What Google’s AI overviews mean for your school

May 7

If you’ve recently Googled a question like “best private schools near me” or “private school financial aid,” you may have noticed an AI-generated summary at the top of the page—before any website links even appear.

This feature, called AI Overviews, is changing how families discover schools online.

Why This Matters for Private Schools

If your school relies on search engines to drive inquiries, attract mission-aligned families, or boost visibility, this shift in how Google presents information needs to be on your priority radar.

How AI Overviews Work

Google’s AI scans the web for credible, well-structured content and pulls it into a quick, conversational summary—no click required.

Convenient for parents? Definitely.
Frustrating for school marketers? Definitely.

What It Means for Your School’s Online Visibility

SEO isn’t dead—it’s just changing.
Families are skimming answers, but not necessarily clicking. Your website traffic might drop, even if your content is being used to power AI summaries.
Credibility still counts.
Google’s AI pulls from trusted sources. That means your site can show up in AI Overviews if it’s informative, well-structured, and written in a tone parents trust.
Search is more conversational.
Prospective families might ask, “How can I afford a private school for my child?” You need to build content around those long-form, real-world questions.

Stay Visible—and Valuable

Evolve, but don’t scrap your current SEO strategy.

1. Write Like a Parent Talks

Create blog posts and web pages that answer common questions:

What does a typical day look like in kindergarten?
Why is private school worth the investment?
How do I choose between schools?

These long-tail queries are gold for AI Overviews.

2. Make It Skimmable

Short paragraphs, clear headings, and bulleted lists help both AI tools and busy parents digest your message quickly.

3. Keep Your Core Pages Fresh

Your “About,” “Tuition & Financial Aid,” and “Why Choose Us” pages should be reviewed regularly. They’re often the first stop for both search engines and curious families.

Don’t forget about a popular branded search term, “<name of school> tuition.” Add a value statement, testimonial, and/or explainer video.

4. Prove Your Expertise

Include parent testimonials, student success stories, graduation stats, and other unique content. The more your school’s voice and values come through, the more likely Google will see you as an authority.

5. Expand How You Measure Success

Even if traffic dips, track how many people search your school by name, fill out an inquiry form, or spend time on key pages. These behaviors still matter—maybe more than ever. Check out Google Search Console for keyword insight.

Refresh, Refocus, and Reclaim Your Website

Your website can’t be an attic filled with outdated program descriptions and old calendar PDFs. It needs to be an living and dynamic extension of your school’s mission: clear, compelling, current.

Start by:

Refreshing your most visited pages
Removing or consolidating low-traffic content
Adding photos, videos, and multimedia to keep families engaged

And yes… don’t forget about Bing. It’s a thing. Look at your GA4 traffic sources for proof.

moving forward

Your content needs to do more than just exist. It needs to answer real questions, reflect your school’s unique voice, and be easy to understand.

Laurie Ehrlich