About YADA Pathway

YADA Pathway is a San Francisco-based company that helps mission-driven organizations get discovered by artificial intelligence search engines.

We work with colleges, independent schools, museums, and nonprofit organizations to ensure they appear when prospective students, visitors, or members use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews to research their options.

Our approach combines proprietary technology with hands-on consulting from advisors who have worked in higher education, enrollment management, and nonprofit marketing.

Founded

2024

Headquarters

San Francisco, CA

Focus

AI Search Visibility

Clients Served

Mission-Driven Orgs

Our Team and Advisors

People with real experience in higher education and nonprofit marketing.

James Patterson

Founder & CEO

James is the founder and CEO of YADA Pathway. With a background in AI product management and digital strategy, he founded YADA Pathway to help mission-driven organizations navigate the shift to AI-powered search.

Advisory Board

Sarah Chen

Former VP Enrollment Management

Former VP of Enrollment Management at a top-50 liberal arts college. 15 years in admissions and enrollment marketing. Led digital transformation initiatives that increased applications by 40%.

View full background →

Marcus Williams

Higher Ed Communications Expert

20 years in higher education communications, including Director of Marketing at two R1 research universities. Expert in institutional brand positioning. Led teams that won multiple CASE awards.

View full background →

Elena Rodriguez

Digital Strategy Specialist

Former Director of Digital Strategy at a consortium of Jesuit universities. Pioneered early AI search optimization strategies for higher ed. Frequent speaker at NACAC and AMA Higher Ed conferences.

View full background →

Our advisors are active professionals in higher education and nonprofit marketing. They provide strategic guidance to YADA Pathway and are available for consultation on client engagements.

Our Services

Clear, transparent offerings to help you understand and improve your AI search visibility.

The Problem We Address

Something is changing in how prospective students research colleges.

Increasingly, students are using AI tools like ChatGPT to ask questions like "What are the best small colleges for pre-med?" or "Which colleges have strong financial aid for middle-income families?"

When AI tools answer these questions, they cite specific institutions by name. Some colleges appear in these recommendations. Many do not.

Most institutions have no visibility into whether they're being mentioned—or whether their competitors are being mentioned instead.

YADA Pathway helps you understand your current AI visibility and improve it.

Service 1

AI Visibility Audit

We test how AI search engines respond to questions relevant to your institution across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

Whether your institution is being cited
Which competitors appear instead
Specific gaps in your AI visibility

Format Report within 2 weeks

Investment $2,500 one-time

Service 2

AI Search Optimization

We implement changes to your website content and structure that make it more likely AI systems will cite your institution.

Content optimization for AI retrieval
Technical improvements (structured data)
Ongoing monitoring and adjustment

Format Monthly retainer

Investment $3,500/month (6-mo min)

Service 3

Strategic Consulting

For institutions wanting deeper support, our advisors help develop a comprehensive digital visibility strategy.

Enrollment marketing strategy review
Competitive positioning analysis
Integration with existing marketing

Format Custom engagement

Investment Contact us

Organizations We Serve

Private Colleges & Universities

Liberal arts colleges, regional universities, and specialized institutions seeking to reach prospective students in AI search.

Independent Schools

Day schools and boarding schools competing for enrollment in an increasingly digital research environment.

Museums & Cultural Institutions

Organizations seeking to increase visitor awareness and engagement through AI discovery.

Mission-Driven Nonprofits

Membership organizations, associations, and foundations that need to be discoverable when people search for their cause.

"We're a newer company building our client base. We'd be happy to discuss our early work and provide references upon request."

Why AI Search Visibility Matters

The Shift to AI Search

Search behavior is changing. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews are increasingly how people find information—including information about colleges, schools, and nonprofits.

What We Know

AI search tools are growing rapidly in adoption
When users ask questions, AI cites specific sources by name
Research from Ruhr University found that 53% of sources cited by AI search engines don't appear in Google's top 10 results
Most institutions have no visibility into whether they're being cited by AI tools

What We're Still Learning

Exactly what percentage of prospective students use AI for college research (surveys suggest it's significant and growing)
The direct correlation between AI visibility and applications (this is an emerging area we're studying)

The Question for Your Institution

Is your institution appearing when prospective students, visitors, or members ask AI tools about options in your category? If you don't know the answer, that's the first problem we can solve.

Is This Right for Your Institution?

Questions to Consider

Before engaging with any vendor for digital marketing services, we recommend your institution consider:

1 Do you have visibility into how prospective students currently find you online?
2 Are you seeing changes in website traffic that you can't fully explain?
3 Do you know whether your institution appears when people ask AI tools about your category?
4 Is improving digital discovery a priority for your enrollment or marketing team?

Who Should Be Involved

Based on our experience with mission-driven organizations, decisions about AI search visibility typically involve:

Director of Admissions or Enrollment Management
Director of Marketing or Communications
IT leadership (for technical questions)
CFO or COO (for budget approval)

We're happy to have an initial conversation with whoever is exploring this question.

Start a Conversation

If you're curious whether AI search visibility is relevant for your institution, we're happy to have a 30-minute exploratory call.

No pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation about what you're seeing and whether our services might be a fit.

We can discuss:

What you're currently experiencing with digital discovery
How AI search is relevant to your institution type
What an engagement with YADA Pathway would look like
Whether this is the right time to invest in AI visibility

Prefer email? hello@yadaperformance.com

Prefer phone? (415) 555-0192