Search Influence Joins the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans
March 27th, 2026 by
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 higher education marketers navigating the evolving search landscape.
Search Influence is a higher education digital marketing agency that helps colleges and universities increase program visibility and attract prospective students through strategic search marketing. As a Platinum Partner of UPCEA, Search Influence works closely with the association to help institutions understand how search behavior is changing and how universities can adapt their digital marketing strategies for an AI-driven search environment.
Through this partnership, Search Influence and UPCEA have collaborated on numerous conferences, presentations, and research studies focused on the evolving role of digital marketing in higher education. Together, the organizations share insights on higher education SEO, AI search visibility, and paid digital advertising strategies that help institutions reach prospective students during critical moments in the research and enrollment journey.
About the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference
The 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 15–17, 2026. The conference is one of the leading events for professionals in online and professional continuing education, bringing together educators, administrators, researchers, learning designers, and policy makers from across the country.
Following a record-breaking conference in Denver in 2025, this year’s gathering will focus on how institutions can respond to major changes shaping the future of higher education. Topics will include evolving federal education policies, the integration of emerging technologies in teaching and learning, and strategies to support diverse student populations.
Attendees will collaborate on strategies that help institutions adapt to the changing higher education environment while continuing to provide accessible, high-quality education for learners across the country.
Search Influence Speaking Sessions
Search Influence will contribute to several sessions at the conference, sharing insights on artificial intelligence, search visibility, and higher education marketing strategy.
Leading the Parade or Lost in the Crowd? Tracking AI Search Visibility
Speaker: Will Scott, CEO and Co-Founder, Search Influence
Wednesday, April 15th, 4:00 PM
AI Overviews and generative search tools are transforming how prospective students search for academic programs. However, many institutions still lack the measurement frameworks needed to understand the impact of these changes.
This session will demonstrate how universities can monitor AI search visibility, analyze search patterns, and interpret how generative search results influence the student discovery process. Attendees will leave with practical methods for identifying opportunities, spotting visibility gaps, and connecting AI search performance to enrollment outcomes.
Winning AI Search: Strategies from LSU, Tufts, & Search Influence
Speakers: Paula Keller French, Director of Sales and Marketing, and Alison Zeringue, Director of Account Management, Search Influence
Wednesday, April 15th, 4:00 PM
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how prospective students research degree programs and which institutions they see first.
In this session, LSU Online and Tufts University College will share strategies that helped increase their visibility during rapid changes in AI search. As a higher education digital marketing agency working with universities nationwide, Search Influence will also present findings from UPCEA research on AI’s impact on student decision-making and share strategies for adapting SEO to environments like Google’s AI Overviews and conversational AI tools.
Revolutionizing Academic Advising: Using AI to Generate Actionable Course Insights for Student Success
Moderated by Jeanne Gaudet Lobman, Director of Operations, Search Influence
Thursday, April 16th, 9:00 AM
This session will explore how artificial intelligence tools can help institutions analyze academic data and generate insights that support improved advising strategies and stronger student outcomes.
Visit Search Influence at Booth 811
The 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference is especially meaningful because it takes place in Search Influence’s hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Conference attendees are invited to visit Booth #811 to meet the Search Influence team, discuss AI search challenges facing higher education institutions, and review insights from the AI Website Grader. Visitors can also pick up a pair of Search Influence sunglasses while learning more about how the agency supports universities nationwide.
Discover Your AI Search Readiness With the AI Website Grader
Search Influence will also showcase its AI Website Grader, a tool that evaluates how well a website is prepared for modern AI-powered search engines and conversational interfaces.
The AI Website Grader analyzes key factors that influence visibility in AI search environments, including:
- Core Web Vitals performance
- Semantic content structure and chunk analysis
- AI bot accessibility
- Factual accuracy scoring
- Technical accessibility and HTML validation
The tool integrates real performance data from sources such as Google PageSpeed Insights and accessibility frameworks to deliver a comprehensive technical assessment. It also generates detailed reports that help marketing teams identify opportunities to improve their presence in AI Overviews, voice search results, and chatbot responses.
As AI increasingly influences how information is discovered online, institutions must ensure their digital content is structured so that both humans and AI systems can interpret it effectively.
Learn More About the UPCEA Annual Conference
The 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference offers higher education professionals an opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and develop strategies that will shape the future of online and professional education.
Search Influence looks forward to connecting with colleagues, sharing insights about AI SEO, and discussing how institutions can adapt their marketing strategies as artificial intelligence increasingly influences how prospective students discover programs.
Learn more about the conference and register to attend the 2026 UPCEA Annual Conference in New Orleans, April 15–17.
