Being in the marketing world for a while, I've noticed that as time continues on, the marketing landscape continually evolves. Just like humans have adapted to new ways of doing life, marketers adapt to new technologies and consumer behaviors. In the pre-internet era, marketing primarily relied on traditional media such as prints, newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, and books. With the advent of the internet, marketers shifted their focus to SEO optimization, maximizing visibility on search engines, particularly Google. When I started my marketing journey, at the beginning of the social media revolution, I saw firsthand how social media further transformed the field. Online search and social media outreach became the two main pillars of modern marketing strategies.
In 2024, we are amidst a new revolution: Artificial Intelligence (AI). People are increasingly turning to AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for information, often bypassing traditional search engines altogether. Recognizing this shift, Google has integrated AI search capabilities into its platform through partnerships with AI creators.
If there is one thing that marketing has taught me, it’s to never be too proud to let go of the old way of doing things and adapt to what is happening around me.
In this blog, I want to highlight the ways I see AI and SEO marketing changing and discuss how we marketers can adapt.
The Impact of AI on SEO Marketing
For a long time, SEO (search engine optimization) has revolved around keywords, backlinks, and Google ads. In the past, if someone wanted information about your company, they would search on Google, and if your SEO efforts were effective, your company would appear in the results. However, with the rise of AI-powered search engines, results are highly personalized and context-specific, considering user behavior, preferences, and past interactions. This shift means that traditional SEO strategies, which primarily emphasize keywords and backlinks, now need to adapt to how AI processes and delivers information. Marketers should now concentrate on producing top-notch, pertinent content that directly addresses user intent.
Adjusting Marketing Strategies for the AI Era
Enhanced User Experience
AI technologies enhance user experience by providing more accurate and immediate query responses. Features like voice search and natural language processing (NLP) enable users to interact with search engines more conversationally. Marketers should optimize content for voice search and ensure that their websites are mobile-friendly and quick to load, as these factors significantly influence user experience.
At PlanIt Branding, we enhance the mobile-friendliness of our websites and blogs by resizing images to reduce load time. Additionally, we individually optimize each web page for mobile users to ensure a user-friendly experience. We love using Photoshop or Optimizilla (for free) to do this!
Dynamic Content Creation
Marketers can use AI tools to streamline content creation and optimization processes. AI-driven platforms can generate content ideas, write drafts, and optimize headlines and meta descriptions for better performance. By leveraging these tools, marketers can save time and resources while maintaining high-quality output.
Some obvious ones that enhance text capabilities are Grammarly & Chat GPT. One thing to keep in mind is the more information you feed the AI, the better it can help you with specific tasks. Basically, if you think of the AI platform as an expert you are having a conversation with, the more information you are able to give it, the more detailed of a response it is able to give you. Even question after question, having a conversation with it so it can help you in your specific needs better.
There are also AI platforms that are great for photo editing. A recent example of a photo we used AI to change the backdrop in:
Canva has some tools that help you achieve this goal of background transferring but there are a couple of other creative AI's that can create images out of purely text for which DALL·E 2 is a great option !
Analytics and Optimization
AI tools can analyze vast amounts of data to identify trends, user preferences, and content gaps. This allows marketers to create and optimize content dynamically, ensuring it remains relevant and engaging. AI-driven analytics tools can also provide real-time insights, helping marketers make data-driven decisions more efficiently.
There are plenty of platforms out there you can pay to use to help you but we are here to share the free tools and resources we like to use for those of you wanting to learn how to run a small business on a tight budget.
The first and most obvious one is Google Analytics . Google Analytics is a helpful resource for things like insights into website traffic, user behavior, and content performance. It also uses AI to provide recommendations for improving engagement and conversions. Another great tool we use often is Later's analytics
When I'm trying to find the perfect keyword I will use Ubbersuggest and Semrush side by side for their keyword optimization and market research capabilities. Both platforms have paid versions as well which are even better with more features! The founder of Ubbersuggest, Niel Patel, is an amazing marketer and even runs a podcast he calls 'Marketing School' where he shares actionable digital marketing tools!
Focus on User Intent and Engagement
Understanding user intent is crucial in the AI-driven search landscape. Marketers should conduct thorough research to comprehend their target audience's needs and motivations. Creating content that directly addresses these needs will improve engagement and satisfaction, which AI algorithms prioritize.
One popular interface many marketers use is called Google RankBrain.
Embrace Multichannel Marketing
AI enables seamless integration across various marketing channels. Marketers should adopt a multichannel approach, ensuring consistency and coherence in their messaging across all platforms. AI can help identify the most effective channels for reaching different audience segments, enhancing overall campaign effectiveness.
For us, this looks like taking on Linked In, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to maximize our reach. We use AI to help us understand each platform and to automate content that gets posted weekly.
AI and SEO Shift
Integrating AI in search engines and marketing platforms represents a significant shift in how marketers approach SEO and digital marketing. Marketers can effectively navigate the AI-driven landscape by focusing on user intent, leveraging AI tools for content creation, integrating advanced analytics, and embracing multichannel strategies. Adapting to these changes will improve SEO performance and create more meaningful and personalized consumer experiences.
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