Ep. 78: How to Win at Student Search Behavior in the Age of AI

In this episode of The Application, Allison is joined by Faton Sopa, Cofounder and CEO at Manaferra, to dissect the groundbreaking findings from the State of College Search 2025 report. Based on a survey of over 1,500 recently enrolled students, Faton reveals a seismic shift in student search behavior. He shares surprising insights, from the rise of platforms like Reddit for authentic validation to the fragmentation of the student journey across multiple channels. Learn why marketers need to move beyond traditional SEO, audit their brand's presence on new platforms like AI search, and focus on performance metrics that truly influence the enrollment pipeline.

Join us as we discuss: 

• [1:53] The report’s most surprising finding and unifying behaviors across its participants
• [12:05] Shifting from searchability to helping students in their discovery journey
• [20:58] The role of brand awareness and what SEO “wins” looks like in the Age of AI

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• State of College Search 2025 Report

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for “The Application with Allison Turcio” in your favorite podcast player.

Guest Name: Faton Sopa, Co-Founder and CEO, Manaferra

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatonsopa/

Guest Bio: Faton Sopa is the Co-Founder and CEO of Manaferra, a leading higher education marketing agency specialized in Omnichannel SEO. With 15+ years of experience in digital marketing, Faton has pioneered strategies that integrate data-driven insights with AI, Content and Analytics to deliver measurable results for universities and colleges. Under his leadership, Manaferra has become a trusted partner for higher ed institutions looking to get discovered when their future student search for college or university. Passionate about transforming how institutions connect with prospective students in an increasingly competitive higher ed space, he frequently speaks on topics like SEO, AI, Analytics, and digital transformation in higher education

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Connect With Our Host:
Allison Turcio
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonturcio/
https://twitter.com/allisonturcio

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Application with Allison Turcio is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.