The Impact of AI in SEO: How is it Going and What to Expect Next - #FOS24
Let's go through the good, the bad and the ugly of AI in SEO: From leveraging AI to accelerate your SEO workflow, avoiding AI common low quality output issues and risks, tackling potential Google SGE traffic risks, and more.
texto 3 Nivel de texto 4 Nivel de texto 5 THE IMPACT OF AI IN SEO BY @ALEYDA FROM @ORAINTI AT #FOS24 Large language models (LLMs) represent the biggest change in the world of search since Google
AT #FOS24 Content was commoditized with Google approving AI content as long it was high quality, original, and useful https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/02/google-search-and-ai-content
AT #FOS24 There has been a rollercoaster of Google updates and shifts in search results trying to tackle this https://status.search.google.com/products/rGHU1u87FJnkP6W2GwMi/history
AT #FOS24 But, does any of this matter if in the not- so-far future our best-ranked content is going to be pushed way below the fold by Google SGE snapshots anyway?
AT #FOS24 We have the good, the bad, and the ugly AI in search scenarios, let’s go through them & see how to tackle! Avoid AI common low quality output issues and risks Leverage AI to accelerate your SEO workflow Tackle potential Google SGE traffic risks The bad The good The Ugly
AT #FOS24 It’s possible to leverage AI in our SEO tasks for much more beyond content generation too Leveraging AI for Data Analysis and Visualization Language and Content Assistance SEO Technical Support Content Audits and Analysis Using AI to classify URLs and perform analysis across a data set Using AI tools to explain technical problems to non- technical stakeholders Using AI tools like Similar.ai and MerchStack for e-commerce Experimenting with AI tools to enhance content and generate micro-copies Automation and Efficiency Research and Competitive Analysis Report Automation Link building and Backlinks Looking for ways to improve efficiency, speed up audits and avoid manual errors Using AI tools for research, analysis and topic extraction Automating reports and showing the ROI of tasks Using AI tools to identify link opportunities and analyze backlink quality https://hub.seofomo.co/seo-auditing-survey/#14
AT #FOS24 Craft prompts for more accurate, well-defined, quality results Use AI chatbots to accelerate research, analysis and implementation processes Better integrate the output of AI chatbots into your SEO workflow A balanced approach is necessary to maximize the benefits without compromising the outcome
AT #FOS24 Start by maximizing the quality of the output with clear and concise prompts Task Execution Expert validation and editing of the result 1 Clear and concise prompts 2
AT #FOS24 Use the 5Ws and the H to ensure concise prompts and maximize quality of results in fewer iterations ๏ What [is the expected task]: Specify your task’s main action. ๏ Example: Create 5 title tags ๏ Where [Is it going to be used]: The location where your task will be used. ๏ Example: To be featured in a white jeans’ category page ๏ How [is the format / language / tone / structure / length / characteristics / constraints]: All the characteristics of your task. ๏ Example: descriptive, in English, relevant, engaging, following SEO best practices, of no more of 50 characters each ๏ Who [is the target audience]: Who’s the audience of your task ๏ Example: potential jeans buyers ๏ When [is it going to be used]: Your task timing ๏ Example: at an ongoing basis ๏ Why [you want to use it, the expected goal]: What’s the purpose of your task ๏ Example: to engage the audience and rank better in search results
AT #FOS24 I’ve created this prompt generator in Google Sheets using the 5Ws and the H for faster results https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/search-engine-optimization/ai-prompts-digital-marketing-seo-generator/
AT #FOS24 Copy the sheet and create a shortcut in your browser for easy access whenever you need a prompt and create your own library for your team for reuse = https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/search-engine-optimization/ai-prompts-digital-marketing-seo-generator/
AT #FOS24 You can also use Sheets Add-Ons leveraging Open AI API to integrate with your existing information https://numerous.ai/ https://gptforwork.com/
AT #FOS24 USANDO CHATBOTS DE IA PARA 10X TU ESTUDIO DE PALABRAS CLAVE POR @ALEYDA DE @ORAIN Detect the parent subject or main category of existing keywords to classify them
AT #FOS24 Obtain a speed and Core Web vitals metrics validation of your pages using the Web Performance Engineer GPT https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe
AT #FOS24 Get suggestions for the structured data to add to any pages with the Schema Advisor GPT from Amanda Jordan https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe https://chat.openai.com/g/g-tAOlskeJJ-schema-advisor-amanda-jordan
AT #FOS24 Get the Schema code for any of the structured data recommendations you want to go ahead with https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe https://chat.openai.com/g/g-tAOlskeJJ-schema-advisor-amanda-jordan
AT #FOS24 Search Engine Chat Bots Resources and Tools based on ChatGPT Content / SEO Tools Chatbots ChatGPT SEO PHASES Content Optimization Technical Optimization Link Building Measurement Reporting Research Organization Generation TASKS Keyword & Competition Analysis It’s about taking advantage of AI functionalities to enhance our SEO tasks without compromising quality
AT #FOS24 So does this mean that AI can replace SEOs and content specialists? Only if you are a non-strategic specialist! https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-seo-ai-aleyda-sol%C3%ADs/
AT #FOS24 Remember a bot can’t prioritize based on business goals, coordinate and incentivize SEO execution https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-seo-ai-aleyda-sol%C3%ADs/
AT #FOS24 But Google is taking more aggressive action against sites trying to abuse “scaled content” thanks to AI & programmatic SEO https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe https://blog.google/products/search/google-search-update-march-2024/
AT #FOS24 Google is also doubling down on the need to show actual experience and helpfulness in your content https://chat.openai.com/g/g-C9Vn0SycL-web-performance-engineer-wpe https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/helpful-content-system
AT #FOS24 As well as to clearly disclose when AI is leveraged to produced content, specifying where and how it was used https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/02/google-search-and-ai-content
AT #FOS24 There’s a clear pattern in the experience, helpfulness & expertise shown by top pages for very competitive queries Review criteria Authority Mentions Industry Stats Helpful FAQ Authorship
AT #FOS24 This is why it’s fundamental to clearly optimize your content accordingly! You can use my content quality and helpfulness / EEAT Sheet checklist https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12-F9Z4NzDADOFRQtOiN-CtjY2aaqj-R5CcrJNCuTha4/edit#gid=0
AT #FOS24 Accelerate the analysis by using the Helpful Content Analyzer GPT to assess it vs your top competitors https://chat.openai.com/g/g-WxhtjcFNs-content-helpfulness-and-quality-seo-analyzer
AT #FOS24 Leverage “People Also Ask” questions and those asked over social platforms (reddit, quota, etc) about the topic to enrich and expand the content further too
AT #FOS24 Google started the SGE test in May 2023 specifying how they took LLMs limitations into account https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/search/howsearchworks/google-about-SGE.pdf
AT #FOS24 Snapshots were meant to give a synthesis supporting users journeys, providing links to continue exploring https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/search/howsearchworks/google-about-SGE.pdf
AT #FOS24 https://labs.google.com/search/experiment/1?authuser=0&source=srp So yes, Google SGE Snapshots are designed to be Featured Snippets on “Steroids” SGE Snapshot Featured Snippet
AT #FOS24 SGE snapshots started to feature their source in carousels at the top right and within the content itself by clicking, showing usually content from top-ranked pages January 2024
AT #FOS24 But Google is always doing tests, and at the moment is not showing the carousels at the top right, only the links and carousels within the snapshots February 2024
AT #FOS24 In a study from Mike King, only 40% of SERPs add a SGE snapshot, and half are shown to informational queries https://searchengineland.com/how-search-generative-experience-works-and-why-retrieval-augmented-generation-is-our-future-433393
AT #FOS24 This was also found by Onely, SGE snapshots are more prevalent for some topics and intents https://www.onely.com/blog/all-the-useful-data-about-sge-you-need-to-know-right-now/
AT #FOS24 Additionally, a high share of the top 10 ranked pages are used within the SGE snapshot too https://searchengineland.com/how-search-generative-experience-works-and-why-retrieval-augmented-generation-is-our-future-433393
AT #FOS24 DUPLICATIVE SGE SGE Snapshot duplicating or with high overlay with current organic search results or features SUMMARIZING / COMPLEMENTARY SGE SGE Snapshot summarizing and / or complementing current organic search results or features ACCELERATOR SGE SGE Snapshot directly featuring next step of search journey information LOW RISK LOW-MEDIUM RISK MEDIUM-HIGH RISK SGE TRAFFIC RISK LEVELS It depends! Some SGE scenarios carry a higher traffic risk than others based on impact on users’ search fulfillment https://searchengineland.com/google-extended-does-not-stop-google-search-generative-experience-from-using-your-sites-content-433058
AT #FOS24 We have the duplicative SGE Snapshot with low traffic risk, that happens with snapshots duplicating an existing search feature, such as a map pack
AT #FOS24 Another duplicative low risk scenario happens with the non-clickable listings provided for some commercial queries with similar clickable search features
AT #FOS24 (Not so) Hot Take! The snapshot will disappear or inherit the search feature behavior to fulfill users’ needs (and then the search feature would be removed)
AT #FOS24 We have also summarizing and complementary SGE snapshots with Low- Medium traffic risk, like the ones of template queries, for which you still need to go to the source to fulfill need
AT #FOS24 Another low-medium risk summarizing scenario happens with informational how-to queries that require more comprehensive insights to be fulfilled, like how to wash sneakers
AT #FOS24 (Not so) Hot Take! Top ranked listing pages of highly authoritative ecommerce sites will lose traffic to their product pages in the snapshot (if they’re well optimized and included) or to the ones of competitors
AT #FOS24 Informational queries Like informational queries with summarizing SGEs and commercial with accelerator ones Commercial queries + Summarizing SGE Accelerator SGE
AT #FOS24 It’s definitely important to take action to be prepared when -and if- the SGE is finally released Hurry up! I’ll help you next https://chat.seofomo.co/forum/seo-ai/are-you-worried-about-google-s-sge-impact-poll
AT #FOS24 Here’s an SGE assessment checklist to help you identify the potential risk for your own customer journey queries https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xQzAA81dWyY6BPxPOrLbo5nBxLEjQYhsvmqJZIUTsRo/edit#gid=0
AT #FOS24 Verify the SGE inclusion for major traffic and conversion driver terms you target, representative of different intents https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xQzAA81dWyY6BPxPOrLbo5nBxLEjQYhsvmqJZIUTsRo/edit#gid=0
AT #FOS24 Identify the traffic erosion risk to prioritize action depending on SGE type, inclusion and query fulfillment https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xQzAA81dWyY6BPxPOrLbo5nBxLEjQYhsvmqJZIUTsRo/edit#gid=0
AT #FOS24 Take a look at the already SGE featured pages and analyze their characteristics vs yours to identify opportunities https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xQzAA81dWyY6BPxPOrLbo5nBxLEjQYhsvmqJZIUTsRo/edit#gid=0
AT #FOS24 If you’re already ranking and not yet included in SGE: what content type, insights, format are those included showing that help to fulfill the search need that you’re not? Identify and close that gap!
AT #FOS24 Leverage “People Also Ask” questions and those asked over social platforms (reddit, quota, etc) about the topic to enrich and expand the content further too
AT #FOS24 Do this not only for currently ranked pages but the SGE featured one. Like PDPs over PLPs for commercial queries Descriptive metadata Unique description Product structured data High-quality images Reviews Q&As FAQs Merchant Center Feeds Internally linked XML sitemaps inclusion Inventory reliant indexability PDPs
AT #FOS24 So yes, is about the optimization alignment across areas and user journey to make the content best in class to compete https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/seo-flowcharts/
AT #FOS24 At the end, remember that fulfilling users search needs and referring when relevant is at the core of how search engines work and their business model, so there’s an incentive to “get it right” https://searchengineland.com/google-ceo-on-sge-and-search-evolution-well-get-it-right-431888
AT #FOS24 SGE might not even get released as it’s still being tested and the end date was removed at the end of 2023 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-sge-december-end-date-removed-36600.html
AT #FOS24 It’s about maximizing the good, minimizing the bad, and avoiding the ugly Avoid AI common low quality output issues and risks Leverage AI to accelerate your SEO workflow Tackle potential Google SGE traffic risks The bad The good The Ugly
AT #FOS24 I’m Aleyda Solis * SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti * SEO Speaker at +100 Events in +20 countries * Author “SEO. Las Claves Esenciales.” * Crawling Mondays Video & Podcast Series Host * #SEOFOMO & #MarketingFOMO Newsletters Author * Maker LearningSEO.io * European Search Personality of the Year in 2018 * remoters.net Co-Founder Thanks! Questions? THE IMPACT OF AI IN SEO BY @ALEYDA FROM @ORAINTI AT #FOS24