How to prepare your higher education website for AI-powered search and student discovery

For years, universities have invested in SEO and navigation design to help students find what they need. But with the rise of generative search experiences, those foundations are no longer enough.

Rather than typing keywords into Google and going through a list of links, today’s prospective and current students are turning to tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity to ask direct, natural-language questions like:

• “What scholarships can international students apply for at [university name]?”
• “How do I transfer courses between universities in my state?”
• “What are the best electives for a media and comms major in second year?”

And they’re getting instant, conversational answers without having to dig through complex menus or dense PDFs.

This shift is also fueling innovation on university websites. Tools like conversational AI search now give students instant answers, just like ChatGPT does. But without clearly structured content, even the best tools can fall short.

In fact, over 90 million people in the U.S. are expected to use AI as their primary search tool by 2027, up from just 13 million in 2023. As generative search becomes mainstream, user expectations will only continue to evolve.

It’s an important shift in how students find and engage with your digital content. To meet these expectations, your site needs to be structured for AI. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) helps you do that.

But first, let’s look at why most university websites aren’t ready for this shift.

Skip ahead:

• Why most university websites aren’t built for modern online search
  • Why traditional SEO no longer works for how students search online
• What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and why it matters for higher education websites
  • Higher ed content examples optimized for AI search
  • How to future-proof your content (and your brand)
• Your next steps

Most university websites were built for browsing, with complex menus and hidden pages. But even with well-written course guides, FAQ pages, or student support content, key information often gets buried, including:

• Application steps spread across multiple pages
• Scholarship criteria hidden in PDFs
• Course options listed in dense, unstructured formats
• Support services described in jargon-heavy language

This just doesn’t match how students interact with content today. To a human, it is a frustrating experience. To a generative AI model, it can mean your content isn’t discoverable at all.

Example:

A student types: “Does [University] offer mid-year entry for engineering?”

The AI tool tries to extract and repackage the answer from your site. But if your information is locked in long paragraphs, buried in PDFs, or missing key context, the model is more likely to:

• Pull an incomplete or outdated response
• Misinterpret your offering
• Or skip your site entirely in favor of one that’s easier to parse

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps websites rank in search results through keywords, backlinks, and metadata. But AI-powered discovery tools don’t rely on rankings: they extract and turn content into clear answers.

Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) accelerate this shift by generating direct answers at the top of the page, typically by summarizing fragments from websites it deems trustworthy and well-structured. The engine prioritizes sources that are consistently updated, clearly formatted, written in plain language, and published by domains with authority on the subject, like a SaaS vendor breaking down the next trends in the SaaS space.

And with over 58% of Google searches now ending without any clicks, students often get the answer they need directly in the results without ever visiting a website.

This means students may never land on your homepage (or your website at all) if other sources provide better answers.

That’s why traditional SEO isn’t enough. You need to format and frame your content clearly so AI can confidently summarize and reuse it.

Unlike traditional SEO, which helps your site rank in a list of links, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) prepares your content to be interpreted and reused directly in AI-generated answers.

That means structuring and presenting content in a way that makes it easy for a Large Language Model (LLM) to understand and summarize clearly and correctly. This includes tools like ChatGPT and your own site’s AI search, helping you create a faster, smarter user experience.

To do that, your content needs more than just keyword-packed writing. It must be:

1. Clear: written in plain, student-friendly language
2. Structured: with headings, bullets, summaries, and Q&A formatting
3. Contextual: with information grouped logically and consistently
4. Linked to a reliable source: so AI can trace facts to a reliable origin

But there’s also a deeper layer to GEO that most higher ed teams haven’t yet tackled. Here are three lesser-known practices that make a measurable difference:

5. Schema markup matters (behind-the-scenes tags): Pages tagged with ‘FAQPage’, ‘HowTo’, or ‘Article’ labels help AI understand your content’s purpose and increase the chance it’s featured in summaries. This works especially well for FAQs, course guides, and support pages.
6. Content consistency counts: If one page says “help center” and another says “support portal,” AI may treat them as unrelated. Consistency in naming and tone across pages helps AI connect the dots and reduces the risk of fragmented or incorrect answers.
7. Clarity beats creativity (in key areas): While human tone is still important, AI models prefer concise, fact-rich paragraphs, especially when answering common student questions. Think: “Could this be reused as a standalone answer?”

Together, these practices help future-proof your content so it’s discoverable, answerable, and trusted, whether by a prospective student using genAI or an AI engine surfacing results on your own site.

GEO goes beyond better writing. It helps you structure, store, and surface content in ways both humans and AI can trust. Done well, it boosts discoverability, improves your site’s AI search results, and ensures your institution is accurately represented online.

To improve visibility in AI-generated answers, universities could present key information in formats like:

• A clearly labeled Q&A section answering questions like, “Can I study part-time as an international student?”
• A bullet-point summary of key course prerequisites, fees, or entry requirements
• A short paragraph outlining student accommodation options, with a link to a more detailed guide

By structuring content using clear headings, bullets, and direct answers, you make it easier for AI tools to recognize and reuse your information. It also helps students quickly find what they need.

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once, but you do need to start. A phased, focused approach will help you move quickly while building momentum.

STEP 1: Focus on high-value content

Prioritize the pages students rely on most during their discovery and decision-making journey. Think scholarships, application steps, program descriptions, and student support services. These are the moments that shape perception and where clarity matters most.

STEP 2: Structure for clarity

AI tools rely on clear formatting to extract accurate information. Use schema markup like ‘FAQPage’, ‘HowTo’, and ‘Article’, clean page titles, summaries, and bulleted lists to make content easier to parse. Avoid burying details in long paragraphs or dense PDFs.

STEP 3: Align language with user intent

Structure content around how students actually ask questions, not just how your institution describes offerings. A student might search “Do you have courses on game design?” while your site refers to a “Bachelor of Interactive Entertainment.” Both should lead to the same answer.

STEP 4: Link related content

AI engines thrive on context. Internally link related topics (like international student support, tuition fees, and housing) using consistent anchor text like “support for international students” or “how to apply for housing” to reinforce SEO and help AI connect content threads. This helps models draw accurate conclusions and helps students self-navigate too.

STEP 5: Monitor and refine

Watch how students search on your website and in other common search tools. Use common queries to identify content gaps, refine existing copy, and guide ongoing updates. GEO isn’t a one-time fix, it’s a new standard of content maintenance.

The way students search for information has changed; and it’s not changing back.

When students can get instant, accurate answers from ChatGPT about your programs, but struggle to find basic information on your website, they're more likely to engage with competitors who provide better digital experiences

A recent study found that 48% of prospective students didn’t realize a university offered their degree of choice, even though it was listed on the website, highlighting the cost of poor content visibility.

Now is the time to assess how your content performs in an AI-first world, and take action to close the gap.

Learn how Squiz can help you transform your content into a discoverable, answerable asset for students. Book a 30-min chat with a Squiz strategy consultant here.