As technology continues to evolve, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent in almost every industry. As an agency that partners with businesses across many fields, the evok team has seen a significant impact from AI involvement in search engine optimization (SEO). When crafting marketing strategies for a credit union, healthcare organization, restaurant or travel and tourism brand, it’s crucial to understand not only how AI is impacting SEO, but also how you can leverage this technology to improve your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Ways AI Impacts SEO

The way search engines like Google and Bing rank websites has shifted as AI has gained popularity. With this new technology, search engines can better understand the intent behind a user’s search query and provide more relevant results. This means that traditional SEO techniques like keyword stuffing and link building are becoming less effective, while newer techniques such as voice search optimization and the use of machine learning algorithms are becoming more essential to an effective SEO strategy. We know this can be a little confusing, so we’ve put together a more in-depth guide on some of AI’s impacts on SEO, including: 

Personalization: AI algorithms can analyze user behavior and personalize search results based on their interests, preferences and search history. This means that two people searching for the same keyword may see different results based on their previous search behavior. 

Voice search: With the rise of voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, voice search optimization has become increasingly important. Websites that are optimized for voice search have a better chance of ranking higher on SERPs.

Natural language processing: AI algorithms are becoming more adept at understanding natural language, which means that search engines can better understand the intent behind a user’s search query. 

Image and video recognition: AI algorithms can analyze images and videos to understand what they contain. This has allowed search engines to more accurately cater to search queries while also placing higher importance on intentional image and video selection. 

Machine learning: Machine learning algorithms can analyze massive amounts of data and identify patterns and trends. Search engines can better understand which websites are providing high-quality content and rank them accordingly. 

What Does this Mean for My Business? 

So, what does this mean for your SEO strategy, whether it be for a credit union, healthcare organization, restaurant or travel and tourism brand? Here are some tips to help you leverage this information on AI so you can make a meaningful improvement to your website ranking and overall business: 

Focus on creating personalized content: Use AI-powered tools to analyze user behavior and personalize your content to cater to your target audience’s interests and preferences.

Optimize for voice search: Use natural, or conversational, language in your content and optimize for long-tail keywords that are more likely to be used in voice search queries.

Use relevant images and videos: Use high-quality images and videos in your content that are relevant to the queries your target audience is searching for, as AI has allowed search engines to provide more curated results based on not only copy but also graphic content. 

Focus on creating high-quality content: Use machine learning algorithms to analyze your website’s content and identify areas for improvement. Focus on creating high-quality, informative content that provides value to your target audience.

What’s Next for Your Marketing Strategy

It’s clear that AI is quickly changing the way we approach search engine optimization, and if you can learn to leverage the technology well, you have the opportunity to enjoy better growth and brand awareness. AI-powered tools are always in your corner to help you analyze user behavior, personalize your content and identify areas for improvement. By adopting these strategies, you can stay ahead of the competition and ensure that your website is ranking well on SERPs.

However, it’s important to note that while AI is changing the way search engines rank websites, traditional SEO techniques are still important — keywords, meta descriptions and link building are still relevant and can help improve your website’s ranking. It’s all about finding the right balance between traditional and newer techniques to find a sweet spot that works for your brand.

Ready to dig deeper? Give us a call. Book time with our team to discuss how adopting SEO AI marketing strategies can help your business grow.