Search Influence's Paula French will co-lead a workshop on AI visibility in higher education marketing at the 2026 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. The session will be presented alongside Tara Pope, director of marketing at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
The workshop, titled "Build AI Visibility That Drives Enrollment," will take place Nov. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. MST as part of the AMA Symposium, running Nov. 8-11 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado. The two-hour session is one of the Symposium's workshop-format offerings, designed for hands-on skill-building rather than a traditional lecture.
French and Pope will use Search Influence's work with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School as a case study for assessing and building AI visibility. Attendees will receive a handout guiding them through the same assessment process for their own institution.
The session also introduces a model for converting AI search visibility into measurable enrollment outcomes, drawing on How Prospects Search in 2026, the latest comparative research from UPCEA and Search Influence. The research found that 58% of prospective students now use AI tools the way they would a traditional search engine, up from 50% in last year's report. Eighty-three percent read AI-generated overviews when one appears, and 64% said being cited in one increases their trust in that source, up from 56% a year earlier.
The same research found that most prospective students seriously consider three or fewer programs before applying, a narrow window that makes appearing among the sources an AI tool cites increasingly consequential. Because the report is designed as a year-over-year trend study rather than a one-time snapshot, it gives marketers a clearer picture of how quickly search behavior is shifting than a single survey could.
The session is intended to leave attendees with a customized, actionable plan based on how their higher education institution currently appears in AI search results, along with guidance on communicating AI visibility opportunities to their stakeholders.
"Enrollment teams are already seeing AI visibility affect their numbers. We built this workshop so attendees leave with a concrete plan based on where their institution stands today and the language to bring a case to their own leadership," said French.
French has more than 15 years of experience helping higher education institutions improve their online visibility and enrollment outcomes, and regularly contributes insights on SEO, analytics, and strategy to national audiences and industry publications.
The AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education has run for more than 30 years and brings together higher education marketers for peer-reviewed programming on strategy, enrollment, and institutional reputation. Sessions are selected through peer review and designed to give attendees practical strategies they can apply directly to their enrollment marketing programs. Registration and additional session details are available through the American Marketing Association's event page for the 2026 Symposium. Institutions looking to assess their own AI visibility can also access Search Influence's SEO & AI Search Workbook for Higher Education Websites.
For more information on Search Influence’s work as a higher education SEO agency, visit https://www.searchinfluence.com.
About Search Influence
Search Influence is a digital marketing agency specializing in AI and organic search engine optimization, digital advertising, and analytics for higher education, hospitality, and healthcare. Founded in 2006, Search Influence's core purpose is to optimize potential. The agency collaborates with well-regarded brands and institutions both nationally and locally in New Orleans. Clients include: Harvard University, New Orleans & Company, and Audubon Nature Institute.
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For more information about Search Influence, contact the company here:
Search Influence
Angie Scott
(504) 208-3900
info@searchinfluence.com
1423 Pine St New Orleans, LA 70118
