The discussion around artificial intelligence (AI) often swings between two extremes: it’s either hailed as the cornerstone of human innovation (a view I personally share) or dismissed as a promising technology yet to fulfil its true potential.
Nowhere is this tension more evident than in the world of digital marketing and more specifically in the field of search engine optimisation (SEO). I am an SEO. At work, we discuss AI every single day.
While AI has already revolutionised several industries, its impact on SEO is provoking mixed responses. Some digital marketers are blown away by its potential talking about it like it’s the new Messiah, while others remain sceptical, feeling disappointed by unmet and sometimes even crushed promises. So, is AI living up to its hype in SEO? More importantly, how can SEO teams leverage its power effectively?
Why AI matters in SEO
AI isn’t just another tool – it’s a technological revolution poised to touch every aspect of our lives including digital marketing and of course SEO. Its potential lies in amplifying the efficiency and effectiveness of SEO teams by automating tedious tasks, enabling deeper insights, and creating more personalised content strategies. But why does this matter so much, especially now?
The journey starts with understanding AI’s broader implications. As of now, only 11% of tasks in the UK workforce are exposed to AI. However, this figure is projected to leap to 59% with the integration of advanced AI models and systems. This shift is profound and underscores the need for industries, including SEO, to adapt quickly (and by quickly I mean yesterday). As AI’s reach grows, businesses face a stark choice: embrace AI or risk being left behind.
A wise woman once said:
“Some people call this artificial intelligence, but the reality is this technology will enhance us. So instead of artificial intelligence, I think we’ll augment our intelligence.” – Ginni Rometty
SEO’s AI trough of disillusionment
The current state of AI in digital marketing and SEO can be likened to the Gartner Hype Cycle, which maps the adoption of emerging technologies with life-transformational capabilities/benefits. Initially, new technologies trigger excitement, leading to a ‘peak of inflated expectations’. When these inspiring hopes are not immediately met, we enter the ‘trough of disillusionment’ where many people feel disappointed and unhappy.
Today, many SEO professionals are walking this road. Early experiences with AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini might have been underwhelming, with users finding that the tools “kind of” help but fail to meet expectations. These disappointments, however, come more from how we use AI than from the technology itself. To truly capitalise on AI’s potential, we must move beyond simplistic approaches like one-off prompts or narrow applications.
The Pitfalls of current AI approaches in SEO
Despite its promise, AI in SEO is often deployed narrowly and inefficiently. Common shortcomings include:
- Limited scope: AI is frequently applied to isolated tasks, such as content creation or data analysis, rather than the entire SEO workflow. (Question: Can a human deliver an acceptable outcome without seeing the big picture?)
- Lack of context: AI tools often lack a deep understanding of a business’s unique offerings, audience, and goals, leading to generic outputs. Generic inputs will always lead to generic outputs.
- Opacity: Many artificial intelligence tools operate as black boxes, leaving users unable to trace the data sources or reasoning behind their outputs.
- Rigidity: Current AI systems often lack flexibility, making it difficult to adapt processes or tailor outputs to specific needs.
These issues contribute to low-quality, very often totally unacceptable outcomes, but they’re not impossible to overcome. With a strategic approach, AI can become a transformative force in SEO.
Reimagining AI in SEO: a holistic approach
The future of AI in SEO lies in broad, contextual, transparent, and flexible applications. Here’s what that could look like (or at least the way I see it):
- True end-to-end integration: Artificial intelligence systems should support the entire SEO process, from keyword and competitor research and content creation to analytics and further optimisation.
- Contextual intelligence: AI must understand your business’s unique products, services, and audience to produce truly valuable insights and outputs. Do not expect to provide generalised/simplistic input and receive tailored to your business output.
- Transparency: Clear visibility into data sources and processes ensures trust and enables better decision-making.
- Flexibility: Artificial intelligence systems should be adaptable, allowing users to modify workflows and tailor outputs as needed.
Building Effective AI Assistants
To achieve this vision, SEO teams need to embrace AI assistants that combine multi-step prompting and custom tools.
Multi-Step Prompting
Instead of asking a tool like ChatGPT to generate a blog post in one go, break the process into smaller, more manageable tasks. For example:
- Ask the AI tool to conduct research on a given topic.
- Request an outline based on that research.
- Feed it additional insights or data from your team.
- Revise and refine the content through multiple iterations.
This granular approach significantly improves the quality of outputs and ensures the AI aligns closely with your business and SEO goals.
Custom Tools and Automation
Custom tools allow AI to integrate seamlessly with existing databases, content management systems (CMS), and workflows. For example:
- Use AI to pull data from your affiliate database to identify relevant products for a blog post.
- Employ Artificial intelligence to analyse competitor strategies by extracting and summarising insights from their content.
- Leverage AI’s image recognition capabilities to automate tasks like selecting the best product images for a page.
By automating these tasks and more, SEO teams can save time and focus on higher-value activities.
Implementing AI in your SEO team
To successfully integrate AI, follow these steps:
- Map your processes: Sit down with your team to document your current workflows, identifying steps that could be streamlined with AI. If possible talk to all channels as SEO is always done better when working in close collaboration with developers, content creators, PPC etc.
- Identify high-ROI areas: Start with tasks where AI can deliver the most significant impact, such as automating repetitive processes or enhancing data analysis.
- Leverage existing tools: Use tools like Zapier for no-code automation or custom scripts to connect AI models with your systems.
- Experiment and iterate: Stay updated on advancements in AI and continuously test new tools and approaches against your existing processes.
The AI advantage: scaling SEO efforts
The ultimate promise of AI is delivering unparalleled scalability. For SEO in particular, artificial intelligence enables tools that can and probably will revolutionise how teams conduct research, optimise content, and implement strategies. With the right tools and strategies, a small SEO team can achieve the output of a much larger one. This capability is critical in a competitive landscape where agility and efficiency often determine success.
Conclusion: riding the AI wave
Artificial intelligence represents the most significant technological shift of our time and its impact on SEO is only just beginning. The question is no longer ‘Can AI help us?’ but rather ‘How can we help AI in order for AI to help us?’. By embracing AI strategically, SEO teams can unlock unprecedented efficiency, creativity, and impact.
So, are you riding the AI wave or risking being swept away by it? The choice is yours – and the time to act is now.
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