Key Insights Gen Z and Millennials increasingly favor social search over traditional search engines like Google. As social search becomes more prominent, brands need to optimize their presence on social media platforms to capture the attention of younger, tech-savvy audiences. Social search engines prioritize visual content, which resonates more with younger audiences. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok emphasize images and videos, making it crucial for brands to invest in high-quality visual media to capture attention and drive engagement. As has been true for countless generations, young ..read more

Search Influence Co-Founder and CEO Will Scott recently wrote a guest blog post for our higher education marketing partners at UPCEA. The blog post, titled “Drive Success: Using Recruitment SEO to Fill Higher Education Seats,” takes an in-depth look at how higher learning institutions can utilize recruitment SEO to adapt to evolving demographics and industry shifts. In his blog post, the SEO expert argues that traditional higher education marketing tactics are not enough. Today’s learners discover and explore educational programs differently, and institutions need to adapt their strategies ac ..read more

In a June guest blog for B-Corp certified digital marketing agency Seer Interactive, Search Influence Co-Founder and CEO Will Scott breaks down a fundamental, yet often overlooked, higher education SEO tactic: schema markup. Schema markup for higher education websites is a form of microdata added to a website’s HTML to help search engines better understand the content. It uses a semantic vocabulary (i.e., code) known as Schema.org to annotate various webpage elements with metadata. By crawling your schema, search engines can get a better sense of who you are and surface your site in the SERPs ..read more

Search Influence Co-Founder and CEO Will Scott made his first appearance on the Make Marketing Make Sense podcast to share how marketers should utilize AI to supercharge their SEO efforts. Make Marketing Make Sense is a weekly podcast hosted by Comfy Stone Films Co-Founder and Account Manager Josh Owen. The podcast invites entrepreneurs and marketing experts to simplify the latest trends in this ever-evolving industry. Comfy Stone Films helps businesses grow by making effective online video content on such topics as video marketing strategies and production tips. Watch the full podcast below ..read more

Key Insights A shifting higher education playing field is causing universities to reevaluate their results and the costs associated with them. Despite increased competition and an evolving modern learner, higher education marketing departments can still reach their enrollment goals by tracking the right metrics to inform future strategies. New Search Influence and UPCEA research reveals a blind spot in higher education marketing tracking: cost per inquiry and cost per enrollment. Cost per inquiry and cost per enrollment are compasses that help you determine your marketing budget’s efficiency ..read more

Key Insights It’s essential to choose the right attribution model in GA4 to understand how your marketing efforts contribute to user interactions and conversions (key events). GA4’s default data-driven model offers a dynamic approach to attribution, but marketers beware: this model isn’t ideal for all websites. A knowledgeable digital marketing agency can help you choose the right attribution model for your business. Does your attribution model show the real value of each touchpoint? Or does it mislead your strategy? As you sunset your Universal Analytics property and welcome Google Analyti ..read more

Google announces AI Overviews are available for all US searchers Google is trying to steal your searches, what can you do about it? At yesterday’s Google I/O, Google announced it is rolling out “AI overviews” for all US searchers. Without getting too geeky, the AI Overviews are “retrieval augmented generation,” where essentially Google looks into its large language model (i.e. big ol’ database of knowledge) and compares what’s there to search data to build a better answer. If you’d like more information,  ..read more

Did you know Google will permanently delete all Universal Analytics data on July 1, 2024? Sign up by June 14th, and we can help save your Google Universal Analytics data from deletion. Universal Analytics has existed since 2005 and was retired last year. It will cease to exist on July 1 and all historical data will be permanently deleted. Moving forward, Google expects businesses to leverage data tracked in Google Analytics 4, which may limit your ability to make marketing decisions. Reasons why Google is deleting Universal Analytics data: To free up server space To streamline their operatio ..read more

Search Influence is pleased to announce our continuing partnership with Audubon Nature Institute as a Keeper Sponsor for the 46th annual Hancock Whitney Zoo-to-Do and the 35th annual Zoo-to-Do for Kids presented by Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. This marks our thirteenth year of sponsoring this event and over a decade of helping Audubon Nature Institute craft results-driven digital marketing campaigns. Learn more about our distinguished partner’s one-of-a-kind fundraising event and the vital conservation work it helps to finance. About Hancock Whitney Zoo-to-Do Held at Audubon Zoo in bea ..read more

As a higher education digital advertiser, you know managing campaigns is no easy feat. Marketers need to contend with increased competition, limited resources, and a complex marketing landscape. Fortunately, with the right expertise and digital platform knowledge, your school’s marketing department can achieve your enrollment goals — if not surpass them — without overworking your budget. Join Search Influence and UPCEA on April 30 for the live webinar, “Stop Wasting Budget: How to Get Better Digital Ad Results and Increase Satisfaction,” to see how to maximize enrollment and minimize lost ad ..read more