The Impact of AI on SEO:
Edition 7 - What Marketers Need to Know
In this article, we'll explore how AI is shaping the future of SEO and what marketers can do to leverage AI to smoke (boost) search traffic and rankings.
A list of relevant software mentioned here are summarized at the bottom of the page.
Yeah - I’m surprised too to be writing this stuff. Got to learn it so here we are. So let’s (not) begin with Midjourney.
Perhaps like me, you are potentially ready to gag and destroy your computer if you see yet another carousel in your LinkedIn feed featuring hacks and tips that will make your Midjourney art look like … all of the others. A 4k sea of exquisitely tattooed faces and all things dystopian. Beautiful faces with too much detail and eyes that lack soul.
On the other hand, I would guess you haven’t thought much about SEO & AI as of late. And what it means for marketers. Well … AI is transforming SEO in major ways; from how content is created and optimized to how search rankings are determined. If you're still relying on old-school SEO tactics, prepare for irrelevance.
Because AI is seemingly everywhere, it's changing the rules of the SEO game too.
The strategies and tools that worked five years ago won't cut it today. You need to get smart about how AI is optimizing search and adapt your approach. The good news is Al will make SEO more effective and efficient, if you know how to use it.
Read on to find out how to make AI work for your SEO. The age of human-only search optimization is over;
The age of AI and human collaboration is just beginning.
Are you ready?
How Al Is Revolutionizing SEO
AI is enhancing and accelerating many digital marketing strategies, and SEO is no stranger to this. SEO (search engine optimization, of course) helps websites rank higher in search engines like Google. AI is transforming how SEO works in several key ways:
AI can analyze huge amounts of data to detect patterns that humans might miss. By analyzing factors like keywords, content, social media shares, and more, AI can gain insights into the ranking factors that matter most for a website.
All of the above data can now more easily contribute together to form the larger and potentially more accurate picture you’re looking for, quicker and easier. Your friend here is doing the heavy lift in your stead.
SEO tools that use AI, like Moz and SEMrush, provide keyword research, content optimization, and link building recommendations based on these kinds of analyses. Is link building still relevant? The link above provides background (warning: vendor site).
AI also powers automated content creation, which fuels on-page SEO. Tools like Jasper and Copy.ai can generate blog posts, product descriptions, and other content on their own.
I still see this as hit-or-miss regarding quality. You’d be nuts to ship without human review (at least for relevant brands). Unfortunately some offshore content mills prefer mass quantities over spelling, grammar, and even relevant visuals.
While human writers still reign supreme for creative and in-depth content, AI-generated content is useful for increasing the volume of website SEO-friendly content. More content means more opportunities for ranking keywords and internal linking. While I do not believe more content will make the world a better place, the game is ranking. Your client wants pole position, and will of course pay for the privilege.
Machine learning enhances link building outreach.
Software like Pitchbox and Voila Norbert use AI to research and suggest relevant websites, bloggers, and journalists to reach out to for backlinks. They can even help automatically generate personalized outreach emails. Though relationship building is still key, AI takes much of the grunt work out of link building campaigns.
AI won't replace human SEO experts and strategists anytime soon. But by handling repetitive, data-intensive tasks, AI frees SEO professionals to focus on high-level strategy, creative content production, and relationship building. For small business owners, AI-powered SEO tools make search engine optimization more accessible and affordable than ever. By leveraging AI in your SEO efforts, you'll gain valuable insights and automate time-consuming processes so you can concentrate on the work only humans can do.
Overall, AI is poised to significantly advance the field of SEO and help all websites achieve higher rankings and greater visibility.
Al Tools That Are Improving SEO Performance
As an SEO’er, you're likely using a variety of tools to do keyword research, analyze backlinks, monitor rankings, and more. Many of the tools you rely on are powered by artificial intelligence, using machine learning and natural language processing to provide more accurate insights and automate repetitive tasks.
Several Al-driven tools are transforming the way SEOs work:
Keyword research
Tools like the aforementioned Moz Pro and SEMrush use AI to suggest related keywords and phrases based on seed keywords. They analyze search volume and difficulty to identify keywords with high potential. This makes keyword research faster and helps uncover new opportunities.
Backlink analysis
Tools such as Ahrefs and Majestic rely on web crawlers and machine learning to discover new backlinks pointing to your site. Their algorithms evaluate backlink quality to determine which links may be manipulative or toxic. This level of analysis would be nearly impossible for humans to do manually.
Rank tracking
Software like Serpstat and SEMrush applies AI to monitor website rankings across search engines. Machine learning algorithms detect ranking changes and anomalies to notify you of important updates. Some tools can even track rankings for keywords you don't provide, uncovering new ranking opportunities.
Content optimization
These tools utilize natural language processing to analyze the readability, keyword usage, and SEO-friendliness of your content. Tools like Yoast SEO and Surfer SEO provide automated optimization recommendations to improve your content.
Link building
Tools that help generate new link opportunities by using AI to analyze your site content and discover relevant high-authority websites. Pitchbox and Buzzstream are two examples. They semi-automate the link building outreach process, saving you time while still allowing for personal customization.
AI will continue enhancing the capabilities of SEO tools, driving productivity and opening up new growth channels. As an SEO professional, embracing AI technology will be key to staying ahead of the competition. The future is automated, but humans are still very much in the loop.
The Future of AI in SEO: What Marketers Can Expect
The future of AI in SEO is exciting yet uncertain. As AI continues to advance, SEO professionals and marketers will need to adapt to stay ahead of the curve. Here's what you can expect AI to impact in the coming years:
Automated content creation
AI will get better at generating written content, like blog posts, articles, and social media captions. While Al-generated content may not match human-written quality yet, it can help scale content creation and fill in the gaps. As an SEO power user, focus on optimizing and promoting the highest-quality content, whether human-written or Al-generated.
Hyper-personalized experiences
AI will enable highly personalized on-site experiences tailored to individual users. Things like personalized product recommendations, tailored content, and customized navigation can help enhance the user experience. To prepare, make sure you understand your different audience segments and build personas. Think about how to leverage data and AI to customize the experience for different groups
Voice search optimization
Voice assistants and voice search will continue to grow, so SEO pros need to optimize for voice. Things like using natural language, long-tail keywords, and semantic search can help improve voice search ranking. Also, make sure your content has good voice search snippets, with short paragraphs and sentences that are easy to understand when spoken aloud.
Automated link building
Link building software powered by AI may help automate some aspects of outreach and relationship building. However, human judgment and relationships will still be crucial. Focus on high-quality, relevant link building and don't rely solely on automation. Build real connections and partnerships, not just links.
The future of AI in SEO looks bright
It does — as long as SEO peeps focus on the human elements of the work—great content, user experience, relationships, and judgment. By combining AI with human skills and expertise, SEO has the potential of being incredibly effective. The key is using AI to augment (not replace) human intelligence.
With AI as a tool and partner, the future of search marketing is certainly compelling and loaded with promise
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is absolutely changing the SEO game. As AI continues to get smarter and better at analyzing huge amounts of data, the insights it provides will only become more accurate and valuable.
For marketers, this means that AI should not be viewed as a threat but rather as an opportunity. By embracing AI tools and learning how to utilize them, you'll gain key insights into your customers and content that your competitors are missing.
You'll be able to power-up your SEO and find new customers in ways that simply were not possible before.
AI is revolutionizing SEO, and the marketers who get on board now will have a huge advantage.
The future is here - are you ready to make the most of it?
Referenced software for your convenience.
Tools like Yoast SEO and Surfer SEO provide automated optimization recommendations to improve your content.
Pitchbox and Buzzstream are two examples. They semi-automate the link building outreach process.