How AI Will Change the Future of Search Engine Optimization

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Artificial Intelligence is the subfield of computing that mimics human intelligence and can adapt and learn from data input. When using artificial intelligence-powered searches, the system automatically learns from user data to create the most authentic and relevant experience.

This real-time learning process fine-tunes the results in the background when a user searches. The algorithm is refined and built on several factors that are programmed into the AI system, for instance, the previous purchases of the person, common spelling errors, and the intention behind the words used in the search.

How does artificial intelligence impact SEO?

Person reaching out to a robot

In essence, advances in artificial intelligence such as neural language processing and deep learning mean that search engines are getting more intelligent and human-friendly.

When you search, it is displayed on the screen, taking into account a range of factors like the location of your computer, your search history, your favorite websites, and what other users are clicking on for similar queries.

AI advancements mean that ranking factors may vary from query to query in the process of learning from how people click on the results of a search and select the most relevant aspects to consider when determining the best search results for each query.

Visual content will become more important

According to Sam Mallikarjunan, the Head of Growth at HubSpot Labs, SEO will be heavily affected by video content shortly. AI has made search engines smart enough to know how to judge images, in particular videos. Google does not just favor YouTube videos; however, the advent of AI has allowed search engines to show the most relevant videos.

This will alter the situation for the creators of visual media. Content writers will have to adapt and learn how to incorporate targeted keywords, meta descriptions, and meta tags; visually, creators will need to think about SEO when they create content, such as pictures and videos.

Moving beyond  with voice and mobile searches

Consider a different approach if you’re thinking only about SEO for internet browsing on computers.

Mobile Searches

Workteam

According to Google research, 40% of all searches are now mobile, and over one in four users use smartphones during a typical day. If you’re a marketer and you’re not optimizing how your brand’s message is delivered to users on mobile devices and tablets, you could miss the chance to reach 25% of your potential customer base.

The positive impact of this shift to mobile can be seen in opening up new opportunities for brands to market. For instance, if you have a mobile-friendly app for your website, you could make it available in mobile search queries to boost exposure and brand recognition.

Voice Searches

Joyful young woman phoning on street in evening

With the growth of mobile usage came voice searches. Siri, Google Now, and Cortana are now virtual assistants to all of our varying needs. The result is a change in SEO.

The majority of us are condensed when typing. For ex., you need to type “best pizza place NYC” into a search bar. When you perform the search using a voice, are more likely to use a full sentence, such as, “Hey Siri, what’s the most convenient place to purchase a pizza in NYC?”

Be More Specific with Your Link Building

Larry Kim, the founder of Wordstream, predicts that websites with “strong domain authority, with many links to it, but with poor content” will be the most vulnerable to Google’s AI enhancements. Because the more intelligent search engines will determine if those who click your hyperlinks stay on the page and can read your content, SEO marketers need to concentrate more on relevancy and the quality of their backlinks.

We’ve talked about the quality of content. How can you increase link relevancy? The basic idea is that your backlinks should originate from the same or similar category and industry your site is in. This means that you’ll need to be more careful with building links, you have to consider to buy backlinks, especially when you’re just starting a site.

If you are selling cat food and your site is about food and cats, it isn’t a good idea to be getting a lot of backlinks from websites that sell Lizards. RankBrain will not like this and could punish you for it. Along with limiting your content to one subject, you must also restrict your links to that same subject. Anything quick and dirty to buy links is not recommended.

As time goes on, we’ll need to create links using the “old-school way”–by creating real connections. Find influential people talking about your subject and get in touch with them to identify links.

Quality is the new ranking tool

Men putting a thumbs up

AI-powered search engines can detect and avoid low-quality content that is difficult to read with high bounces. That means SEO marketers must make extra efforts to curate relevant and valuable information that users would likely notice. This is in contrast to the past, where keyword density was of greater importance; other factors like quality, relevance, and context will now be used in ranking criteria.

There is no longer a time when you could write blog posts based on one keyword you chose from your study. It’s now about writing blogs that are with a theme that is associated with that keyword. In doing this, you’ll be able to trigger Google’s AI RankBrain to recognize the area you’re in, narrow down your competitors, and give you a greater chance of being ranked and getting visitors.

Conclusion-

AI was just a sci-fi idea that was dismissed as a flimsy idea. Nowadays, AI-powered tools are becoming as widespread as SEO tools, and using these tools together will allow us to extend the scope of marketing to an infinite range. The advancement of technology will force marketers to develop elaborate strategies that incorporate diverse kinds of tools, content, and devices in the mix.