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Ren Horst
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[WEBINAR] Make Your Existing Marketing Work Harder for AI Search Visibility
AI search is changing how prospective students discover programs. But building an entirely new marketing strategy from scratch isn’t realistic for most higher education teams. Budgets are tight, staff capacity is limited, and priorities compete for attention. That’s why we partnered with UPCEA for this spring’s live webinar: Make Your …
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UPCEA Guest Article: Explaining AI SEO ROI to University Leadership
Prospective students are doing more homework before they ever reach your website. Many start by asking AI tools to explain programs, compare schools, and surface credible options. Those responses shape which institutions feel trustworthy, which ones make the shortlist, and which never get considered at all. By the time a …
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Will Scott Shares Higher Education AI Search Research in Search Engine Land Article
Search behavior has evolved. Most SEO strategies haven’t. AI Overviews appear before organic listings. LLM answers shape early trust. Citations determine which brands make it onto a user’s shortlist at all. New AI search research makes that shift impossible to ignore. In a recent article published in Search Engine Land, …
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Foundational SEO vs AI SEO: Paula French on What Businesses Actually Need
Search is evolving fast. But that doesn’t mean the foundation disappears. On February 6, Paula French, Director of Sales and Marketing at Search Influence, joined the SEO On-Air podcast to unpack one of the biggest questions in digital marketing right now: what is the real difference between foundational SEO and …
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Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation Partners With Search Influence for AI SEO Audit
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 …
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Higher Education AI Search Strategy: What Students Expect vs. How Institutions Must Adapt
Key Insights Students have shifted how they search. Prospective learners now use AI tools alongside traditional search, making structured, consistent program information essential for visibility. Institutional readiness lags student behavior. Many colleges recognize the influence of AI search but still lack the systems and processes to monitor and improve their …
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Search Influence to Share AI Search Strategies for Higher Education at MEMS 2025
As AI continues to redefine how students search for and engage with academic programs, marketers are rethinking how they track, measure, and optimize online visibility. This December, Search Influence will share actionable AI search strategies for higher education at the 2025 UPCEA Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Student Success (MEMS) Conference, …
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UPCEA Guest Blog: Paula French on AI Search Trends in Higher Education
When prospective students begin researching programs, their first stop may no longer be your website…. or even Google. Many now use generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity to ask questions, compare options, and find fast answers. These tools influence what students see, what they trust, and which institutions …
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[Search Influence x UPCEA] Unpacking New Research on AI Search in Higher Education
This blog post was updated by Ren Horst on November 4, 2025 following the webinar event. 50% of prospective students use AI tools at least weekly to research information online. 79% read Google’s AI Overviews, and more than half say they’re more likely to trust the institutions AI cites. These …
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Search Influence to Present on AI Search in Higher Education at AMA Symposium 2025
AI-driven discovery is rewriting the rules of visibility for universities. As prospective students increasingly rely on tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, the traditional SEO playbook is no longer enough. The next era of visibility requires a strategy built for recognition and trust within AI ecosystems, not just …
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