UPCEA Guest Blog: Paula French Analyzes the Latest SEO Trends in Higher Ed
April 25th, 2025 by
Search is evolving fast. Is your institution keeping up?
In her latest guest blog for UPCEA, “Higher Ed SEO Trends to Stay Competitive,” Search Influence’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Paula French, breaks down four key trends redefining SEO in higher education.
She explores how AI Overviews are lowering organic results, why platforms like TikTok and YouTube are becoming primary search tools, and how Google’s “People Also Ask” and E-E-A-T signals are raising the bar for ranking.
If you’re seeing organic traffic drop or struggling to reach qualified prospects, Paula’s blog is your guide to what’s happening and what to do next.
The Latest SEO Trends in Higher Education, Unpacked
AI Overviews are reshaping search results
Google’s AI Overviews now provide quick, synthesized answers from multiple sources and display them at the top of many search results. While this shift can reduce organic traffic, Paula explains how universities can optimize for these summaries by writing detailed, concise content that invites clicks — and still positions the institution as a trusted resource.
Social search is gaining ground
Today’s students are just as likely to search on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, or even YouTube as on Google. That means institutions must think beyond traditional SEO to social search. Paula shares how repurposing website content and leveraging student-generated media can help schools appear where generations like Gen Z are already searching.
“People Also Ask” is a missed opportunity
Google’s “People Also Ask” section remains a powerful place to earn exposure, yet many institutions overlook it. Paula explains how answering common student questions — and structuring content with search in mind — can help universities appear in these high-traffic dropdowns, even as traditional rankings fluctuate.
E-E-A-T matters more than ever
With so much information being summarized or reinterpreted by AI, Google’s emphasis on trustworthy sources is only increasing. Paula reinforces why meeting Google’s quality standards, E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), must remain central to any SEO and AI search strategy for better visibility.
Across all four trends, Paula offers a strategic lens on what matters most right now: earning attention, trust, and action from the students who are most likely to apply. For more in-depth insights into each trend and how to make them work for you, check out Paula’s full blog post on UPCEA’s page.
From Insight to Action: The SEO Workbook
Reading about the latest SEO trends is one thing. Acting on them is another.
To support higher ed marketing teams in building a competitive SEO foundation, Search Influence created the SEO Workbook, an easily accessible resource packed with hands-on exercises and strategy planning tools.
Inside the workbook, you’ll find guidance on how to:
- Evaluate your site’s authority and visibility
- Build a content strategy around high-value academic programs
- Strengthen your site’s technical foundation for search
- Improve discoverability across search results so your organization ranks better in AI summaries, social platforms, and traditional search
Completing the exercises will give you a prioritized action plan and three months of SEO techniques you can start using immediately.
If your institution is ready to compete for attention in today’s search environment, this workbook will help you focus your efforts and start seeing real results. Download our SEO Workbook today to bridge the gap between what’s changing in search and what your team does next.
