AI and SEO: ThE World of Search in Era of AI

By: Tabitha Wilson

Lately, you can’t go online without reading about artificial intelligence (AI). AI-generated art floods social media feeds, humorous ChatGPT outputs are all over Twitter, and companies like Microsoft seem to believe that AI is the future of tech.

AI innovation is moving at a rapid pace, and in 2021 alone, over $93.5 billion was privately invested into AI development. But one less-discussed question is this: how will AI affect SEO as we know it?

Any savvy SEO knows that you have to adapt to new technology to stay competitive in the industry – and in our industry, AI is technically old hat. After all, the Google ranking algorithm utilizes sophisticated forms of AI that we work with every single day. But with the rapid advancements in AI happening right now, we can start to make that tech work for us as well.

We can make our jobs as SEOs considerably easier by utilizing AI for data collection, content ideation, and more. Many tedious aspects of SEO can be done by an AI in the fraction of the time it would take to do it manually – giving you more time to focus on the big picture.

So if you’re looking to integrate high-quality AI into your SEO strategy, keep reading. We’ll dive into what AI is, how AI works, and different ways you use it to make your job easier.

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

The popularization of AI has led to some confusion about what exactly AI is and what it can and can’t do. Basically, AI is exactly what it sounds like – an artificial form of intelligence within a computer program that aims to mimic aspects of human intelligence.

There are a few kinds of AI, though, that serve unique purposes and operate differently from each other. These are the three subsets of AI we’ll come across most in the SEO world:

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Machine Learning (ML)

Machine Learning is a function of AI that tries to mimic human learning and decision-making within machines. ML is one of the oldest forms of AI, dating back to the sixties, when Arthur Samuel taught a computer to play checkers. Eventually, the machine learned so much about checkers that it beat a supposed “checkers master.”

ML builds upon itself, and allows AI programs to get better with time, just like humans.

ML has only become more sophisticated since then, enabling AI programs to become smarter, work faster, and make better decisions based on past information. Nearly all AI programs have an element of machine learning within them, allowing them to get more intelligent with each query.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing is a form of AI that seeks to process – you guessed it! – natural language. This form of AI is dedicated to understanding human language, learning how to interpret language patterns and make rudimentary decisions based on what it reads.

You probably use a form of NLP nearly every day – Alexa, Siri, and Cortana are all natural language processors, as are most chatbots. The Gmail program that predicts the end of your sentence before you’re done typing it? That, too, is a natural language processor.

At its core, the purpose of NLPs is to “translate” human language into numbers and code that computers can understand. A subset of NLP is Natural Language Understanding (NLU), which not only translates the language but can identify tone markers, context clues, and analyze the text it is given. NLP and NLU work hand in hand to give AI the best understanding of human language possible.

Natural Language Generation (NLG)

Natural Language Generation is technically a sub-category of NLP, but serves a converse purpose. NLG generates text and responses that imitate human language and speech patterns, drawing on information provided by the NLP and NLU to determine the best response.

Think of it this way: when you ask a customer service chatbot why your order is late, it uses NLP to determine what you are asking; NLU to determine that you are feeling frustrated based on your choice of words; and NLG to formulate a response that is both patient and informative.

Essentially, NLG is the process used to allow AI to talk back. However, NLG may end up being one of the most powerful AI tools in an SEO’s arsenal. But more on that later!

How Does Artificial Intelligence Impact Search Engine Optimization?

It’s no exaggeration to say that artificial intelligence has become the backbone of SEO. Google introduced RankBrain, their first AI-powered addition to the ranking algorithm, in 2015. In the years since, the company has continued to develop AI programs to make the algorithm more sophisticated.

These additions include neural matching (2018), BERT (2019), and most recently, MUM (2021). These are only the programs utilized in web search – Google Shopping and Google Images each use their own sets of AI programs to optimize their function. This multitude of AI softwares work together seamlessly to gather information, understand it, and rank it according to EAT.

However, there’s also some contention between the algorithm and AI programs that can be used to game it. Until early 2023, AI-generated content was heavily penalized by the algorithm – and Google still warns that we should tread carefully when using it. Some SEOs denounce the usage of AI in SEO strategy whole-cloth, believing that the work is only done well if done manually.

The hesitancy from some SEOs is understandable. After all, we love to say that SEO is a human endeavor, and that the purpose of SEO is trying to understand why humans use the internet the way that we do. Replacing parts of the job with artificial intelligence can start to feel like you’re removing the human aspect of SEO.

But it’s vital to understand that the purpose of AI in SEO is not to replace humans – simply to take over their most tedious tasks. Why would you want to spend weeks gathering data points by hand when an AI could do it in minutes?

If you’re hesitant about the usage of AI in SEO, or just want to know all the possibilities, here are some of the best AI functions for modern SEOs.

Strategic Development

One of the greatest applications of AI for SEO is its ability to gather, refine, and present large amounts of data – and as we know, SEO relies on raw data. By utilizing an AI program, you can see the most relevant data at a glance, and your AI can provide a rudimentary content strategy for you to follow.

This is especially helpful if you are just beginning to form an SEO strategy for your site. AI can analyze the keywords you are likely to rank for, generate “topic clusters” that are relevant to your niche and your audience, and identify gaps in your existing content. Essentially, an AI can perform an hour-long brainstorming meeting in minutes.

By utilizing an AI, you can take the guesswork out of forming an SEO strategy, and only pursue the topics that are guaranteed to bring an ROI.

Content Optimization

You want to be sure that you are producing the right content – content that your audience will care about, click on, and link to in the future. AI programs make content optimization a lot easier.

One strong application of AI in SEO is keyword research. AI can analyze existing keyword data against your site’s authority and rank history, and then cherry-pick keywords that you are likely to rank for. AI programs can find less popular keywords that suit your niche, allowing you to focus on low-competition keywords with higher payoff.

Certain programs can also help to determine the best length and format for your blog posts based on articles that rank within the same topic. In just a few minutes, AI can identify patterns in your previous content strategy, weigh them against the current SERP, and determine solutions that will help you get to page one.

AI Content Creation

We talked about Natural Language Generation earlier, but not the ways that it can be utilized in your content strategy. While NLG is the AI subset that needs the most fine-tuning, it is also one of the most exciting innovations in AI today.

With AI programs that utilize NLG, you can produce a fully-written, keyword-optimized article in just a few minutes. These programs are not foolproof – grammatical and factual errors are still possible when using an AI, and you’ll need a human editor to look over the work before it’s published. Though the Google algorithm has eased its restrictions on AI-generated content this year, it still flags obviously non-human language and penalizes sites that publish it.

If you’re not sold on the idea of AI taking over your content creation strategy, there is a middle ground.

Many AI copywriter programs also offer auto-complete services, which predict the end of your sentence and write it for you. Others can produce keyword-optimized outlines and ideate topics for your site, allowing you to retain the vital human element of SEO writing. These programs allow your writers to work more efficiently and empower them to create better content.

AI content creation is developing fast, as NLGs get better at mimicking human language and creating high-authority articles. They’ll likely never replace human writers, but they will make our jobs a lot easier.

AI Link Building

Link building is one of the most labor-intensive aspects of SEO, and can be a headache even to seasoned optimizers. But, AI can help you develop a sustainable link building strategy that takes some of the pain points out of linkbuilding.

When using AI for content strategy and content creation for your website’s blog, the program can optimize your internal linking structure within the text. Many AIs can crawl your blog and suggest internal links that are highly relevant and will lend authority to your content.

But AI can provide valuable insights into your offsite linkbuilding strategy as well.

Some AI tools can generate lists of websites and blogs within your niche that are likely to accept guest posts and publish your backlinks, saving you hours of web surfing to find relevant, high-quality sites. When you pair this function with AI content creation, you can make organic linkbuilding and guest posting move faster than ever before.

If you’ve been linkbuilding for a while, though, AI can help with that too. AI-powered SEO management tools can monitor your previous backlinks, analyze anchor text usage and clickthrough rates, and can even alert you to when a link is removed or no-followed.

Predicting Rankings

What if you could see how your content would rank before it’s even published? With AI, you can!

Some AI programs can “imitate” the Google ranking algorithm to simulate the success of a specific article. These programs analyze your site’s authority, your niche, projected keywords, and your competition to give an accurate prediction of how well a piece will do.

You can use this information to decide whether or not a certain topic is oversaturated and therefore not worth pursuing, and save yourself the time and effort. Conversely, you can use AI rank predictions to experiment with keyword usage, new topic clusters, meta descriptions, and more in order to optimize your content strategy.

Competitive Analysis

Some AI programs can not only analyze your data, but that of your closest competitors. You can use AI to examine the other sites and sources within your niche, and analyze what makes some websites more authoritative than others.

Using AI for competitor analysis can show you where you stand within your personal SEO ecosystem, and what methods are working for those around you. In addition, you can see what aspects of your strategy put you above the competition – and remain one step ahead.

SEO at Scale

Though the basics of SEO are the same at any level, maintaining your website becomes much harder as you get more traffic, build more pages, post more articles, and earn more backlinks. Scaling your SEO strategy can present unique challenges, and optimizing past content for new Google updates takes a lot of time. That is, of course, unless you use AI as part of your scaling efforts.

A robust AI can be invaluable as you scale your SEO strategy. Some programs allow you to manage and update a multitude of webpages at once; with one click, you can update search listings, metadata, and other web data for all your sites at once. AI can make updates and large-scale changes on your behalf, detect and repair error pages, and be trained to update and optimize your sites independently.

Certain programs can also optimize your mobile websites, ensuring that your web pages are accessible and visible on mobile devices. AI can be trained on accessibility best practices, generate alt text, and make your website easier to read for every member of your audience.

How Can Link Building Help Your SEO?

Which AI Tools Should You Be Using for Your SEO Efforts?

The world of AI SEO tools is vast, and we’re here to help you narrow down your choices. Here are some of our favorite AI programs for SEO.

Jasper AI

Jasper AI is leading the pack when it comes to AI-powered copywriting. Not only can their NLG system create thoughtful, keyword-optimized blog posts, but they can also generate Instagram captions, snappy Tweets, TikTok scripts, and more – in over 26 languages.

One thing that sets Jasper AI apart is their Chrome extension that allows you to write directly on the site you’re working with. Their ease of use and myriad of applications makes this a great tool for developing engaging digital content.

Alli AI

Alli AI is a program that focuses mainly on onsite optimization. This robust program is perfect from businesses of all sizes, from small startups to enterprise level ventures. Alli is added to the code of a website, and can be highly personalized to act differently based on set parameters.

Alli works with most major web hosts, can complete SEO audits in minutes, and can determine your site’s greatest strengths and weaknesses. Alli can also implement updates across thousands of web pages instantly, saving you the grunt work of having to change the code by hand!

If your business is expanding and you need to scale your SEO strategy fast, Alli is the best tool for the job.

HyperWrite

HyperWrite is another AI-powered copywriter that is gaining popularity. While HyperWrite can produce original content all on its own, what makes it unique is its ability to auto-complete your sentences. HyperWrite aims not to replace human writers, but to empower them.

HyperWrite is already getting some major attention, as well. An article written by the program ended up ranking on the first page for its target keywords!

MarketMuse

MarketMuse is the best AI on the market for developing and fine-tuning a content strategy. MarketMuse’s software provides insights and suggestions based not only on SERP trends, but your site’s performance and niche. Their AI works to develop personalized suggestions that will ensure your strategy matches your specific needs, not just “best practices”.

One of MarketMuse’s greatest strengths is its ability to find and analyze the keywords that your site ranks for. It can then generate a topic cluster for your site, so you can focus on the topics and keywords that your audience will actually engage with.

WordLift

If you’re looking to make your site more linkable and authoritative, check out WordLift. This program focuses on bettering your EAT standards, and offers various packages that suit the needs of any business.

WordLift focuses on the structure of your data and other nitty-gritty details of site optimization. If you need an AI that will dive into your internal code and come out the other side with personalized solutions, WordLift is your best bet.