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News
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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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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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How to Optimize Content for AI Search Engines
Note: This post was updated by Collin Guedon on 3/17/26 to reflect current best practices. It was originally published on 11/21/25. Key Insights AI search content optimization means structuring your content so AI systems can easily interpret, retrieve, and cite it in AI-generated answers. Traditional SEO remains the foundation — …
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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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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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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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Your AI Traffic Has Plateaued. Now What?
Key Insights The AI traffic plateau is real and expected. The experimental growth phase is over; we’ve entered an optimization and efficiency phase. AI-referred traffic is smaller but higher quality. Engagement time and intent consistently outperform traditional organic sessions. Visibility ≠ measurability. AI Overviews and AI Mode remain partial black …
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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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