AI and SEO: A Delicate Balance
Search Engine Optimization is more important than ever for business success online. Will Artificial Intelligence make SEO harder? Or easier?
You can read plenty of articles with polar opposite opinions. “AI is the Death of SEO.” “You Can’t Keep up with SEO without AI.” What is the truth? Both are true. Since your job now is to find the right balance between these truths, here are some thoughts to consider:
AI and Web Content
Artificial Intelligence engines’ ability to write content such as product descriptions and blog posts in mere seconds has been warmly welcomed. No more staring at a blank screen! Get that task over with and let’s move on to other work.
Some, shall we say, “more aggressive” marketing folk have taken this to the extreme by automatically generating tons of search-term-rich AI content to maximize their online visibility. And Google is not happy about that. Search ranking manipulation has long been punished by search engines in general, and by Google specifically. Using AI in this way will hurt your SEO instead of helping it.
But AI is great at helping you brainstorm and outline content, keywords, and meta descriptions. You’ll want to add your human touch to the creative side and measure your particular data for the analytical side, but Artificial Intelligence engines will give you a good head start on your SEO task list.
AI and User Experience
Marketing teams worry about that “AI Overview” section at the top of a Google search page. Being #1 on Google, (that is, after the Sponsored Ads, the People Also Ask section, and so on), is now even farther down the page. And will users even scroll that far to get an answer to their question if the AI Overview already answered it?
Don’t panic yet. You probably won’t be surprised to know that people don’t really trust Artificial Intelligence. Nor should they since AI is prone to hallucination and regurgitates old, incorrect information. Quality content is still fundamental to engaging users online.
That said, we need to put more effort into creating that quality content. The buzzword lately is “Search Intent,” which means knowing why your prospective customer is searching so you can provide the appropriate kind of answer.
For instance, if someone types in “indoor playground,” they are probably looking for a list to compare against their needs. What are the age levels? Which is sensory-friendly? And so on. If they type in “pizza,” they just want to buy dinner. Now.
AI is not killing SEO, but marketing teams are being compelled to improve their game. You will need to improve your game, too, to stay in the mix. Fortunately, AI also provides some tools that can help make your work easier.
Remember that you don’t have to take all this on by yourself. The Sprocket Website team is already familiar with search engine optimization and artificial intelligence tools. Find out how to put our experience to work for you. Call today to learn more!
Photo by nicollazzi xiong
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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