Higher-Ed GEO & AEO: How AI Picks Sources (with Ray Martinez)

How do universities and higher education institutions get cited in AI answers? In this episode, Ray Martinez (VP of SEO, Archer Education) joins The SEO Party to break down GEO (AI/answer-engine optimization) for higher-ed: how bots crawl, what they trust, why unique content and links matter, and how to structure .EDU websites, so models choose your content as a source. What you’ll learn: GEO vs. SEO: what changes, what doesn’t, and why “be the citation” is the new goal. How AI picks sources: GPTBot behavior, crawl limits, and why brand activity and mentions matter. Structure that wins: schema beyond rich results, internal links that guide discovery, and a pragmatic take on LLMS.txt. Data storytelling: reports leaders actually understand (visuals, context, and KPIs that tie to enrollments). Vectorized keywords: semantic relevance without the jargon - how vectors improve content planning. Links in 2025: why relevance, referral traffic, and context still matter (and what to ignore). Paid and organic together: finding gaps/overlaps to lower CPA and increase enrollments. Risk & reality for the higher-ed industry: site reputation abuse, suppression vs. penalties, and keeping campus content accurate for AI. Who this is for: higher-ed marketers, admissions/enrollment teams, in-house SEOs, and agency professionals working with colleges and universities. Guest Ray Martinez, VP of SEO at Archer Education Hosts: Timmy Walczak Naveed Chinoy