AI is changing how we surf the Web - Fine Point Communications

Remember when the artificial intelligence robots were coming for our jobs? Well, they are after the jobs of other robots, too.

Google’s parent company lost $140 billion in market value this month after a top Apple executive said that AI chatbots are handling a substantial and increasing number of online searches.

Search engines losing relevance? Wow! Organic search (the kind not involving ads) has been always essential to the World Wide Web: After building a website, you want people to find it. And for nearly 30 years, Google’s rankings have determined whether a site gains attention or remains obscure.

If a shift away from search algorithms is truly taking hold, add that to the list of changes making this a particularly difficult time to have and manage a site.

Bot-generated content is ever more common on the Web.
Perhaps as a response, fewer people are interested in surfing online and going down rabbit holes as they chase information.
This means that time-tested methods of getting visitors into a site are proving less successful than ever.
As the technology keeps changing, site owners have no clear guidance on how to sustain, much less to build, an online audience.

For school communicators, websites are probably well down the list of priorities. But summer offers a good time for both a fresh look at how your site is doing and a deep dive into all that’s going on with online.

Meet the no-click search

How exactly could search engines become obsolete? A primary reason is the “no-click search,” in which a query for information prompts a AI summary of findings scraped from online.

The company Perplexity was a trailblazer on this; others quickly followed, including Google, which added an “AI Overviews” feature last May.

The summaries include hyperlinks, but much like the book reader who skips the end notes and bibliography, online users see little reason to visit any site used by the chatbot as a resource. Hence, no click.

A recent study found that click-through rates have dropped by nearly a third over the past year. That’s shocking, given click-through’s centrality to organic search, both in guiding users to an action and in tracking that result.

Google hung a $250 billion advertising platform and more on click-through, and search-engine optimization became a business segment. Now, that once-sturdy peg seems to have cracked. “SEO just keeps getting harder,” complains the industry website Search Engine Land.

Or, maybe, the field is in the middle of transformation. “SEO is no longer just about ranking; it’s about being recommended and cited” by chatbots, advises the digital marketing firm BrightEdge.

How schools can keep up

For schools, the change in Web behavior is not simply a topic for the STEM folks to discuss. Real economic implications are at play.

Websites are an important part of the admissions funnel, introducing the campus to prospective families through beautiful imagery and captivating descriptions. That content is costly to create, and schools often rationalize the expense as an investment in attracting next year’s applicants. But a drop in online traffic could mean fewer families in the funnel and, therefore, worse ROI.

Consider also that the responsibility of getting people to a site rests with the marketing and communications office, where directors already report that they don’t know online technology as well as they need.

Summer would be a great time for schools to examine website usage over the past year: looking for trends and creating new strategies. For example, how do the numbers compare between various traffic channels? If organic search lags behind direct traffic (users who type in your URL), can you lean into that trend by promoting your URL in lots of ways?

The break is also a convenient time to get technical. Check out Finalsite’s 30-page guide on “SEO in the Age of AI,” which explores the current situation in depth and provides helpful guidance. And Connor Gleason’s posts on the Finalsite blog have worthy strategies to consider. His writeup on AI Overviews is particularly good.

One note of reassurance: Google still advocates “E-E-A-T” — experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness — as the qualities that drive good outcomes in any search. Schools would naturally emphasize these principles, not only as good communications but also as part of their mission.

What’s new at Fine Point Communications

We will return next month to the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools conference, this time in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, June 24, at 3 p.m., principal Scott Butterworth will lead a discussion on “How to Keep Connected Through a Campus Closure.” And don’t miss the Fine Point exhibitor table, where we will introduce a new service.

Also, mark your calendars for Wednesday, Feb. 25. In Seattle, we will present a professional-development event for communications directors, the day before the NAIS Annual Conference opens. Details are being finalized, but reach out for a preview of what’s in the works.

Don’t-miss clicks

McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn., went viral this month with a heart-tugging video featuring five graduating seniors. It’s been seen more than 44 million times on TikTok. The producer was McCallie’s director of video, Brandan Roberts, who joined the students for a segment on “Fox & Friends” to discuss the filming.
Congratulations to Finalsite founder and CEO Jon Moser, who stepped down this month after 27 years leading the company. It is astounding to realize all that came from Jon’s initial desire to help schools build websites: As he noted on LinkedIn, today the company has 7,000 clients in 120 countries! Here’s hoping his next chapter keeps Jon involved with independent schools.
We were thrilled to see last month’s Refill quoted in the latest School Partner Connect newsletter. School Partner Connect is a unique service that helps independent schools engage outside providers to help with a wide range of projects. Check it out to learn more.