University Marketing Vendor Scorecard: RFP Questions + SEO/GEO/AEO KPIs

Scorecard Your Next University Marketing RFP

Most higher-ed teams are tired of hearing big promises about SEO, local reach, or academic entity optimization, then seeing flat results once the contract starts. The issue usually is not effort; it is unclear goals and vague asks in the RFP. When the brief is fuzzy, almost any vendor can look good on paper.

A clear scorecard changes that. When you define what good university marketing services look like in advance, you can sort real experts from “good presenters” before you sign anything. In this guide, we will walk through the questions, benchmarks, and red flags that help you pick the right partner for SEO, GEO, and AEO, so you can grow inquiries, applications, and yield with more confidence.

Clarify Enrollment Goals Before You RFP

Before you ask vendors how they will boost results, make sure your team agrees on what “results” actually mean. Tie your RFP to the admissions calendar, not to your budget cycle.

Think about how SEO, GEO, and AEO should support each season:

• Fall search: peak inquiry and campus visit demand  

• Spring yield: admits, deposits, and event pushes  

• Summer melt: reminders, local nudges, and parent touchpoints  

Then define outcomes in enrollment terms, not marketing jargon. Be specific about the volume and mix you need for:

• Inquiries, applications, deposits, and enrolls  

• Program types (undergrad, grad, certificates)  

• Modalities (on campus, online, hybrid)  

• Geographies and student segments  

Once you have that picture, decide what role each channel should play. SEO usually carries visibility and demand capture for non-branded search. GEO helps you win local and regional markets where campus visits and word of mouth matter most. AEO makes sure your departments, programs, and centers show up when students search for what they want to study, or when AI answer tools surface options.

Vetting SEO Capability for University Marketing Services

SEO for a university is not the same as SEO for an ecommerce brand. Your RFP should test real higher ed experience. Ask vendors to describe their work with:

• Large .edu sites and complex site structures  

• Program and major pages, not just blog content  

• Graduate vs undergraduate audiences and intent  

• International recruitment and country-specific search behavior  

• Governance, approvals, and working with multiple campus stakeholders  

Clarify expected deliverables and how they price them. Strong partners are clear about things like:

• Technical audits of your .edu, including crawl, speed, and index issues  

• Content roadmaps at the program and topic level  

• On-page optimization for priority program pages  

• Structuring content so it is ready for AI answers, rich results, and long-form guides  

• How they separate retainers from one-time project scopes  

Then ask how they define “good” SEO outcomes for a university. They should be ready to speak in specifics such as:

• Growth in organic sessions to priority program and conversion pages  

• Higher share of non-branded search in your core categories  

• Program page conversion rates from organic traffic  

• Inquiry and application lift tied back to organic search touchpoints  

If they cannot connect SEO activity to movement in your enrollment funnel, that is a warning sign.

Evaluating GEO and Local Presence Strategies That Enroll

GEO work matters most when place matters to the student. If you recruit in a tight radius around campus, or across several regional hubs, your RFP should press vendors on how they think about markets.

Ask how they define and prioritize locations:

• Drive-time radius around each campus  

• DMA or ZIP-level targets for media  

• Key international source markets by city or region  

• How messaging shifts by distance, level of interest, and audience type  

Clarify what GEO deliverables they actually provide. Good university marketing services usually include:

• Local SEO for your campuses, centers, and satellite locations  

• Google Business Profile optimization and management  

• Localized landing pages with relevant programs and calls to action  

• Geo-fenced and geo-targeted media, with clear separation between media costs and management fees  

Then, set GEO KPIs that tie back to enrollment. Common ones include:

• Impression share and visibility in priority markets  

• Campus visit and event registrations by geography  

• Inquiry to application conversion rate by market  

• Cost per local inquiry or campus lead compared with broader or national efforts  

The right partner should be able to show how GEO tactics helped specific markets perform better in the funnel, not just drive clicks.

AEO Expertise That Surfaces Your Programs

Academic Entity Optimization, or AEO, is about making the building blocks of your institution visible. Think departments, programs, centers, and even faculty or labs. These are the entities that search engines and AI tools want to understand.

In your RFP, ask questions like:

• How do you research and target program and major-level queries?  

• What is your approach to schema markup and structured data on .edu sites?  

• How do you plan for visibility in AI answer experiences, such as summaries or overviews, not just standard search results?  

• How do you balance central brand needs with department-level priorities?  

Expect AEO deliverables that sound concrete, such as:

• Full entity mapping of programs, departments, centers, and related content  

• Structured data implementation plans that follow your tech and governance limits  

• Content clusters by discipline, for example, health, business, engineering  

• Recommendations for internal linking between related entities  

For KPIs, AEO should tie into:

• Better rankings and visibility for program and entity pages  

• Growth in inquiries where a specific program is the clear intent  

• Better lead quality when students land on the right academic page first  

If a vendor talks about AEO only as “more SEO content,” they probably do not understand how academic entities really work.

Pricing Models, Measurement Discipline, and Red Flags

Your RFP should ask for simple, clear pricing models. You want to see the pieces, even if you keep some bundled. Ask vendors to break out:

• Flat retainers and any performance-based components  

• Media pass-through versus any margin or commission  

• Separate line items for SEO, GEO, and AEO strategy and execution  

Measurement is where good plans either shine or stall. Require:

• Dashboards that report by program, market, and funnel stage  

• Clear attribution models that show influence, not just last click  

• CRM integration and a plan for working with imperfect data  

• A method for handling missing fields, duplicates, and long inquiry-to-enroll timelines  

Watch for red flags such as:

• Heavy focus on vanity metrics like impressions, without tying back to enrollment  

• One-size-fits-all “playbooks” with no room for your governance or culture  

• Unclear ownership of content, data, and creative assets  

• Weak or vague test-and-learn plans with no timeline for optimization  

A strong partner expects to be measured and is open about the tradeoffs.

Turn Your Scorecard Into a Vendor Shortlist

Once you know what good looks like, build a weighted scorecard. Give points for:

• Depth of SEO, GEO, and AEO experience in higher ed  

• Clarity of pricing and deliverables  

• Strength of enrollment-focused KPIs  

• Fit with your internal governance and approval process  

• Signs of a real strategic partner, not just an order taker  

For finalist presentations, ask each vendor to:

• Walk through a case tied to one of your key programs and markets  

• Show a live version of their reporting and dashboards  

• Talk through a scenario, such as “applications down in one market, up in another” and how they would respond  

At RGI Consulting, we see the difference a focused scorecard can make when schools choose university marketing services. The more clearly you define goals, questions, and benchmarks now, the easier it is to launch in a 90-day window, protect your data, and build a partnership that actually supports your next recruiting cycle, season after season.

Get Started With Your Project Today

If you are ready to attract more of the right students and strengthen your institution’s brand, our tailored university marketing services are built to help you move quickly and confidently. At RGI Consulting, we work closely with your team to clarify goals, audit your current efforts, and map out a strategic path forward. Share a few details about your challenges and timeline, and we will follow up with a concrete plan of action. To start the conversation, simply contact us today.