors are outranking your institution in organic search results.
Doing keyword searches of certain degrees or programs is one easy way to get started on your competitive analysis. Take note of who ranks in the top positions, compared to where you rank, and you have a baseline of where you currently stand — and where you need to go.
Demonstrate to your higher-ups what SEO is doing for your rivals, and you increase your chances of seeing what it can do for you.
Offer Scalable Solutions
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Present a phased SEO strategy that starts small and expands as you show results.
A scalable approach ensures that initiatives will mature, evolve, and provide value over time.
Your decision-makers are more likely to approve budgets if they see this sense of scalability.
Scalability is sustainability. The SEO strategies that can adapt and grow are the ones that endure.
Use Real-World Examples
For the higher-ups, seeing is believing.
Don’t just talk about what SEO can do for your university. Show its potential, armed with solid proof.
Bring out higher education case studies and results from other institutions who’ve invested in SEO. Take, for example, New Orleans-based university Tulane SoPA, which saw a 569% increase in keyword ranking in the top 1-3 spots on Google — with help from frequent blogging.
These real-world SEO examples can make the concept more relatable, compelling, and actionable.
Connect SEO to Broader Initiatives
SEO isn’t an isolated tool; it’s a cog in the larger machinery of a higher ed digital marketing strategy.
It works best when used in tandem with paid search marketing, like Google ads or other well-performing marketing efforts. Therefore, it fits — not trumps — your institution’s broader marketing and outreach initiatives.
This can make it easier to get buy-in if decision-makers see SEO as a component of a larger strategy rather than a stand-alone effort.
Break down the big-picture, complementary value of SEO, and you may just seal the deal.
Common Objections From Decision Makers
Every proposal faces scrutiny, and SEO is no exception. It’s a natural part of the advocacy process.
However, preparing for and addressing these objections head-on can turn potential setbacks into stepping stones.
Prime yourself to deal with these common objections before setting up the proposal:
Objection: SEO is expensive! Think of the initial setup, the ongoing monitoring, and the potential need for hiring an external SEO company.
Counter-Argument: While SEO is an investment, the effects and impact on our website traffic are long-term, versus paid advertising, where once we stop paying, the traffic stops coming.
Objection: SEO typically doesn’t provide immediate results, so what’s the point?
Counter-Argument: SEO is a long-term strategy that requires time to yield results, but once it does, the benefits endure. A well-optimized website can maintain high rankings for a long time, ensuring a consistent inflow of targeted traffic.
Objection: SEO doesn’t align with our institution’s core goals and objectives.
Counter-Argument: Improved online visibility and targeted traffic can directly impact key performance indicators like student recruitment, donor contributions, and brand reputation — a goal any institution wants to reach.
Objection: We’re already ranking pretty well without investing in SEO.
Counter-Argument: There’s no way all of our web pages rank #1, or even on the first page, of the organic search results. Plus, there’s always the opportunity to increase our rankings for keywords that our competitors currently rank for.
The Consequences of Neglecting SEO
Ahrefs data shows that 90.63% of webpages receive no organic search traffic from Google.
Why?
They don’t prioritize SEO. Or, at least, they don’t prioritize it the right way.
If your institution turns a blind eye to all that SEO has to offer, you risk:
Loss of Visibility: With numerous higher education institutions vying for the attention of prospective students and parents, failing to invest in SEO means your institution may not show up in search engine results. This results in lost opportunities to drive students to your website.
Decreased Enrollment Rates: Students nowadays often begin their college or university search online. If your institution isn’t visible during these crucial moments, you’re missing out on a large number of potential applicants, affecting your enrollment rates.
Increased Marketing Costs: Without a solid SEO strategy, your school may rely more heavily on paid advertising channels, which can be significantly more expensive in the long term. In contrast, organic search traffic generated through SEO is essentially free.
Losing Ground to Competitors: Other institutions that invest in SEO will take the top-ranking spots in search results, garnering more attention and credibility. This competitive advantage can result in a cycle where they continue to attract more students, donors, and faculty, widening the gap between you and them.
Damaged Reputation: A poorly optimized website that doesn’t rank well may be perceived as less reputable or authoritative. It’s a psychological factor — many people equate high search engine ranking with credibility.
Missed Opportunity for Data-Driven Decisions: SEO tools like Google Analytics provide valuable data that can help your higher ed institution understand what prospective students are looking for. Without this insight, you won’t be able to make more informed decisions on everything from course offerings to campus facilities.
Be sure to drill these risks into the minds of your decision-makers. No one likes consequences or the act of underperforming, and these looming threats can help accelerate their decision.
Higher Ed SEO Leads to Greater ROI
UPCEA Chief Research Officer Jim Fong summed it up perfectly in our Higher Ed SEO Research Study webinar: “SEO is not something institutions can kick the can down the road on. It’s going to become increasingly important, especially as the number of programs increases and the number of potential students stays the same or even decreases.”
As SEO industry veterans, Search Influence has the skills, expertise, and bandwidth to take on all of your SEO initiatives. Convince your higher-ups to invest in SEO, and we’ll take the heavy lifting off your plate with our expert SEO services.
Ready to get started with SEO? Contact us today to learn about our SEO Roadmap and see how we’ll put our higher education marketing experience to work for you.
Institutions need to maintain a well-optimized online presence to ensure they connect with students effectively.
Even though SEO is foundational for digital marketing, 51% of universities lack a well-defined SEO plan, representing a significant missed opportunity for increased visibility and engagement.
SEO can’t be sidelined or delayed, especially with the increasing number of educational programs and the stagnant or declining pool of potential students.
Online platforms, boot camps, and micro-credential programs challenge the traditional models of education. As these alternative educational models gain traction, traditional institutions must leverage SEO to differentiate themselves and maintain their competitive edge.
In a world where undergraduate college enrollment is on a 10-year decline, according to Brookings, higher education deans and marketing managers are searching for ways to get their programs in front of prospective students.
Yet, they often overlook SEO (search engine optimization). It’s one of the basics of digital marketing — and digital marketing and institutional leaders know this!
According to the Search Influence and UPCEA Higher Ed Research Study, digital marketing and institutional leaders see SEO as foundational but admit their PCO units lack an SEO strategy.
In the same study, we found that 51% of universities don’t have an established SEO plan.
This is a massive missed opportunity.
But not to worry!
SEO has been here waiting — knowing that you’d soon realize what you always needed was right in front of you the whole time.
Still, SEO won’t wait forever.
To take advantage of SEO, you need to invest in it now — rather than later. In this blog post, I’ll share why.
The Importance of SEO for Higher Education
In our digital world, a well-optimized website is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.
As UPCEA Chief Research Officer Jim Fong said in our Spring 2023 webinar, “SEO is not something institutions can kick the can down the road on. It’s going to become increasingly important, especially as the number of programs increases and the number of potential students stays the same or even decreases.”
First touchpoint: Many students first encounter institutions via online search, making visibility crucial for first impressions.
Positive digital footprint: A well-optimized educational website offers more than visibility — it establishes trust and credibility.
Building credibility: High search rankings not only boost visibility but also enhance institutional reputation in the eyes of prospects.
Actionable insights: SEO analytics reveal what potential students seek, allowing institutions to fine-tune their offerings.
Engaging prospects: Beyond visibility, an SEO-driven content strategy can guide students through their decision-making process.
Adapting to change: With the dynamic nature of SEO, institutions can stay relevant in shifting search landscapes.
Why You Need to Invest in Higher Education SEO Now
As the UPCEA and Search Influence Research Study asserted, “A poor foundation for an SEO strategy creates cracks in the larger infrastructure of your website. And just like the potholes in an old city make the roads challenging to navigate, when SEO doesn’t receive the attention it deserves, websites become difficult to navigate and can slip through the cracks — overlooked by search engines and prospects.”
The growing competition in higher education
“As the choices for potential students grow, the challenge for educational institutions to differentiate themselves intensifies.”
In the past decade, the higher education landscape has witnessed a radical shift. Traditional brick-and-mortar institutions now share the educational stage with many other online platforms. From Coursera to Udemy and edX, the options for acquiring knowledge have become vast, decentralized, and more accessible.
These alternative education models offer specialized training and often come with the backing or endorsement of industry giants, making them immensely appealing to students searching for immediate value and application.
As the choices for potential students grow, the challenge for educational institutions to differentiate themselves intensifies.
One major trend increasing this competition is the growth of online classes and degrees. Previously, an institution’s reputation might have been enough to draw in students from local or even international areas. Today, the boundaries have blurred.
Additionally, the rise of college and university “boot camps,” certification programs, and micro-credentials have reshaped the way we think about education.
These flexible programs that teach work-ready skills at a lower price have students thinking:
“Why commit to a four-year degree when a six-month boot camp promises practical skills and potential job placements?”
This education evolution has left higher ed institutions searching for new ways to remain in contention.
SEO helps universities reach their target audience in a crowded market, whether it’s for popular courses or specialized subjects. Having a strong online presence and using SEO helps universities gain credibility and meet the changing search habits of younger generations.
The changing landscape: no longer a growth market
“Yet, amidst this backdrop of challenges lies untapped potential. A significant demographic of 40.4 million people have college experience but no degree, as highlighted by the NSC Research Center. This segment represents a ripe opportunity for institutions.”
Higher education has had difficulties in the last ten years, no longer growing as quickly as before. Key among these challenges is the decline in enrollment.
According to Brookings, from 2010 to 2021, undergraduate enrollment in the U.S. decreased by 2.6 million students, with the most significant drops observed between fall 2019 and 2021.
Brookings attributes this decline to a mix of factors. The burgeoning student loan debt, especially prevalent in the U.S., planted seeds of doubt in the minds of many about the return on investment for a college degree.
When combined with the soaring tuition costs in numerous regions, it’s not hard to see why potential students might be deterred from higher education or pivot to more affordable alternatives.
Furthermore, the rapid pace of technological advancements challenges the relevance of specific degree programs, with potential students questioning the longevity of what they’re learning.
Yet, amidst this backdrop of challenges lies untapped potential. A significant demographic of 40.4 million people have some college experience but no degree, as highlighted by the NSC Research Center. This segment represents a ripe opportunity for institutions.
With the right SEO strategies, universities can specifically target this group, offering them tailored programs and opportunities to complete their education.
Understanding and Catering to the Modern Student
“From researching courses and reading reviews to watching virtual campus tours and even enrolling, these tasks are increasingly being done on the go. Recognizing this, it’s paramount for universities to offer a robust mobile experience. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about efficiency.”
The face of the modern student has transformed.
A steady decline in the traditional 18-22-year-old demographic enrolling in universities is proven.
However, when one door closes, another one opens. Universities have an opportunity in the growing demographic of adult learners — specifically those with some credit but no degree. These learners seek innovative, stackable online programs catering to their unique needs and life situations.
Beyond this, the modern student desires holistic experiences encompassing practical knowledge, hands-on experiences, and a tangible path leading to employment.
This calls for a departure from the traditional way universities craft their programs. Modern students want an educational model that respects their time and commitments, allowing them to juggle work, family, and studies. This is where online courses or hybrid models come into play, offering them the flexibility they seek.
Properly harnessed SEO tools offer insights into the digital behavior of these students.
What courses do they search for?
What kind of educational content engages them?
Understanding these patterns and trends enables institutions to fine-tune their offerings and higher education marketing strategies to resonate more effectively with their target audience.
Parallel to this is the shift to mobile. The modern student’s relationship with mobile devices is not just about staying connected — it’s about consumption and convenience.
From researching courses and reading reviews to watching virtual campus tours and even enrolling, these tasks are increasingly being done on the go. Recognizing this, it’s paramount for universities to offer a robust mobile experience. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about efficiency.
Maximizing Exposure with Search Engine Optimization
In the digital era, institutions must recognize the power of SEO to amplify their visibility among potential students. Institutions can ascend in search engine rankings by skillfully blending keywords, ensuring excellent content, and optimizing site structure. This not only boosts online presence but also fortifies credibility in the eyes of prospective students.
Universities can employ several SEO tactics and tools to achieve this heightened exposure:
Keyword research: Utilizing platforms like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush allows institutions to discern the terms that resonate most with potential students, ensuring that their content speaks directly to these queries.
On-page SEO: This encompasses the meticulous optimization of individual web pages. It means refining content to be supremely relevant and ensuring meta tags, URLs, and images meet the gold standard.
Analytic tools: Solutions such as Google Analytics offer valuable windows into visitor interactions, spotlighting potential areas of enhancement.
Engaging Potential Students: More Than Just Visibility
“SEO seamlessly links sudent’s ambitions and curiosities with educational institutions’ diverse offerings and promises”
While it’s easy to perceive SEO merely as a tool for visibility, its potential is far more encompassing.
Beyond driving an institution to the top of search results, SEO plays a critical role in aligning with and appealing to the genuine interests of potential students.
Effective SEO delves deeper than the superficial metrics of rankings and algorithmic nuances.
At its heart, SEO is attuned to the pulse of user intent. When institutions fine-tune their content based on SEO insights, they aren’t just adhering to search engine protocols. They’re reshaping their narratives and offerings to resonate with what potential students are earnestly seeking.
SEO seamlessly links students’ ambitions and curiosities with educational institutions’ diverse offerings and promises.
Learn More About SEO for Educational Institutions With Search Influence
The competition for prospective students is fierce in higher education — waiting is not an option. Every moment an institution delays leveraging the power of SEO, they potentially lose out on a student, a connection, or an opportunity to make an impact.
Investing in SEO sooner rather than later isn’t just a proactive step — it’s a strategic necessity. Early adoption ensures a competitive edge, allowing institutions to engage and resonate with potential students in real time.
Ready to rank higher on SERPs and increase your university’s organic traffic?
Still not sure whether you should do your SEO in-house or outsource it? Take Search Influence’s In-House vs. Outsourcing SEO Quiz to get quick, custom recommendations today.
Our higher education digital marketing agency has been helping universities nationwide for years.
In her blog post, the digital marketing veteran shares her expertise on higher education SEO and the findings of Search Influence and UPCEA’s three-part Higher Education SEO Research Study.
“As an SEO marketer for more than 12 years, I’ve seen the broader marketing world’s knowledge of SEO grow over time, but there remains a gap in knowledge in many industries, including higher education. Our research study results confirmed this.”
Alison points to one of the leading indicators of this knowledge gap: While 91% of higher education marketing survey respondents integrate paid search into their SEO strategy, only 27% implement keyword optimization and link building.
She believes this disparity between SEO prioritization and paid search reveals the fundamental issue in higher ed SEO: Higher education marketers need education on:
how paid search and SEO differ
how they are connected
which tactics they should implement to support both.
Throughout the blog, Alison explains how higher ed marketers can begin investing in SEO to bridge this gap and bolster their higher education digital marketing strategy.
The Search Influence UPCEA Partnership
In 2022, Search Influence and UPCEA partnered to create a comprehensive research study that looks at higher ed marketing leaders’ perspectives on SEO and evaluates the SEO readiness of professional, continuing, and online education (PCO) units.
The study revealed good news for higher education marketers — they have an underutilized tactic that can significantly impact their recruitment ecosystem.
