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Artificial intelligence (AI) has shaken up the SEO landscape, creating opportunities and pitfalls for you and your business. So, how does this impact your site, and how can you, as a business owner, creative, or SEO professional, stay ahead as it evolves?
I’m Henry Purchase, the founder of SEOSpace—the SEO extension for Squarespace—who’s worked with over 10,000 Squarespace websites. In this article, I’ll draw on my experience to explain how AI is changing SEO, practical ways to use it, and outline some strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.
What’s going on in AI and SEO?
With rapid advancements in AI, the SEO industry is experiencing significant transformation. AI technologies, like machine learning and natural language processing, are changing how search engines rank and display content and how people interact with search results.
As a website owner or digital marketer, it's crucial to understand these evolving AI-driven algorithms and adapt your strategies to optimize content effectively, ensuring your site remains competitive in search rankings and helpful to visitors.
1. The rise of zero-click searches
One of the most significant changes in AI and SEO content is the increasing prevalence of zero-click searches. This refers to searches where searchers no longer need to visit a website page to get the information they need—it’s all on the search results page.
You’ve probably noticed this yourself: When you ask Google a question, you may get an answer right at the top of the results page instead of a list of website results to click through. This AI-powered feature, known as AI Overview, is forcing SEO professionals to become more creative to attract target customers, given their websites will likely get fewer clicks and views with this new style of search.
2. The emergence of alternative search engines
While Google remains the dominant player with a 90% share of the global search engine market, AI-powered alternative search engines are gaining traction. These alternative search engines use sophisticated computer programs that understand and generate human-like text, allowing them to provide more conversational and context-aware search results.
These AI SEO tools are changing user expectations and behaviors, and driving even more zero-click searches as AI provides a direct response to what they’re looking for.
3. AI-enhanced search engine algorithms
Search engine companies themselves are leveraging AI to better understand websites and deliver more relevant results. Google, for example, uses natural language processing (NLP) to grasp the nuances and context of search queries and web content. This means that keyword stuffing—the excessive use of keywords in web content to manipulate search engine rankings—and other outdated SEO tactics are becoming less effective.
To adapt, focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that truly addresses user needs. The key is to write for humans first while keeping SEO best practices in mind.
What can you do?
It’s crucial to stay informed about the evolving relationship between SEO and AI, so you know how it’ll impact your website and business. The field is moving rapidly, and what works today might not be as effective tomorrow.
Here are some ways to stay informed:
Follow reputable SEO blogs and news sources
Attend webinars and conferences on AI and SEO
Experiment with AI-powered SEO tools to understand their capabilities
Regularly review your website’s performance with SEO tools and adjust your strategies accordingly
Despite AI’s growing influence in SEO, human expertise and creativity are still invaluable. AI can analyze data and identify patterns, but it can’t replace the nuanced understanding of your brand voice, the creative spark that makes your content unique, or the deep insight into your target customer. These are the details that build connection and keep people coming back to your website or brand.
How people are using Al for SEO today
As search engines become more sophisticated, using artificial intelligence has become extremely helpful for staying ahead in the SEO game. Here are some ways people are using AI for SEO today and how you can incorporate these strategies into your digital marketing efforts.
1. Creating content at scale with AI assistance
Many people are using AI to create large volumes of content quickly. However, it's crucial to remember that quality over quantity is the most effective strategy for most online content.
Search engines like Google don’t necessarily penalize the use of AI in content creation, but if you're the same quality of content as everyone else, you won't stand out or rank well. In Google’s own words, “however content is produced, those seeking success in Google Search should be looking to produce original, high-quality, people-first content.”
Whether your goal is ranking higher in search results or creating trust and connections with your website visitors, human content with a personality and point of view is key. This is where understanding the E-E-A-T concept (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) becomes crucial.
While AI can assist in content creation, the quality of the output is only as good as the quality of the input. If you rely solely on AI without adding thorough research and your own unique insights, your content won't stand out. It's your personal experiences and expertise that truly earn the trust of readers and search engines.
To ensure your content rises above the rest, AI can assist by:
Ensuring your content covers topics comprehensively
Suggesting expert sources to cite in your articles
Identifying areas where you can showcase your own personal expertise
Helping to maintain consistency in your brand voice across all content
2. Analyzing websites with AI-powered insights
A well-trained AI model is like having an SEO expert right in your corner. It can analyze websites and deliver actionable insights, helping you improve your site's performance. Imagine having a tireless consultant at your fingertips, ready to dissect your site and your competitors' sites at a moment’s notice. That's the power of AI in SEO.
Depending on the tool you’re using, you can paste your website's content alongside that of your competitors to get detailed suggestions for improvement. Or you can use tools like the SEOSpace extension or Squarespace’s built-in AI SEO features to identify fixes for your website.
Think of AI as your personal SEO expert, capable of identifying:
Content gaps that your competitors are filling but you’re not
Keyword opportunities you might be missing
On-page SEO elements that need optimization
User experience issues that could be hurting your rankings
AI-assisted competitive analysis allows you to make data-driven decisions quickly without the need for extensive manual research. But remember that the quality of your input and the AI tool you use will impact the quality of the recommendations you get. Test different tools and requests to gauge their helpfulness for your website.
For example, to test an AI tool, you can give it the following prompt: “You are an SEO expert who understands how to analyze websites and rank higher than them on search engines. You speak perfect U.S. English and can write web copy that not only ranks well, but also attracts target customers to my website, [enter your website].” Then, compare the usefulness of the responses from different tools.
3. Automating and accelerating SEO processes
One of the most significant advantages of using AI for SEO is its ability to automate and speed up various processes. This is where the concept of AI SEO truly shines, according to 67% of SEO experts. From keyword research to content optimization, AI tools can perform tasks in minutes that would take humans hours or even days to complete.
Here are some ways AI is streamlining SEO workflows:
Generating content ideas and outlines based on top-performing articles
Identifying trending topics and predicting future search trends
Automating SEO description and SEO title creation
With AI-powered tools, you can focus more on strategy and less on time-consuming manual tasks. This efficiency allows you to scale your SEO efforts without necessarily increasing your team size or budget.
How to best use AI for SEO
While AI is a good resource for automating some SEO tasks, it’s crucial to understand that it’s not a replacement for human expertise. You can use AI more effectively by tailoring your prompts to your goals or using it like an assistant or thought partner.
1. Improve your prompts for better results
The quality of an AI tool’s output is directly correlated with the quality of your input. To get the most out of AI for SEO, it's crucial to craft effective prompts. Well-crafted prompts guide the AI to generate content that aligns closely with your goals. By providing clear and detailed prompts, you help the AI understand the context and nuances needed to produce high-quality, relevant content or responses.
Consider the following tips to enhance your prompting skills using the RTF framework: relevance, transparency, and flexibility.
Relevance: Clearly define what you’re looking for. Instead of asking for “SEO tips,” try something more specific, like “What are the top five on-page SEO techniques for ecommerce product pages?”
Transparency: Provide the AI with relevant background information. For example, state, “I run a local bakery website. What are some long-tail keywords I should target?”
Flexibility: Use examples to guide the AI. If you have a particular style or format in mind, provide an example. This helps the AI tool understand your expectations.
Phrasing: If you’re not getting your intended outcome, consider rephrasing your prompt. A slight change in wording can result in significantly improved outputs.
Experimentation: Use the AI’s initial response as a starting point. Ask follow-up questions or request modifications to fine-tune the results.
2. Embrace AI as your SEO assistant
Consider AI as your intelligent collaborator for streamlining your workflow, generating ideas, and providing valuable insights. However, it’s essential to maintain a balance between AI-generation and a human touch in anything you share publicly. Use AI to augment your SEO efforts, not to replace your unique perspective and industry knowledge.
For instance, you can use AI to:
Analyze large datasets quickly
Generate content ideas and outlines
Identify trending topics in your niche
Suggest relevant search keywords and phrases
Get a new perspective on how you can improve your work
Remember, the goal is to work alongside AI, allowing it to enhance your SEO strategy while you maintain control over the final output.
3. Let AI challenge your thinking
An often overlooked aspect of AI SEO is its ability to ask you questions. This can be incredibly valuable for content creation and strategy development. By asking an AI tool to prompt you with thought-provoking questions, like a coach, it can help you consider new angles, identify gaps in your content, and refine your SEO approach.
While AI can provide valuable insights and assist with various SEO tasks, remember that your expertise is irreplaceable. The most effective AI SEO strategies combine AI’s analytical power with your creativity, intuition, and industry knowledge.
Considerations for the future of AI and SEO
As we look to the future of AI and SEO, the relationship between these fields offers both challenges and opportunities for content creators and marketing strategies. With AI-powered search engines becoming more sophisticated, certain aspects of SEO are equally becoming easier due to AI. However, this also raises the bar for content quality. To stand out, you need to create content that genuinely adds value to your audience.
Invest time in thorough research and present unique insights that AI content generators can’t easily replicate. Offering in-depth analysis, expert opinions, and original data can establish you as a trusted authority in your niche.