Will Scott Publishes Higher Education AI Search Research Findings

Research examines how AI-driven search is reshaping visibility for higher education institutions

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Will Scott, CEO and co-founder of Search Influence, has published a new article in Search Engine Land examining how AI-driven search is reshaping visibility for higher education institutions and other industries. The article draws on findings from the 2025 AI Search in Higher Education Research Study, which surveyed 760 prospective adult learners to understand how AI tools, AI Overviews, and traditional search results influence early research and evaluation.

Why it matters

The findings suggest that AI-generated summaries are playing a significant role in shaping initial trust and consideration, with 79% of respondents reporting they read Google's AI Overviews and 50% indicating they use AI tools at least weekly during research. This means organizations must now compete on two fronts: traditional rankings and AI citations.

The details

The article highlights a readiness gap among institutions, with a companion UPCEA snap poll finding that while most teams recognize the growing importance of AI search, only 30% report having a formal higher education AI search strategy in place. Respondents cited limited bandwidth, lack of in-house expertise, and unclear return on investment as primary barriers to implementation.

  • The AI Search Research Study was conducted in 2025.
  • Will Scott's article was published on March 4, 2026.

The players

Will Scott

CEO and co-founder of Search Influence, a New Orleans-based SEO agency. He has led teams responsible for building thousands of websites, creating hundreds of thousands of directory pages, and delivering millions of visits from search.

Search Influence

A woman-owned, ROI-focused digital marketing agency that helps institutions drive prospects into and through the recruitment funnel with analytics-backed strategies, including organic and AI SEO and paid digital advertising.

UPCEA

The online and professional education association that partnered with Search Influence on the 2025 AI Search in Higher Education Research Study.

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What they’re saying

“Search behavior has evolved. Organizations aren't necessarily losing visibility because they moved a few positions in search results. In many cases, they're losing visibility because they were never cited in the AI answer at all.”

— Will Scott, CEO and co-founder of Search Influence (Search Engine Land)

“AI search builds on established SEO fundamentals rather than replacing them. Clear structure, crawlability, and intent alignment remain critical signals. However, the format of content increasingly influences whether it is cited in AI-generated responses.”

— Will Scott, CEO and co-founder of Search Influence (Search Engine Land)

What’s next

Building on the themes explored in the article, Will Scott will present a Generative Engine Optimization Master Class in partnership with Search Engine Land on April 14, 2026. The online session will examine how AI platforms evaluate and surface content differently from traditional search engines.

The takeaway

This research highlights the growing importance of AI-driven search for higher education institutions and other organizations. To remain visible, they must now focus not only on traditional search engine optimization, but also on ensuring their content is structured and formatted in a way that makes it more likely to be cited in AI-generated summaries and responses.