-
[WEBINAR] How Prospects Use AI to Research and Choose Programs in 2026
TL;DR: Search Influence and UPCEA are hosting a free webinar on November 3 to unpack how prospective students use AI tools to research and shortlist programs, with a hands-on AI Search Strategy Lab on November 5 for institutions that want tailored recommendations. Key Insights Search Influence and UPCEA’s joint research …
Continue Reading >> -
AI Search for Senior Living: The Traffic Plateau Already Showing Up in the Data
TL;DR: AI search for senior living communities rewarded early movers almost automatically, but that easy growth phase is ending across the industry. Communities that track AI referral traffic now and keep shaping the signals AI reads (website, listings, directories, and media footprint) are the ones positioned to keep growing once …
Continue Reading >> -
[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 …
Continue Reading >> -
[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 …
Continue Reading >> -
Inside Bing’s New AI Performance Report: What 20,000 Copilot Citations Taught Us
Bing launched an AI Performance report inside Webmaster Tools earlier this month. We pulled our data the same day. 91 days of Copilot citation data. 19,717 total citations across 86 pages. One page accounting for 69% of all of them. We’ve been tracking AI search visibility for clients using Scrunch …
Continue Reading >> -
30+ AI Search in Higher Education Stats [2026]
Higher education discovery is becoming increasingly more distributed, more automated, and more competitive. Students now rely on a mix of AI tools, traditional search engines, and social platforms as they evaluate programs. Institutional strategies, however, do not always reflect how these new search elements work together. Below, we’ve compiled over …
Continue Reading >> -
[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 …
Continue Reading >> -
The July Influencer: Can AI Search Affect Your Paid Ads Strategy? Plus: AI SEO Tracking Tools
Stay ahead in digital marketing with The Influencer, Search Influence’s monthly newsletter covering SEO, digital advertising, and content strategy. Get top tips to fuel your online growth, expert insights from the Search Influence team, and our latest company news. Don’t miss out! How Will AI Search Affect Paid Ads? What …
Continue Reading >>