Hoi An International SchoolAI Search Visibility Strategy
A 12-month plan to make sure HAIS shows up when families search — on Google, in ChatGPT, and across AI platforms — so the right families find you first.
Thank you for your time, Ms. An & Trang.
It was a pleasure meeting with you both. Based on our conversation, we wanted to address a few points directly — particularly around how SEO and AI visibility work together, and a correction on our market research.
SEO and AI Visibility Are Not Either/Or — They Are the Same Engine.
We understand the instinct to prioritise traditional SEO — it’s proven, it’s measurable, and it works. But here’s the critical point: you cannot win AI visibility without strong SEO, and strong SEO in 2026 increasingly depends on AI visibility. They are parallel outputs of the same work.
What SEO Delivers
- Rankings on Google for “international school Hoi An”
- Organic traffic from parents actively searching
- Backlink authority from directories & publications
- Technical foundation (speed, schema, crawlability)
- Measurable keyword positions & traffic growth
What AI Visibility Delivers
- Being recommended when parents ask ChatGPT / Gemini
- Appearing in Google AI Overviews (above organic results)
- Being cited by Perplexity as a trusted source
- Owning the answer to “best school in Hoi An?”
- Capturing families who never scroll past the AI answer
Here’s how they feed each other:
Bottom line: Every piece of work in this proposal improves both your Google rankings and your AI visibility simultaneously. You are not choosing between SEO and AI — you are getting both from a single, integrated programme.
Opportunity: The Wider Relocation Audience
One thing we wanted to flag from the meeting: there’s a real opportunity beyond school-age families. Hoi An is attracting more and more retirees and relocating professionals — people searching “best place to retire in Vietnam” or “moving to Hoi An with family.” The same content strategy that targets incoming school families can capture this wider relocation audience too. A parent relocating for retirement might have grandchildren. A remote worker moving to Hoi An has school-age kids. These are all enquiry paths that lead back to HAIS, and right now nobody in Hoi An is owning that search space.
Student Retention & Lifetime Value
In our original ROI model we used a 10-year enrolment tenure. In reality, the average student may stay 3–5 years — which changes the maths. We’ve updated the ROI section below to reflect this. It’s also worth noting: this is itself an opportunity. By strengthening the higher education pathway — A Levels, university placement support, and clear progression messaging — HAIS can increase average tenure and lifetime value per student. The content we produce as part of this programme (A Level results hub, university destinations page) directly supports that retention goal too.
Correction: Green Shoots International School
In our original analysis, we included Green Shoots International School as an active competitor. The reason it appeared is that Green Shoots still has a live website, indexed pages, and existing backlinks — so it shows up in SEO tools like Ahrefs as an active domain with rankings and traffic data. This is actually a good example of how online presence can outlast the real world: even though Green Shoots closed in 2023, search engines and AI platforms still treat it as a current source. We’ve now removed them from the competitor table. On the positive side, families who would have considered Green Shoots are now searching for alternatives in Hoi An — HAIS should be the first answer they find.
Nick Rowe
CEO & Co-Founder / Saigon Digital
“We’ve worked with Saigon Digital for three years now and the results speak for themselves. Our organic traffic has grown over 380%, and online enquiries and phone calls have increased 4× month-on-month. More importantly, the families finding us are the right families — internationally mobile parents actively searching for a bilingual French school. Nick’s team understands education marketing at a level I haven’t seen from any other agency.”
See how we’ve helped brands grow.
View Case Studies →Why AI Search Matters Now
How families find schools has changed
Parents Search Differently Now.
More and more families are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for school recommendations — not just scrolling through search results. The question has shifted from “What are the top search results?” to “Which school does AI recommend?”
Traditional SEO gets you ranked. AI visibility gets you recommended and cited as a trusted source. Both matter, and as we explained in our meeting, they work together.
Traditional SEO
- Focus on rankings & traffic
- Keyword stuffing & backlink volume
- Compete for 10 blue links
- Brand-dependent visibility
- Static content pages
AI Search Visibility
- Focus on recommendation & authority
- Structured content clarity & entity definition
- Be cited as the trusted source
- Non-branded keyword coverage
- Clear positioning language AI can parse
AI systems decide what to recommend based on how clearly a school presents itself online — structured content, consistent information, and clear positioning. Schools that don’t build these signals are less likely to appear in AI-generated answers.
The Queries Parents Are Asking AI
These are real queries families use when researching schools through AI platforms.
The Critical Window
Schools that start building their AI presence early will have a clear advantage. The challenge with AI visibility is that you can’t easily see what you’re missing — families simply get pointed somewhere else, and you never hear from them.
Where Are You Now?
Current digital presence for Hoi An International School
Hoi An International School — Digital Snapshot
A snapshot of where HAIS stands today across key organic search metrics.
HAIS vs. Key Competitors
How Hoi An International School’s digital presence compares to the leading international schools in Hoi An · Da Nang, Vietnam.
| School | DR | Keywords | Traffic | Authority | AI Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoi An International School (HAIS) | ~15 | <200 | <500 | Low | 0 / 4 |
| Odyssey International School | ~28 | ~900 | ~3,200 | Moderate | 4 / 4 |
| SIS Da Nang | ~34 | ~1,400 | ~4,500 | High | 2 / 4 |
| APU American International | ~22 | ~600 | ~1,800 | Moderate | 2 / 4 |
| St. Nicholas School | ~18 | ~400 | ~900 | Low | 0 / 4 |
| UK Academy Da Nang | ~17 | ~350 | ~700 | Low | 0 / 4 |
| Palm River Academy | ~5 | ~50 | ~150 | Low | 0 / 4 |
HAIS has the strongest reputation in Central Vietnam. The digital presence doesn’t reflect that yet.
Most families start their research online — with a Google search, a ChatGPT question, or a Perplexity query. Right now, several competitors are appearing in those results ahead of HAIS. The good news: this is fixable, and HAIS has the strongest story to tell once the content is in place.
AI Platform Visibility: Hoi An International School
We tested HAIS’s visibility across the 4 major AI platforms that parents now use to research schools.
6 Real Queries. 0 Appearances.
We asked leading AI platforms the same questions parents ask. Here’s where HAIS appeared — and where it didn’t.
The Odyssey Paradox
Odyssey is an IB Candidate school — not yet fully authorised. HAIS is a fully accredited Cambridge school, a CIS member, with 40+ nationalities and a UNESCO-heritage setting. On paper, HAIS is the stronger institution. But Odyssey is the one AI recommends when families ask “best international school Da Nang.” The gap isn’t quality — it’s online presence. That’s exactly what this programme fixes.
Three gaps we’d address first.
These are the main issues holding HAIS back from being found online.
Not Showing Up in AI Search
HAIS is not mentioned by ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini for general school queries — even for Hoi An specifically. When families ask AI “where should my kids go to school in Central Vietnam?”, they’re being pointed to Odyssey and SIS instead.
The Campus 2026 Story
The lease situation is already out there. When a parent searches for it, they find forum posts and speculation — not HAIS’s own version of events. An authoritative campus hub on hais.edu.vn would give families (and AI) the real story, and it can be built quickly.
Limited Content for Search
There’s no relocation guide, no curriculum explainer, no comparison content, no parent testimonials page, and no A Level outcomes hub. These are the types of pages that rank on Google and get cited by AI. Without them, there’s not much for search engines or families to find.
Teacher Recruitment Visibility
The best international teachers research a school the same way parents do — Google, ChatGPT, relocation blogs. Right now HAIS has no “Why Hoi An?” content, no teacher stories, and no careers hub. This means every recruitment round starts from scratch on TES and Schrole. The same content that attracts families can also attract the teachers you want to hire.
How Do We Get There?
A step-by-step plan to build HAIS’s online presence
The 5-Phase Plan
Each phase builds on the last, creating compounding authority for Hoi An International School.
Audit & Foundations
- Full technical SEO + GEO audit
- Schema.org rollout (EducationalOrganization, FAQ, LocalBusiness)
- llms.txt + AI-readiness baseline
- Ahrefs + GSC + GA4 dashboard setup
- Competitor AI citation benchmark
Campus 2026 + Fees + Facts
- Authoritative Campus 2026 hub
- Fees transparency page
- Facts & Figures page (citable by AI)
- Tour booking form optimised (8 fields → 3)
- Named parent testimonials (8–10 video / photo)
Content Authority
- Relocation Hub (10 cornerstone articles)
- Curriculum explainers: Cambridge, IGCSE, A Level, Vietnamese Studies, Dyslexia support
- Comparison content: HAIS vs Odyssey, SIS, APU, Palm River
- A Level results + university destinations hub
GEO / AI Optimisation
- Monthly AI citation monitoring (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)
- Structured FAQ programme
- Named quotes, staff bio schema
- Intervention on narrative drift
- Ranking for AI answer layer
Off-Site Authority
- Citations on WhichSchoolAdvisor, Doris, Education Destination Asia, Good Morning Hoi An
- Digital PR to expat publications
- Local citations & Google Business optimisation
- Category-ownership campaign: "Hoi An Education"
Teacher Talent Hub
- "Why teach in Hoi An?" cornerstone content (lifestyle, cost of living, community, UNESCO setting)
- Named teacher stories — video + written — by nationality and subject
- Careers hub with SEO-optimised role pages
- "Moving to Hoi An as a teacher" relocation guide
- LinkedIn content engine for founder + marketing director
- AI-citable FAQs: "Is Hoi An a good place to live as a teacher?"
KPI Targets: Hoi An International School
Conservative targets based on comparable school SEO engagements.
| KPI | Now | Month 3 | Month 6 | Month 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-branded keyword rankings (Top 10) | < 20 | 60+ | 120+ | 250+ |
| Organic monthly visits | < 500 | 600 | 800 | 1,000+ |
| AI citations (ChatGPT / Gemini / Perplexity) | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 3 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Organic enquiries per month | Baseline | +40% | +100% | +150% |
| Tour bookings from organic | Baseline | +35% | +75% | +100% |
| Additional enrolments attributable to digital | — | +2 | +6 | +12 (target) |
Timeline & Roadmap
A 12-month plan from audit to authority
12-Month Execution Timeline
Each quarter builds on the last, moving from foundation to full AI search visibility.
Foundations
- Audit + schema
- Campus 2026 hub
- Fees + Facts pages
- Form optimisation
Content Engine
- Relocation hub launch
- Curriculum explainers
- Comparison content
- First AI citation wins
Authority
- A Level + university hub
- Third-party citations
- Dyslexia authority content
- PR + outreach
Compounding
- Category-ownership push
- CRO round 2
- Annual reporting
- Year 2 roadmap
Investment & Pricing
Transparent, all-inclusive pricing
AI Search Visibility Package
A single additional enrolled family covers the entire annual engagement many times over.
| Deliverable | Timeline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Technical SEO + GEO Foundations Audit, schema, llms.txt, Campus 2026 hub, Facts page, form CRO | Month 1–2 | Included |
| Content Production Relocation hub, curriculum explainers, comparison content, A Level hub — ~6 cornerstone pieces / month | Monthly | Included |
| GEO / AI Citation Programme Monthly monitoring across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity + structured content to drive citations | Monthly | Included |
| Off-Site Authority & Outreach Directory citations, digital PR, expat publication outreach | From Month 3 | Included |
| Live Dashboard + Monthly Reporting Rankings, AI citations, enquiries, enrolments attributable to digital | Ongoing | Included |
| Total engagement 12-month programme, month-by-month rolling after initial term | Monthly retainer | ₫135,000,000 / month |
All services delivered by Saigon Digital’s in-house team in Hanoi. No outsourcing. Month 1 setup and foundations included in the monthly retainer. Cancel with 30 days’ notice after the initial 6-month term.
The ROI Perspective
Using HAIS’s published fees (~₫280M average annual tuition) and a conservative 3–5 year average enrolment tenure, the lifetime value of a single enrolled child is approximately ₫840M–₫1.4 billion. A two-child family is worth ₫1.68–2.8B. At ₫135M/month (₫1.62B/year), the 12-month programme targets +12 additional enrolments, representing approximately ₫10–₫16.8 billion in additional lifetime revenue — a strong return even at the conservative end.
There’s also an upside here: by investing in higher education content (A Level outcomes, university destinations, progression pathways), HAIS can actively increase average tenure from 3–5 years towards 7–10 — which significantly increases the LTV of every enrolled student. This programme supports that goal directly.
Central Vietnam is the fastest-moving international school market in the country.
And the window to lock category leadership is open now.
Da Nang’s expat population is compounding, fuelled by remote work, tourism, and a growing family-age demographic relocating from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Every competitor school in the region is investing in digital. SIS Da Nang has a mature SEO programme. Odyssey has captured the AI answer layer. Palm River Academy is the newest entrant, building from scratch. None of them can claim Hoi An itself — and none of them has HAIS’s accreditation story. The 2026 admissions cycle is the single most contestable in the region’s history.
The Timing Is Good
No school in Central Vietnam has fully built out their AI and SEO presence yet. The schools that start now — publishing clear, well-structured content consistently — will have a lasting advantage. HAIS has the strongest story in the region. It just needs to be told online.
Ready to Get Started?
The 2026–27 admissions cycle is underway. Families are searching now — on Google and through AI. The sooner HAIS has the right content in place, the sooner those families find you first.
Strategy Call
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Results in 60 Days
Nick Rowe · CEO & Co-Founder, Saigon Digital