About the Episode
About the Episode:
AI isn’t just changing how students search for colleges, but changing how they decide. In this episode, we talk with Jason Smith, Founder of OHO Agency, about how generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming a new layer of the enrollment funnel. With more than 75% of students now using AI in their college search, institutions risk being evaluated, compared, and even eliminated before a student ever visits their website. Jason also introduces the AI Visibility Scorecard, a tool OHO designed to help institutions understand how they’re represented in AI and where critical content gaps exist.
Join us as we discuss:
- [2:03] The shift from traditional search to personalized AI-filtered questions
- [10:08] How the AI Visibility Scorecard gauges your school’s AI search “rankings”
- [18:18] Why AI-powered visibility is really a content strategy shift
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How AI in Higher Education Is Transforming the Student Search Journey
Generative AI has rapidly become a central part of how students research colleges, and the shift is happening faster than many institutions realize. Jason Smith shares that within a year, AI usage among prospective students has jumped from roughly 30% to over 75%, signaling a dramatic transformation in behavior. Students are no longer just browsing—they’re asking highly personalized, decision-driven questions.
Instead of searching “best colleges for engineering,” students now ask nuanced questions like “Is this college good for me as an engineering student?” This marks a major evolution in marketing strategy for student recruitment, where personalization is no longer optional—it’s expected. AI tools are effectively acting as advisors, helping students compare schools and narrow choices before ever visiting a website.
This creates a new challenge: institutions are no longer the first touchpoint in the enrollment funnel. If your school isn’t accurately represented in AI-generated responses, you may never even make a student’s consideration set.
Why Higher Education Content Marketing Must Evolve for AI
One of the most provocative insights from the episode is this: AI isn’t just changing search—it’s redefining content strategy. Jason argues that institutions must shift from publishing what they want to say to answering what students are actually asking.
Historically, colleges have relied on polished messaging, student stories, and generalized outcomes data. But AI tools struggle to interpret these formats, especially when trying to answer specific, comparative questions. For example, a student story doesn’t easily translate into a clear “outcomes” answer for an AI model.
This exposes a major gap in higher education content marketing. Schools need structured, direct, and question-oriented content that aligns with how AI systems retrieve and synthesize information. Without it, AI will default to third-party sources—or worse, generate generic responses that fail to differentiate your institution.
Understanding the AI Visibility Scorecard
To address this challenge, Jason and his team developed the AI Visibility Scorecard—a tool designed to help institutions understand how they appear in AI-generated responses. Unlike traditional SEO tools, this approach evaluates visibility through the lens of different student personas, such as first-generation or international students.
The scorecard analyzes key content areas like academics, admissions, outcomes, and campus life, identifying where institutions are strong—and where they’re invisible. It also reveals which sources AI relies on, including institutional websites, Wikipedia, aggregator sites, and even student newspapers.
This represents a new frontier for SEO for higher education. Instead of optimizing for rankings on Google, institutions must now optimize for inclusion in AI-generated answers. That means ensuring content is not only accurate but also accessible, structured, and aligned with user intent.
The Hidden Risk: Content Gaps and Missed Opportunities
Perhaps the biggest risk highlighted in the episode is not just visibility—it’s relevance. AI exposes the gaps between what institutions publish and what students actually want to know.
For example, many colleges lack clear, accessible outcomes data—yet this is one of the top decision factors for students. When that information is missing, AI tools pull from external sources or generate vague responses, weakening the institution’s positioning.
Even seemingly small gaps—like missing “overview” pages for faculty or housing—can have outsized impacts. Without this “connective tissue,” AI struggles to form a complete picture, leading to incomplete or inaccurate representations. These gaps highlight the need for more intentional education market research and content development strategies.
What Enrollment Marketers Should Do Next
So what’s the path forward? Jason’s advice is clear: start by asking harder questions about your programs and value proposition. Why should a student choose your institution for a specific major? Can you clearly articulate outcomes, experiences, and differentiators?
From there, institutions should audit their content through the lens of AI. What questions are students asking? Where are the gaps? And how can content be structured to provide clear, credible answers? This is where tools like the AI Visibility Scorecard become invaluable.
Ultimately, this shift isn’t just about technology—it’s about mindset. Institutions must move from broadcasting messages to participating in conversations, aligning their content with real student needs and behaviors.
Connect With Our Host:
Allison Turcio
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/
https://twitter.com/allisonturcio
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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