This week, our team had the opportunity to attend and contribute our latest insights to the Digital Collegium Annual Conference 2025 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The event brought together marketers, strategists, and institutional leaders from across the state, creating a collaborative and forward-thinking environment.
Before we settled for the conference, we took some time to explore the host city, and our visit to Grand Rapids proved to be just as inspiring as the sessions themselves.
Landing in Grand Rapids, we were immediately amazed by the city’s unique energy. There’s a rhythm in the city that mixes historic charm with modern views, and a downtown that feels alive without ever being overwhelming. It’s a city worth exploring, and we just couldn’t wait to do so.
As we wandered through Grand Rapids, the city’s love for art immediately stood out. Vibrant murals and installations adorned many of the buildings. Each piece seemed to add character and color to the urban space, giving the city a creative, energetic vibe that made exploring even more enjoyable.
As the day went on, we couldn’t resist experiencing one of Grand Rapids’ most famous claims to fame, its craft beer. Known as “Beer City, USA,” Grand Rapids certainly lives up to the title. We made a stop at the Founders Brewery, and its APA beers definitely exceeded our expectations. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, the kind of place where conversations flow as easily as the beer.
Between the amazing brews and friendly locals, it was the perfect way to relax and catch up before diving into the excitement of the conference.
Exploring the city gave us just the boost we needed. Energized and inspired, we were ready to trade sightseeing for insights as the conference kicked off the next day. Once our booth was set and everything in place, we were ready to engage, network, share insights, and learn from peers.
With a schedule filled with valuable discussions and networking opportunities, the Digital Collegium 2025 Annual Conference featured sessions focused on how higher education institutions can create more personalized and inclusive experiences for students, focus on the metrics that matter, and adapt to new technologies reshaping higher education marketing.
Session Highlights
One speaker after the other, the Digital Collegium Annual Conference 2025 proved its value to the industry by delivering sessions that truly reflected where higher education marketing is headed.
Here are some of the sessions that we think stood out:
Faton Sopa – Rethinking SEO for Higher Education in 2026 and Beyond
One of the highlight moments from this year’s conference was seeing our CEO and Co-Founder, Faton Sopa, share insights from his session focused on the future of SEO in higher education and how institutions can adapt to new student search behaviors.
This session challenged traditional marketing strategies that universities currently employ to attract and engage prospective students. For decades, colleges and universities have treated Google as the main entry point to their institution. This approach is now being questioned. Prospective students are now discovering colleges on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit, as well as through AI search engines. So, by the time a student reaches a .edu website, their opinion is often already formed.
The presentation was supported by data from the State of College Search 2025, an original research study conducted with more than 1,500 recently enrolled students across three key segments: undergraduates, graduate students, and adult learners. The findings introduced and discussed during the session supported the shift in how students search and discover information:
- 61 percent of Gen Z use social media to find college information
- 87 percent rely on multiple platforms before deciding where to apply
- 42 percent use online forums like Reddit to read authentic student experiences
- Nearly one in four adult learners now use AI tools such as ChatGPT to validate college choices
To be successful in the new reality of the information discovery era, higher education institutions should influence the conversation in places they don’t own. When done consistently, intentionally, and with a clear understanding of students’ search behavior, discovery will lead to further interest and engagement.
In essence, the session emphasized that success in higher education marketing starts with showing up where students seek answers, building genuine influence, and establishing trust through relevance and authenticity.
Beyond our session, Digital Collegium 2025 offered an inspiring lineup of presentations that left a lasting impression on our team.
Brian Piper – Custom GPTs For Higher Education: Building AI-Powered Assistants For Efficiency And Engagement
This session explored how custom GPTs are transforming higher education by streamlining marketing, admissions, and student engagement. As AI tools become more accessible and customizable, institutions are beginning to integrate them strategically across their digital ecosystems, from automating content creation and refining audience targeting to improving response times and data analysis.
The discussion emphasized that these tools, when thoughtfully implemented, can enhance both operational efficiency and the quality of personalized communication with students and stakeholders.
Attendees learned how universities can develop and deploy custom GPTs tailored to their institutional goals. Examples included using AI assistants to help enhance prospective student engagement, support staff with content workflows, and generate data-driven insights that inform decision-making.
Ultimately, the session highlighted that AI’s real potential in higher ed lies in strategic integration. By aligning custom GPTs with mission-driven priorities and ethical guidelines, institutions can harness AI to communicate more effectively and create more engaging experiences for students throughout their journey.
Josh Stowe & Nicole Velasquez – Making Faculty Research Discoverable
Through their session, they explored how the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs is experimenting with the role of SEO in higher education. Rather than using search optimization solely to promote academic programs, the school is applying it to increase the visibility and accessibility of faculty research.
As a relatively young institution, the Keough School is building its reputation as a globally recognized, policy-relevant research hub, and integrating SEO into its editorial process has become a strategic way to help reach the audiences who can benefit from it most.
The session covered:
- Ways to integrate SEO into research storytelling in a natural, authentic way.
- Key lessons learned: what’s worked for them, what hasn’t, and what’s still evolving.
- Practical resources and tools to help put SEO strategies into action.
- Tips for gaining buy-in from leadership and stakeholders in academic settings.
Ultimately, the session highlighted how the thoughtful use of SEO can amplify the impact of research while maintaining academic integrity.
Dan Moore & Ben Loeffler – From Traffic To Impact: Rethinking Website Measurement
This session was focused on challenging higher education professionals to rethink how they measure website performance, urging a shift from surface-level analytics to strategic, impact-driven metrics.
While most institutions recognize that measurement matters, few are effectively connecting web performance to broader goals like brand perception, audience engagement, and institutional outcomes. Despite major investments in digital infrastructure, many universities still rely on outdated indicators, such as page views and session counts, metrics that reveal little about what truly drives impact.
Participants explored innovative techniques for interpreting user behavior, measuring conversions that reflect genuine engagement, and tracking how websites impact brand strength over time. Through case studies and practical examples, the session illustrated how institutions can modernize their web strategies, translating data into actionable insights that improve both user experience and organizational outcomes.
Ultimately, the session highlighted that in higher education, website measurement shouldn’t stop at traffic.
Eric Butler & Patrick Kelly – The Wizard of Labor Market Data: Turning Insights into SEO and Engagement Magic
Another standout session at this year’s conference was “The Wizard of Labor Market Data: Get Wicked Results for SEO and Engagement,” led by Eric Butler and Patrick Kelly.
This session explored how colleges can harness labor market data to strengthen both their SEO performance and student engagement. More specifically, through the case of Harper College, it was demonstrated how connecting program pages with related career profiles, job demand statistics, and salary projections enabled this college to improve its visibility in search results and provide the kind of outcome-focused information that students increasingly look for when making enrollment decisions.
The session highlighted two key approaches:
- Developing career-oriented landing pages that drive organic search traffic
- Embedding interactive tools that increase on-page engagement.
Attendees left with practical ideas for leveraging data-driven content to communicate value, demonstrate career relevance, and ultimately build stronger connections with prospective students.
Robert M. Kadar – Why Traditional Lead Generation Fails In Higher Education
Traditional lead generation tactics in higher education are losing their effectiveness, but what can institutions do about it? This session was centered on answering that question.
Despite heavy investment in digital advertising and inquiry forms, the vast majority of enrolled students never fill out a lead form. Today’s prospective students prefer to explore independently, researching programs, comparing institutions, and applying on their own timelines.
The session challenged institutions to recognize that the traditional funnel model no longer reflects how modern students actually make decisions, and offered practical solutions on how institutions can shift to a model centered on transparency, accessibility, and authentic engagement. This approach not only builds trust but also aligns with how students now gather information and evaluate their options.
Ultimately, the discussion presented a compelling case for rethinking higher education marketing through the lens of trust and empowerment, rather than solely focusing on conversion. When universities provide useful, honest, and easily accessible information, they will attract the right students naturally without having to “chase leads.”
Tracy Playle – The Rise Of Zero-Click Behavior: Navigating The New Landscape Of University Marketing And Engagement
This session captivated our attention with the rise of zero-click behavior, one of the most pressing challenges facing higher education marketers today. With nearly 60% of Google searches in 2024 ending without a click, institutions are confronting a new reality, one where visibility, engagement, and influence increasingly occur off their own websites.
The discussion explored how AI-driven search, evolving social algorithms, and in-platform experiences are transforming the way audiences discover and interact with university content.
Rather than viewing declining web traffic as a failure, the session reframed it as an opportunity to evolve the digital strategy. Attendees were encouraged to focus on structured and semantic content and embrace AIO (AI Optimization) as a core skill.
Until Next Time
Needless to say, our experience at Digital Collegium 2025 left our team inspired and energized. The conference offered a clear view of how higher education marketing is evolving and where the biggest opportunities lie. It was exciting to see the dedication and effort that higher education marketers are bringing to help institutions connect with students in more meaningful ways.
What also stood out most was the sense of community this conference offered. Meeting peers who are tackling similar challenges and exchanging ideas about what’s next reminded us of the value of these gatherings. They encourage us to experiment more and stay curious about how students interact with the world around them.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s Digital Collegium 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to reconnect with the community, share what we’ve learned, and continue contributing to the ongoing conversation about the future of higher education marketing.
