Social media can do more than build awareness for colleges and universities. With the right strategy, it can help turn prospective students into enrolled students. Learn how to choose the right platforms, create content for each stage of the enrollment journey, and measure what matters. straightnorth.com/blog/socia…

Increasing college enrollment takes more than generating inquiries. From improving program pages and AI search visibility to simplifying applications and strengthening student engagement, discover nine marketing strategies that help colleges turn prospective students into enrolled students. straightnorth.com/blog/how-t…

Original research does more than strengthen your content. It can help your brand earn citations in AI-generated answers, attract backlinks, and build authority. Learn how first-party data can improve your GEO strategy and AI search visibility. straightnorth.com/blog/how-o…

Website traffic only tells part of the local SEO story. What about the customers who find your business on Google, call directly from your profile, or request directions without ever visiting your website? Google Business Profile's integration with GA4 helps fill in some of those gaps. In our latest blog, Straight North's Local SEO & GEO Expert Josephine Schramm and SEO & GEO Analytics Expert Marc Holt break down what marketers need to know, including: -How to connect Google Business Profile to GA4 -Which customer interactions you can track -Key reporting limitations, including the six-month data window -How to turn these insights into more meaningful local SEO reporting The big takeaway? Local SEO success goes beyond website visits. Understanding how customers engage with your business is essential to seeing the bigger picture. Read the full article: straightnorth.com/blog/googl…

More students are turning to ChatGPT and AI search to compare colleges and academic programs. Is your institution showing up? Learn how higher education marketers can improve AI visibility, communicate key program details, and reach prospective students during their college search. straightnorth.com/blog/when-…

Check out our latest blog for an 8-step checklist on getting cited in Google AI Overviews. 👀 straightnorth.com/blog/how-t…

What makes AI search engines choose one source over another? Discover how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google select citations — and what businesses can do to improve their visibility in AI-generated answers. straightnorth.com/blog/how-d…

A technical SEO audit can uncover thousands of potential website issues. But how do you know which ones are actually worth fixing? Automated crawling tools like Screaming Frog make it easier to identify broken links, redirect chains, indexing problems, and other technical issues. The real value, though, comes from knowing what to do with that information. In our latest blog, Straight North SEO amp; GEO Automation Expertnbsp;Nick Fatigato shares how to make technical SEO audits more efficient and actionable, including: • Combining crawl data with Google Search Console and Google Analytics • Scheduling recurring audits to catch issues early • Using AI to analyze findings without replacing human judgment • Comparing crawls to identify problems after website redesigns or migrations • Prioritizing fixes that have the greatest impact on search visibility and leads As Nick explains, a crawling tool might produce a 10,000-row spreadsheet, but it’s up to the SEO strategist to identify the handful of issues that truly matter. Read the full article and watch Nick’s insights on automating technical SEO audits: straightnorth.com/blog/how-t…

Discover how colleges and universities can use SEO, paid media, AI search and data-driven strategies to attract students and measure success in our complete guide to higher education marketing. straightnorth.com/blog/highe…

Marketing attribution isn’t getting easier, but marketers aren’t giving up on it. For our latest Straight North research article, we surveyed 101 marketers about their attribution priorities, practices, tools, and biggest obstacles. A few findings stood out: • 75% consider attribution mission critical or very important • 54 of 101 said AI and zero-click search have reduced their attribution confidence • No single attribution challenge was selected by more than 17% of respondents • 87% account for un-trackable marketing influence in some way, but only 30 respondents have a formal process The takeaway? Better attribution probably won’t come from finding one perfect metric. It will come from evaluating several imperfect signals through a consistent process. Read the full research: straightnorth.com/blog/marke…

A strong GEO strategy is more than a list of AI search tactics. Learn how to build a structured plan that improves your brand’s visibility, citations and presence across AI-powered search. straightnorth.com/blog/how-t…

SEO gets your business found in search results. GEO helps your brand get mentioned and cited in AI-generated answers. Learn the key differences, where they overlap, and why your marketing strategy needs both. straightnorth.com/blog/geo-v…

A credential. A five-star review. An impressive case study result. They may look credible on a website. But can someone actually verify them? In the latest Straight North SME blog, Straight North Senior SEO amp; GEO Strategist Bob Hand breaks down what separates meaningful E-E-A-T signals from what he calls “performative E-E-A-T”. These credibility signals that look convincing but don’t have enough evidence behind them. His test is straightforward: Could a motivated reader verify the claim within five minutes? That means trust signals should be specific, relevant, current, and traceable. Author credentials should match the subject. Case study results should have data and context behind them. “Reviewed by” labels should reflect a review that actually happened. Even an updated date should represent real work. For businesses focused on SEO and search visibility, the takeaway is bigger than simply adding more trust signals to a website. Audit the claims you’re already making. Substantiate what’s true, qualify what needs context, and remove what you can’t defend. You may also uncover real expertise and results inside your organization that deserve to be on the site but aren’t there yet. Read the full article: straightnorth.com/blog/perfo…

ChatGPT can make SEO faster. But can it actually do your SEO? See where AI tools excel, where they fall short, and why human expertise still matters. straightnorth.com/blog/can-c…

Out of stock doesn’t always mean out of search. When an e-commerce product sells out or is discontinued, deleting the product page may seem like the obvious next step. But that decision can affect search visibility, and leave shoppers wondering where to go next. In our latest article, Straight North’s E-Commerce SEO & GEO Expert Mark Greathouse breaks down how to approach SEO for out-of-stock products, including: · When out-of-stock product pages should remain live · When to redirect discontinued products · How to use restock updates and relevant alternatives · When an old product page has outlived its usefulness · What to monitor after inventory changes The takeaway? There’s no single SEO strategy for every unavailable product. The right approach depends on what happens next, and how you can continue helping the shopper. Read the full article to learn how to handle out-of-stock and discontinued product pages without creating a dead end for search engines or customers. straightnorth.com/blog/seo-f…

Want your brand to show up in ChatGPT and other AI-generated answers? Learn how crawlability, citation-friendly content, third-party authority and original research can improve your AI visibility. straightnorth.com/blog/how-t…

Search is becoming an answer economy. Learn how Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) can help your content earn citations, mentions and visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and other AI-powered platforms. straightnorth.com/blog/what-…

A ranking change tells you what happened. It rarely tells you why. That’s why storytelling matters in SEO and GEO strategy. When traffic shifts, we need an explanation to test. The test should consider search demand, website experience, content performance, and business outcomes. We may never identify every factor, but that shouldn’t stop us from making the best decision the evidence supports. In our latest article, I spoke with @Bryan Paravola about interpreting SEO data, diagnosing ranking fluctuations, and reporting results without claiming more certainty than the data allows. Read it here: straightnorth.com/blog/seo-a…

AI visibility is becoming an essential part of search strategy. Explore 11 GEO and AI visibility tools that can help you track brand mentions, citations, competitors and performance across AI platforms. straightnorth.com/blog/top-1…

AI visibility goes beyond rankings and clicks. Learn which GEO metrics matter, how to track your brand across AI platforms, and how to connect visibility to real business results. straightnorth.com/blog/how-d…