The SEO game has changed so rapidly. Forums, social media posts, articles (such as, LinkedIn, Quora, Reddit, Facebook, etc.), comments from top review sites, YouTube videos, and even small niche sites are being served up more on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Why are all these happening so fast, why are there more exponential drops in ranking for most sites due to AI and these new developments in SEO?
AI has changed SEO in many ways, such as improving search algorithms, automating keyword research and content optimization, and offering personalized user experiences.
These changes pose both challenges and opportunities for SEOs, who need to keep up with the evolving technology and user expectations.
Some of the challenges that AI presents for SEO are:
- Keeping up with the changing algorithms and user expectations, as well as the ethical and legal implications of using AI.
- Balancing the use of AI with human creativity and judgment.
Some of the opportunities that AI presents for SEO are:
- Saving time and resources, as well as improving the quality and performance of websites and content.
- Discovering new insights and opportunities, as well as enhancing competitive edge and better ROI.
With these in mind, I want you to stay focused and read with understanding, because, in this blog post, we’ll discuss how AI-powered search engine algorithms like Google’s RankBrain and BERT affect SEO, and how AI tools can help with keyword research and content optimization?
We’ll go further to discuss how AI-generated content, and how other intriguing factors affect websites and businesses who want to try to rank their content at the top of these search engines.
Finally, we’ll answer one of the most popular questions at this time, “will AI replace human SEO writers?”
How AI-powered search algorithms affect SEO?
Search engines like Google use complicated and advanced algorithms like RankBrain and BERT to understand the meaning and context of search queries and web pages.
RankBrain uses machine learning to group words and phrases that are semantically similar, while BERT uses natural language processing to analyze the relationship between words in a sentence.
These AI algorithms improve the accuracy, relevance and personalization of search results by matching the user’s intent and delivering the most appropriate results.
For example, BERT can handle complex queries that use prepositions, modifiers, or conversational language, and provide more precise answers.
For the query “how to catch a cow fishing?“, a traditional algorithm might assume that the user is looking for information on how to use a cow as bait for fishing, which is unlikely and absurd.
However, an AI algorithm like Google’s BERT can understand that the user is looking for information on a type of fish called “cow“, which is a common name for some species of fish.
For the query “best eye cream“, a traditional algorithm might return product pages of eye creams, which might not be what the user wants.
However, an AI algorithm like Google’s RankBrain can understand that the user is looking for a list of recommendations, not a product page, based on the search results and user behavior.
For the query “weather“, a traditional algorithm might return the same generic results for everyone, regardless of their location, device, or context.
However, an AI algorithm like Google’s Hummingbird can understand the user’s intent based on their location, device, and context, and deliver more personalized and relevant results.
For example, a voice search for “weather” on a phone might imply a need for quick info, while typing it on a laptop might indicate a deeper search.
Due to the chuck of thin content online, search engines focus on website content that focuses on user-first approach, i.e content with great user experience and relevance, other than thin keyword stuffed content.
Optimizing for user experience
User experience (UX) is how a user feels when interacting with a website or web page. UX affects SEO because search engines like Google use signals such as click-through rate, bounce rate, dwell time, and page speed to measure how users engage with a site.
This has to do with optimizing for core web vitals, which focuses on how the elements on your site respond to user interaction.
A good UX can help a site rank higher and attract more traffic, while a bad UX can hurt a site’s ranking and performance.
Some of the best practices for optimizing UX are:
- Making the site easy to navigate and use, with clear menus, headings, and links.
- Making the site responsive and mobile-friendly, with a consistent layout and design across devices.
- Making the site fast and secure, with minimal loading time and HTTPS encryption.
- Making the site accessible and inclusive, with proper contrast, font size, alt text, and captions.
Creating high-quality content
Content is the core of SEO, as it provides the information and value that users and search engines are looking for.
Most search engines like Google serve more user-generated content, since it has the unique and sincere point of views and emotional human connection than AI-generated content that lacks in these areas.
High-quality content can help a site rank higher and drive more traffic, while low-quality content can harm a site’s ranking and reputation.
Some of the best practices for creating high-quality content are:
- Conducting keyword research and targeting topics with search traffic potential, while avoiding keyword stuffing and cannibalization.
- Writing for the user’s intent and providing comprehensive and accurate answers to their queries, while avoiding thin, duplicate, or outdated content.
- Writing in a clear, engaging, and trustworthy tone, with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, while avoiding spam or misleading content.
- Formatting the content for readability and scannability, with effective titles, headings, subheadings, lists, and images, while avoiding large blocks of text or irrelevant content.
Using natural and conversational language
Natural language is the way humans communicate with each other, using words, phrases, and sentences that are meaningful and understandable.
Natural language affects SEO because search engines like Google use natural language processing (NLP) to analyze and understand the meaning and context of search queries and web pages.
Using natural language can help a site rank higher and match the user’s intent, while using unnatural or unnatural language can hurt a site’s ranking and relevance .
Some of the best practices for using natural language are:
- Using synonyms, variations, and modifiers of the target keyword, while avoiding over-optimization or exact-match phrases.
- Using conversational and semantic language, with questions, answers, and related terms, while avoiding technical jargon or unnatural language.
- Using long-tail and voice search keywords, with more words and details, while avoiding short-tail or generic keywords.
How AI tools can help with keyword research and content optimization?
AI tools can automate and improve the tasks of keyword research and content optimization by using natural language processing, machine learning, and data analysis to find semantic relationships, identify trends, and predict behavior.
- Finding semantic keyword relationships: AI tools can analyze the meaning and context of keywords, queries, and content, and suggest synonyms, variations, and related terms that match the user’s intent and improve the relevance and ranking of the website.
- Identifying keyword trends: AI tools can monitor and track the changes and patterns of keyword popularity, competition, and search volume over time, and provide insights into the current and future demand and behavior of the users.
- Predicting user behavior: AI tools can use predictive analytics and modeling to forecast the potential outcomes and performance of different keywords and content, and provide recommendations and optimizations to increase the traffic, conversions, and ROI of the website.
Some AI tools that can assist with these tasks include:
- Jasper: Jasper is an AI writing assistant that can create SEO-optimized blog posts, emails, and other written marketing materials. It can also generate ideas, headlines, meta descriptions, and keywords based on the user’s input and tone of voice.
- AlliAI: AlliAI is an AI SEO platform that can optimize any website in minutes. It can create site-wide optimization rules, deploy code and content changes instantly, edit and optimize text and code on the page, and provide actionable insights and alerts.
- Pro Rank Tracker: Pro Rank Tracker is an AI rank tracking and reporting solution that can track the rankings of any website on all Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, and Amazon sites. It can also provide full SERPs, keyword suggestions, search volume, and analytics.
See also: 19 Best AI Content Creation Tools In 2024.
Using AI tools for SEO can have both benefits and limitations, depending on the type and quality of the tool, the purpose and goal of the content, and the ethical and legal implications of using AI.
Benefits
AI tools can help SEOs save time, increase efficiency, and avoid plagiarism by automating and improving tasks such as keyword research, content optimization, image optimization, and forecasting.
AI tools can also help SEOs create more relevant, engaging, and personalized content for their target audience, by using natural language processing, machine learning, and data analysis to understand user intent, queries, and behavior.
Limitations
AI tools can also have some drawbacks, such as the loss of human creativity, the risk of bias, and the ethical and legal issues of using AI.
AI tools cannot replace the human element in content creation and marketing, as they may lack the nuance, emotion, and originality that humans can provide.
AI tools may also produce inaccurate, irrelevant, or misleading content, if they are not trained or supervised properly, or if they are influenced by the data they use.
Moreover, AI tools may raise ethical and legal concerns, such as the ownership, accountability, and transparency of the content they generate.
Will AI replace Human SEO writers and content creators?
This is a complex and debatable question that does not have a definitive answer. However, based on the current state of AI and SEO, I would say that AI will not replace human SEO writers and content creators, but rather complement and enhance their work.
AI has made remarkable progress in generating text, images, and other types of content, using natural language processing, machine learning, and data analysis.
AI tools can help SEOs automate and improve tasks such as keyword research, content optimization, image optimization, and forecasting.
AI tools can also help SEOs create more relevant, engaging, and personalized content for their target audience, by understanding user intent, queries, and behavior.
However, AI also has some limitations and challenges, such as the loss of human creativity, the risk of bias, and the ethical and legal issues of using AI.
AI tools cannot replace the human element in content creation and marketing, as they may lack the nuance, emotion, and originality that humans can provide.
Therefore, I think that AI will not replace human SEO writers and content creators, but rather serve as a powerful tool that can aid and augment their work. Humans will still need to plan, supervise, edit, and evaluate the content that AI generates, as well as provide the creative and strategic input that AI cannot.
Humans and AI can work together to create better content and SEO outcomes. Instead of demonizing AI, let’s use it to enhance our content creation process, and let it do what it is very good at, such as data analysis, and advanced research. Of course, we still need human touch on those data to ensure accuracy.
Final Thoughts
In this blog post, we discussed how AI has changed the SEO landscape and what challenges and opportunities it presents for SEOs. We explained how AI algorithms like Google’s RankBrain and BERT work and how they improve the accuracy, relevance and personalization of search results.
We also provided some examples of how AI tools can automate and improve the tasks of keyword research and content optimization, such as finding semantic relationships, identifying trends and predicting behavior.
Finally, we discussed the benefits and limitations of using AI tools for SEO, such as saving time, increasing efficiency and avoiding plagiarism.AI tools can also help you discover new insights and opportunities, as well as enhance your competitive edge and ROI.
Pro Tips
Here are some actionable tips or recommendations for using AI for SEO in 2024:
- Choose the right AI tool for your purpose and goal, and make sure it is reliable, accurate, and ethical.
- Plan, supervise, edit, and evaluate the content that AI generates, and provide the creative and strategic input that AI cannot.
- Balance the use of AI with human creativity and judgment, and avoid over-optimization or unnatural language.
- Optimize for user experience, create high-quality content, and use natural language.
- Keep up with the changing algorithms and user expectations, and monitor the performance and impact of your content.
AI is a powerful tool that can aid and augment your SEO efforts, but it is not a magic bullet that can replace human SEO writers and content creators.
You still need to use your skills, knowledge, and experience to create better content and SEO outcomes. AI can help you, but you are the one who can make the difference.
If you want to learn more about how AI can help you with SEO, or if you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below or contact us. We would love to hear from you.
