The Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School has engaged Search Influence to conduct a comprehensive AI SEO audit examining how PON’s research and educational program content is represented across AI-driven and traditional search environments.
The partnership reflects a broader shift within higher education, especially for adult learners, as institutions seek greater clarity around how their programs appear in generative search tools and AI-powered summaries used during early research and discovery. As these systems increasingly shape how information is synthesized and presented, institutions are placing greater emphasis on accuracy, structure, and consistency across search experiences.
Search Influence will conduct a structured audit to review how the Program on Negotiation’s existing digital content is interpreted by AI systems, including large language models and AI-generated search experiences. The review will assess structural clarity, entity alignment, and contextual signals that influence how academic expertise, programs, and resources are surfaced during search.
“AI is reshaping how adult learners search for continuing education programs, gather information, and make decisions,” said Director of Marketing for the Program on Negotiation, Tara Pope. “While The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School has long been successful, institutions like Harvard and my previous employer, Tufts, must be intentional about how we operate and are represented in AI-driven search to continue growing with accuracy, relevance, and trust.”
In addition to AI-driven environments, the audit will assess traditional SEO foundations, including how high-performing content is connected across the site and how effectively it supports broader program awareness and discoverability.
“As AI-driven search tools become part of how people research academic programs, institutions are asking important questions about how their work is represented,” said CEO and Co-Founder of Search Influence, Will Scott. “We're helping the Program on Negotiation show up in Google, ChatGPT, and other places prospective students search, while making sure their best content drives program awareness.”
Based at Harvard Law School, the Program on Negotiation is a university consortium dedicated to developing the theory and practice of negotiation, mediation, and dispute resolution. Founded in 1983 as a research initiative, the program brings together faculty, students, and practitioners from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University. Its work serves a global audience through executive education programs, faculty research, publications, training initiatives, and educational resources.
The Program on Negotiation offers a wide range of educational resources, including executive education courses, faculty-led research, publications, teaching materials, and custom professional training opportunities. Its faculty, representing a variety of schools across Harvard University, as well as visiting faculty from nearby Tufts University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are recognized for their work in negotiation theory, mediation, conflict management, and dispute resolution, serving learners and organizations across sectors and regions.
The engagement is being supported by the Director of Marketing for the Program on Negotiation, Tara Pope. Prior to joining Harvard, Pope served as Director of Marketing and Communications at Tufts University College, also a current client of Search Influence. In 2025, Pope presented alongside Director of Sales and Marketing at Search Influence, Paula French, at the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education on the topic “How to Win AI Search: Three Pillars for Success.”
“As I stepped into my new role as Director of Marketing for The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, it was an easy decision to select Search Influence for our AI audit, based on my prior experience working with them at Tufts University College,” said Pope. “After our recent kick-off, I am confident their expertise in AI-driven search will be instrumental in helping us at Harvard PON to understand and strengthen our digital presence.”
With AI-driven tools playing an expanding role in academic and professional research workflows, institutions are increasingly focused on governance and accuracy in how automated systems interpret institutional authority, expertise, and program structure. The AI SEO audit will provide insight into how the Program on Negotiation’s content currently appears across search contexts and where alignment improvements may support clearer representation.
Search Influence was selected following completion of Harvard’s vendor approval process.
For more information about the Program on Negotiation, visit www.pon.harvard.edu.
For more information about Search Influence, visit www.searchinfluence.com.
About the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
The Program on Negotiation (PON) is a university consortium dedicated to developing the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. As a community of scholars and practitioners, PON serves a unique role in the world negotiation community. Founded in 1983 as a special research project at Harvard Law School, PON includes faculty, students, and staff from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University.
About Search Influence
Search Influence is a woman-owned, ROI-focused digital marketing agency that helps institutions drive prospects into and through the recruitment funnel with analytics-backed strategies, including organic and AI SEO and paid digital advertising. Founded in 2006, Search Influence’s core purpose is to optimize potential. The agency collaborates with well-regarded brands and institutions both nationally and locally in New Orleans. Clients include the Tulane School of Professional Advancement, Tufts University College, Associated Hearing Professionals, New Orleans & Company, and Audubon Nature Institute.
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For more information about Search Influence, contact the company here:
Search Influence
Angie Scott
(504) 208-3900
info@searchinfluence.com
1423 Pine St New Orleans, LA 70118