Generative AI has revolutionized the SEO industry, with some companies successfully integrating SEO into their daily workflows and others less so. How is AI best used in SEO tasks? What are the capabilities and limitations of AI? Also, can the subjective nature of SEO negatively impact SEO results?
AI automation SEO
There are some tasks that AI can do fairly well, such as creating meta description tags and title elements at scale.
However, when it comes to other aspects of search optimization, the usefulness of AI is questionable.
AI not only creates content based on keywords, but also analyzes search engine results pages (SERPs), keyword research, scoring content based on keyword usage, writing articles based on keywords, and competitive research. It has also been introduced into services.
It's an act of faith to believe that the people behind the software understand SEO. But when SEO is so subjective that people can't even agree on the proper use of title tags and headings, who do you trust?
Even the concept of SERP analysis can be hit or miss depending on the experience of the person doing it. For example, the idea that the way to beat the competition is to understand why your content ranks and use that data point as material to create better, more accurate copy; It's contradictory.
Obviously, you can't make something better by exactly copying something better. But this is the underlying logic of Skyscraper Content Tactic, which is (ironically) an imitation of his 10X Content Tactic, which is popular among SEO beginners. And while that tactic is silly, it's central to how some AI tools perform their SERP analysis.
It is clear that some AI tools can amplify the inexperience of not only the users of the AI tools, but also those who create them.
Julia McCoy, president of Content at Scale (LinkedIn), agrees.
She explained:
“AI is arguably the most amazing advancement in technology we have seen in the past 200 years.
AI tools designed for content optimization and writing generation deliver incredible efficiency. These tools streamline the process, provide powerful in-depth insights for optimization and ranking improvements, and can even generate entire articles that are nearly ready for publication.
However, you must know how to use them. And we need to know who built them.
I think it's important to recognize that. No tool can turn an amateur into an expert overnight. Just as Malcolm Gladwell's skills are the result of years of honing his craft, rather than tools acquired overnight, his skills range from up-and-coming learners to experienced and seasoned professionals. The path to becoming an expert requires time, experience, and deep industry knowledge.
AI has democratized access to advanced technology and given access to higher-level strategies, but it cannot provide wisdom and insight where it does not exist. It expands the capabilities, but it also expands the drawbacks. We need to remember that human intuition can be supplemented by technology, not replaced. ”
AI enhances your SEO skills
Why are some people successful with AI and others not? In my opinion, AI is just a tool, like a paintbrush. Talents and skills belong to the person, not to tools.
Inexperienced SEOs analyze web pages by extracting keywords from content, headings, and title tags. More experienced SEOs analyze web pages to understand what questions they answer.
With AI image generators, the importance of skill and experience is clear. Some users can create amazingly lifelike creations, while others can create images of a person with his seven fingers on each hand.
Will AI democratize SEO?
The idea is that AI will allow SEO newbies to perform at the same level as those with decades of experience, but as Julia suggested earlier, the way AI currently works is it's not.
We asked Brenda Malone, an SEO technical strategist and web developer (LinkedIn), for her thoughts on AI and its potential to democratize SEO.
Brenda shared:
“I don’t necessarily think this will fully democratize the SEO field as it exists today.
While the plethora of AI SaaS tools can overwhelm inexperienced SEO professionals, it can also be overwhelming for experienced SEO professionals who know how to leverage certain AI tools to provide better human analysis. I think it will be empowering.
I think the short-term impact of AI on the SEO industry is that much of the data collection will be automated, reducing the number of experts needed.
Today's SEO professionals can't afford to be dumb and instead need to dig deep into AI to identify tasks related to SEO activities and develop analytical expertise. Because, gone are the days when you could just implement meta tags and title tags for ranking. ”
Enhanced AI capabilities improve human efficiency. For example, deep analysis of data is easy for AI. But it's also great for tedious tasks like performing analysis, bulleting key takeaways from data, and creating presentations from that data.
Take-out
Generative AI like ChatGPT and Claude can expand what you can do, streamline your workflow, and have a big impact on your SEO. However, it also amplifies user shortcomings. While experienced SEOs can leverage generative AI to enhance their work, those new to SEO may benefit from her SaaS tools, depending on the experience of the tool's publisher, but their potential is limited. You may not be able to experience sex to its fullest.
- Generative AI enhances users’ SEO skills and experience
- Generative AI won’t necessarily democratize SEO
- But SaaS AI tools can also benefit those new to SEO.
- Review SaaS SEO tool founders and authors to understand their experience and skill level
- AI is the future, you don't have to be a Luddite
Featured image by Shutterstock/Krakenimages.com