Author: Alex Whyles, Head of SEO, Visualsoft
Google's recent announcement in the AI foray has again upped the 'chat' about what the applications could be across all aspects of humankind & perhaps, more importantly, who will be controlling it. Just as Microsoft & Chat GPT seem to be the front runners, Elon Musk amongst others, has also thrown his hat into the ring that gains a new contestant every day.
Google’s shown us its vision on the ‘how’ it will present data & the ‘why’ it is doing so, but we’re yet to know the ‘where’ it will be answered from, although we’ll always drive the ‘what’.
Perhaps the reason as to why there’s been so much turbulence to date is that we’re yet to catch up on the impact; there’s another application/news story/warning every other day. Already there have been discussions about what it'll mean for; teachers, military, the human race and SEO (clue: one of these has been declared dead more than once before and still ‘survives’), but perhaps the most important question for digital marketing & SEO is how can we help influence this changing landscape in order to not lose visibility & ultimately performance.
Google & AI
Google is taking its own AI out of the shadows & moving from 'under the hood' changes to getting everything from ‘go faster stripes’ to basically emulating & ultimately looking to beat Amazon.
Google's employment of AI isn't new (see Hummingbird from 2013, Rank Brain in 2020, and those are just the ones we’ve been told about). Neither is the use of AI exclusive to SEO; Performance Max / Automated Ads is Google’s aim to deliver more relevant marketing across its portfolio of platforms, and it is here that I believe the key component lies with AI & search; utilising all data points to serve the most relevant information to any user & their search(es) that’s sandwiched between 13+ years of user data & preferences.
Whatever the eventual outcome of the equation for search in general, it will always rely on a) content and b) evaluation of that content. The easiest way for Google to do this is to keep relying on brands (as brands are how it separates information from the rest of the “cesspool”).
This is why it’s likely that for SEO there will be a need to cover more landscape & touch points with a consistent use of content, more than just Google SERPs. For all marketers there will need to be a greater understanding as to what the impact of all things digital is (not just platforms such as Shopping, but device & channel type) and what touchpoints have the best engagement levels in a customer journey.
GA4 has now split out Organic channel groups meaning there’s more (and easier) visibility on where to gain engagement e.g. Organic Shopping, Organic Video. It’s also worth noting that many of the new metrics are engagement led.
Although this all sounds very exciting, the danger for Google is moving too quickly and giving too much information to people, especially when we’re unable to control what we are delivered; sometimes when I ask for a turkey sandwich,I just want a turkey sandwich.
Uses & applications for SEO but no shortcuts
In terms of the SERPs, we’ve gone from featured snippets, FAQs, People Also Ask to this latest version. Or in Google’s words, something that is more “visual, snackable, personal, and human”.
But you have to ask in the first instance; where does Google or Chat GPT get the information from? How is it evaluated? What ‘signals’ are in that evaluation and what can I do to help websites be as future-proof as possible?
After the dust settles with AI it’s likely that there will still be the same problems that are going on now; producing content at scale that enforces & builds a brand and 2) how that or any information is processed, evaluated & displayed.
Barbara Cartland can write, but it doesn’t mean we should declare her a writing genius or the ‘go-to’ expert on Love instead of Shakespeare.
Although there’s a huge amount of uncertainty as to how AI will impact our lives, what is always guaranteed is that someone will find nefarious uses for new technology or, in SEO speak, ‘shortcuts that game the system’.
Google has consistently said that sites that don’t add value will always struggle.
As always, lots to do!
What is the impact of AI going to be? - (spoiler) nobody knows
Undoubtedly search is changing, but when isn't it? Google’s SERPs need to stay relevant & react to what people are searching for; it’s an ever-shifting sand of questions & language.
Our approach is always to be curious. Always change & adapt what we do & why. This could be based on what we know works, what Google has changed, or what a business/client needs. It’s why we don’t have a one size fits all approach & don’t rely on one tool; you will never beat having a pair of human eyes looking at something to evaluate what needs to be done.
If we’re looking to create a series of Product / Category pages, the best information you can get is from the client - as they’re the expert in what they do. We start off with Brand Discovery & Persona documents that cover the type & tone of language used in order to translate business character & quirks into the website content.
Then it’s a matter of sifting through a set of targeted products & URLs to evaluate whether or not they are answering the question(s) of what people are searching for in a structure that makes it super easy for Google to crawl & understand.
Answer the Public is just one of a number of data points we look at in order to keep content fresh & relevant to what people are searching for.
Chat GPT & the like can be useful for providing the filler in the sandwich, but you’ll still need the bread (i.e. framework & structure) & it will need to be proofread. The danger of relying on one tool or automating content will always run a greater risk if it isn’t thought out properly - remember the YMOYL update?
Even when all research has been fed in and content has been published, there will need to be far more analysis on reporting & different metrics than previous in order to refine a particular product and in turn brand; does my content engage sessions? Are the exit rates too high? Do I need to be utilising internal linking & CTAs more?
