Gain top insights about how to use search engine optimization (SEO) to drive enrollment in higher education.
Google’s February 2026 Discover Core Update signals a major shift in how content is surfaced in Google Discover. With a stronger emphasis on originality, topic-based expertise, and reduced clickbait, higher ed institutions may see fluctuations in traffic—and new opportunities to build visibility through consistent thought leadership and modern search optimization.
Search is no longer just about keywords and rankings. As AI-driven platforms reshape how people discover programs, institutions must rethink how they show up, tell their story, and prove relevance in an AI-first discovery era. This piece explores what’s changing—and how higher education leaders can adapt their content, strategy, and digital presence to stay visible and competitive.
Prospective students are increasingly turning to AI tools to research colleges and programs—often before visiting an institution’s website. An AI Footprint Audit helps institutions understand how they appear across these platforms, revealing what AI is saying about their brand, where that information comes from, and how to improve visibility, accuracy, and perception.
If you work in higher education marketing, you’ve probably felt it: that uneasy dip in organic web traffic. Maybe it started slowly last year and suddenly looks more dramatic in your dashboards. Maybe a dean or provost asked about it. Maybe you wondered whether your… Read More »Why Drops in Organic Traffic Don’t Mean Your SEO Strategy Is Failing
AI is rewriting the rules of Google paid search—and higher education marketers need to keep up. From AI overviews reducing ad visibility to Performance Max campaigns expanding reach across Google’s ecosystem, the old formula of keyword targeting is no longer enough. In this post, we break down the biggest changes shaping search, how AI is redefining campaign success, and why human strategy is still essential for enrollment growth.
Since Yahoo! Search gained popularity in the 1990s, nearly every search engine has followed the same structure. As many platforms came and went, one remained dominant: Google. Today, Google is so ingrained in our daily lives that it has become a verb. But the way… Read More »Is TikTok the New Google? How Social Media is Changing Search
In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, staying current with—or even ahead of (gasp)—marketing trends requires more than just a well-thought-out strategy. It demands innovation and adaptability, traits that generative AI can bring to the forefront of digital marketing. Generative AI is revolutionizing the process of… Read More »Generative AI: How to Use the Machine for Effective Marketing