Beyond the buzzwords: Topical authority for the AI-first student journey

AEO and "AI optimization" are having a moment. And yes, those tactics matter, but for most institutions, they’re still only a small part of the traffic picture compared to everything else that drives discovery. So if we treat AI as the strategy, we’ll miss the bigger opportunity.

Meanwhile, student behavior is changing fast. More prospective students are using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to explore programs, compare schools and narrow choices, sometimes without talking to anyone from a university until much later in the process, if at all.

In this session, we’ll make the case for a better approach: a more sustainable content strategy program that builds real momentum over time. You’ll get a practical framework you can run with even if your team is small, including:

• How to keep the AI/AEO convo grounded (and still prepare for what’s next).
• Why “program over tools” wins: foundations + governance + workflows + measurement.
• What to standardize now vs. where to experiment safely.
• A simple visual model that shows the layers that lead to topical authority.
• How to align content to the questions students ask AI assistants, without turning your site into an SEO robot.

You’ll leave with a clear blueprint and a 30/60/90-day starting plan to make your content easier to find, understand and trust, whether the “front door” is Google, an AI summary or a chatbot.