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Industry Insights
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Higher Education SEO Trends in 2026: How to Compete
This post was updated by Paula French on 4/20/26 to reflect current best practices. It was originally published on 3/7/25. Key Insights Search Has Expanded Beyond Google. Students now research programs across AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. If your content isn’t structured for AI retrieval, …
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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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The Maps Pack Is Dead — Here’s What Ate It (And How to Get Found Anyway)
Key Insights AI Overviews are actively replacing traditional Maps packs for high-intent local searches, reducing visibility to a smaller set of trusted businesses. Local SEO has shifted from ranking pages to validating entities. Consistency, citations, and structured data now drive inclusion. Intent chips reveal the exact attributes Google prioritizes; they …
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Search Influence Joins the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans
The 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference, taking place April 15–17 in New Orleans, will bring together leaders across online and professional education to discuss the future of higher education strategy, technology, and student engagement. Search Influence will participate in this year’s event through speaking sessions, thought leadership, and in-person conversations with …
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The Hidden Cost of “Good Enough” SEO in the Age of AI
Key Insights Traditional SEO still matters. Technical health, keyword research, authority signals, and high-quality content remain the foundation of search visibility in the age of AI. AI search changes how visibility is earned. Ranking in traditional search results is no longer enough. Institutions must also earn citations in AI summaries, …
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What Are Google Performance Max Campaigns? Strategy, Best Practices, and Optimization Guide
Key Insights Performance Max campaigns expand reach across all of Google’s channels from a single campaign. AI optimizes placements and bidding to drive conversions across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, and more. Performance Max works best alongside Search campaigns. Search captures high-intent demand, while PMax identifies incremental opportunities and new customer …
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Will Scott Named to UPCEA Board of Directors as Corporate Partner Representative
Search Influence is proud to announce that CEO and Co-Founder Will Scott has been named to the UPCEA Board of Directors as Corporate Partner Representative for a one-year term (2026–2027). His appointment reflects his leadership in higher education digital marketing and Search Influence’s longstanding collaboration with UPCEA, the leading association …
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AI Search KPIs: Why Traffic No Longer Tells the Full Story
Key Insights Brand influence now happens before a website visit. Discovery and evaluation increasingly occur inside AI chat interfaces, not on your site or a traditional search engine results page. Traffic reflects outcomes, not total visibility. Sessions show engagement, but they do not capture upstream exposure. Presence and citations are …
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Paid Search vs. Paid Social in an AI-Driven Funnel
Key Insights Paid search and paid social do not compete. They complement each other. Paid social creates demand and brand awareness, while paid search captures high-intent users actively searching for solutions. AI has compressed the marketing funnel. Users now move fluidly between social media feeds, AI Overviews, and search engine …
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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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