STRATEGY
SEO / SEARCH / CONTENT (2025)
GEOFF and Stellenbosch Business School: sneaking SEO into GenAI - Stellenbosch Business School
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| Title: | GEOFF and Stellenbosch Business School: sneaking SEO into GenAI |
|---|---|
| Brand: | Stellenbosch Business School |
| Product: | SEO |
| Agency Name or Internal: | Rogerwilco |
| Brand Representative/Marketing Director: | Nomfundo Ndlangisa |
| Agency: | Rogerwilco |
| ECD: | Wilton Ackeer |
| Creative Director: | Dallas du Toit |
| Strategist: | Brett van Zyl |
| Executive Summary: | Since the dawn of the internet, netizens have proclaimed the death of SEO. While their prophesies have, to date, been unfounded, the impact of generative AI engines on SEO poses an existential threat to conventional search as it’s led to a massive behavioural change. Over 30% of US adults will use generative AI tools as their primary means for online searches in 2025 [source: SEMRush] - with usage overindexing among Gen Z and Millennials [source: Search Engine Land]. Even those who use traditional search engines are seeing AI overviews appear in almost half of their searches [source: Search Engine Journal] - and when these searches happen on cellphones, they occupy 48% of the screen space, impacting user interaction with traditional organic listings. The direct consequence is that people find the information they need directly on the search results page so have no need to click through to the webpage (in 2024, 60% of searches in the EU and US ended without a click to external websites [source: Wordtracker). While others fretted about traffic losses and declining lead volumes, we hunkered down to adapt our SEO approach. Although many of the fundamentals remained the same (SEO must demonstrate relevance to user searches, show that websites are technically compliant and prove that they are credible through enhanced domain authority), it was evident that AI could play a role in helping us identify opportunities and guide our team. So we built a suite of AI powered tools that propelled Stellenbosch Business School from being the least visible among its peer group to being the most visible institution in generative AI search results. This helped double the number of people who initiated the application process via organic search (from 7 809 in 2023 to 15 158 in 2024). |
| Additional Credits: | Jokeem Smith |
| Additional Credits: | Pareen Shah |
