Recovering from a major Google update. How UTI leveraged AI and content to reclaim critical search visibility.

Client: Universal Technical Institute

Universal Technical Institute (UTI) is an accredited trade school offering a variety of programs or areas of interest (AOIs) for students looking to pursue a career in the trade industry. Area of Interest (AOIs) programs include Automotive, Diesel, Collision, Welding, Motorcycle, Marine, Energy Technology, Robotics & Automation, Wind, and NASCAR Tech.

In Q2 of 2023, Google started prioritizing local “map-pack” results above the campus pages on UTI.edu. Almost overnight, most of UTI's national organic rankings were pushed down the result’s page (often below the fold), causing significant decreases in organic sessions and new student inquiries from organic search across all UTI’s Core programs. NPD partnered with the UTI marketing team to develop a holistic SEO and local content strategy. Our efforts encompassed in-depth research, on-page optimization, targeted content development, Google Business Profile optimization, digital PR, local citation building and the implementation of technical SEO best practices. Our focus on local results and their associated pages increased organic search inquires by +18% year-over year. Location and program pages that were hit the hardest (Houston, Orlando, Sacramento, Dallas, and Long Beach) saw session increases of 75%+ from their lowest levels in April of 2023.