Ren Horst
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[New Research] How Prospects Search in 2026 and What It Means for 2027
Key Insights AI search use is up 15% year over year. 39% of prospects now use AI-powered tools daily, up from 24% in 2025. Search engines still lead, but the gap is closing. 80% use traditional search engines to research programs; 54% now also use AI. Citations build real trust. …
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Search Influence Named a 2026 CityBusiness In the Lead Honoree
For the second year running, Search Influence has earned a spot on New Orleans CityBusiness’ In the Lead: Best Women-Owned Businesses list, a recognition that puts us alongside a competitive field of women-led companies shaping the region’s economy. The honor comes as we continue to grow our national client base …
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[UPDATED] SEO & AI Search Workbook for Higher Education: A Free Interactive Resource
Search Influence offers a free SEO & AI Search Workbook for Higher Education Websites, now rebuilt to cover AI visibility alongside traditional SEO. Ask ChatGPT to recommend a program in your field, and there’s a real chance your institution never comes up, even if it ranks first on Google for …
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Paula French Talks AI Search Branding on The Near Memo Podcast
Brand used to be the thing you built after you nailed the fundamentals. Now it might be the thing that decides whether an AI system knows you exist at all. Search Influence Director of Sales and Marketing Paula French joined a panel of local search practitioners on Episode 269 of …
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Search Influence Turns 20: Two Decades of Digital Marketing Innovation
Search Influence is turning 20. We have a lot to celebrate, starting with the people who made it possible. Twenty years ago, Will and Angie Scott launched Search Influence from a spare bedroom with one simple goal: help businesses get found online and measure what happens when they do. What …
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Paula French on “The Signal”: What AI Search Means for Higher Education Marketing
Enrollment marketers are losing prospective students at a stage they never even see. Before a student fills out a form, visits a program page, or clicks a single ad, they are already building a short list. They are asking AI tools detailed questions, comparing programs, and forming preferences, and the …
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One Page, One Baseline: Paula French on Program Page AI Search Visibility [UPCEA]
Your program page has a new audience, and it doesn’t fill out RFI forms. Half of prospective students now use AI tools at least weekly, and most universities have no idea what those tools are telling them. Before a student ever lands on your site, an AI tool has likely …
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[DATA] Higher Education Marketing Trends 2026: How Industry Pros Stay Informed
Higher education is under pressure from every direction. Enrollment shifts, budget constraints, AI disruption, and changing student expectations are hitting at once, and the professionals navigating them are expected to stay ahead of it all. Search Influence partnered with UPCEA, the leading association for online and professional education, to better …
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Will Scott Speaks on GEO and Agentic SEO at SMX Advanced 2026
There’s a version of AI-assisted SEO where you paste a prompt into a chatbot and hope for the best. Then there’s the version Will Scott will be demonstrating at SMX Advanced 2026, one that’s already changing how agencies deliver work for clients. Will, CEO and co-founder of Search Influence, has …
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Beyond Google Zero: Will Scott on Agentic SEO and the Rise of Non-Human Traffic
The “Google Zero” panic has been building for months. The fear: AI Overviews and zero-click search are slowly starving websites of organic traffic. Some publishers have responded with alarm. Others have abandoned SEO strategies entirely. Will Scott, AI SEO expert and CEO of Search Influence, has a different read, and …
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