The role of AI in modern SEO strategies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the rise and is already widely used across many industries. For developers, for example, it is nothing unusual to call on AI to spot errors in written code or to write new code. But marketers are also getting better and better at using AI. I regularly use AI myself for various SEO tasks. AI can genuinely make your life as an SEO specialist easier and faster.

Google & AI

As an SEO specialist, you work with Google for the vast majority of your tasks, and Google has been using AI for years. Google not only uses various AI applications in its search algorithm, but also makes extensive use of AI in Google Ads. And why not? If AI delivers better (or equally good) results, it makes sense to use it. A few of Google's AI applications that are worth knowing as an SEO specialist: 

RankBrain

RankBrain was the first application of AI in Search, in the form of machine learning. For years, Google has shared that (still) 15% of all searches have never been made before in that way or with that combination of words. In other words, every year 15% of searches are new to Google. RankBrain is Google's solution for matching these searches with the right results anyway, using machine learning. 

Because RankBrain looks at the individual entities in a search and the relationships between them, Google can still work out the search intent and show the right result, even if that unique string of search terms has never been used before. This was a revolutionary development within Search. Previously, Google tested by showing different search results, and only based on the outcome could results be improved. RankBrain solved that problem. Want to know more about RankBrain? This article explains RankBrain in detail.  

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

AI uses NLP to interpret text and data with machine learning. Simply put, NLP understands how people speak and write. NLP is also an important tool for Google in understanding voice searches and long-tail search terms. It can make connections between different words and connecting words, so Google understands that 'order pizza in Eindhoven' is different from 'order pizza outside Eindhoven'. Thanks to NLP, Google can also interpret language to recognise sentiment. As you can imagine, this was also a big step within Search towards better search results. 

SpamBrain

As the name suggests, Google SpamBrain helps Google fight spammy search results. And it works. Google reported that it detected 500% more spam sites than in the year before SpamBrain was used. That is good news for users, of course! And for us SEO specialists too, because you don't want your high-quality content to lose out to spammy websites. But what exactly counts as spam or spammy content? Think of: 

• Scraped content: content scraped one-to-one from other websites and republished without any added value; 
• Automatically generated content: in principle, Google is not against AI-produced content (more on that later), but it is against low-quality, unreadable automatically generated content; 
• Keyword stuffing: content with more keywords than natural text. This is content created solely to rank in Google through excessive use of keywords; 
• Low-quality affiliate websites: in principle, there is nothing wrong with affiliate websites, but there is when they add nothing.
• User Generated Content (UGC): there is nothing wrong with UGC either, and high-quality comments and input can actually be seen as valuable, but forums are often abused . The content then adds nothing to the quality.  
• Disinformation: Google has long been fighting to keep disinformation out of the search results. Pages with incorrect information are therefore categorised as spam. 
   

Google's SGE (in beta)

With SGE (Search Generative Experience), Google goes one step further. SGE is Google's answer to Bing's integration of ChatGPT. SGE formulates a generated answer that is shown above the search results. In this environment, you can ask Google's AI (Bard) follow-up questions to arrive at the answer you want. With Google's SGE, you can ask questions to find information on a particular topic, research which product best matches your needs and generate images. Want to know more about Google's SGE? This article explains everything.

The integration of AI-driven chatbots heralds a new era in the search landscape. Both Bing and Google, the 2 largest search engines, already use them.

So why isn't AI fully integrated into the work of SEO specialists yet?

With a search engine that runs almost entirely on AI, it is rather strange that the people responsible for making brands easy to find in those AI-driven search engines have not fully embraced it yet. Only about half of SEO specialists (worldwide) say they use AI in their daily work, and then for a limited number of tasks. A missed opportunity, if you ask me.

You can, of course, use AI in various parts of your work. An obvious application is generating content. Google was not in favour of this at first, but has changed its position to 'as long as it is good content'. So they are sticking to their 'quality content' stance. And rightly so, because content generated (partly) by AI does not have to be bad at all.
 

So how can you use AI for your SEO work?

Whether you are looking for inspiration for a good article, want to know what you can do to overtake your competitors or need to write a structured data script, you can use AI. In the paragraphs below, I give you some handy tips on how AI makes your work easier. One caveat, though: never trust AI blindly. Always use your own judgement and, for example, check that everything has been written correctly. 

Doing keyword research

Good keyword research is the foundation of every SEO strategy, and AI can help. There are various tools on the market that specialise in suggesting keyword ideas based on your input, looking at Google's autocomplete, entities and People Also Ask.

Running topic analyses and generating content ideas

Have you completed your keyword analysis with the help of AI? Then it is time to create the content plan and decide on the topics. You can call on AI for this too. Ask AI which topics fit your keywords and how to turn them into the right topic clusters to optimise for. Which pages do you need to create to cover a topic fully?

Inspiration for angles

Once you have decided on the topics and the content plan, you brainstorm interesting angles. You need to offer something new compared with your competitors. AI can help you decide on the content and the angle.  

Creating page outlines

Have you decided on your article's angle and do you know what you want to say? Then you can create the page outline and ask AI to help you come up with your title, description and headers. Describe what the page is about and ask AI to come up with a suitable meta title. Include the maximum number of characters (60) and the main keyword. Then provide other important keywords and ask which headers and paragraphs suit the article. After writing, you can ask for a short summary to use as the meta description (max. 160 characters). You can also use AI to map the main questions around a theme, so ask your AI for input on that too.

Creating unique images

A good article contains suitable images that fit its context. Instead of using stock images, you can also have AI create unique images for your article. With a text prompt, you describe what should be in the image and in what style.

Creating unique videos

What you can do for images, you can also do for video. This is trickier than generating images with AI, but there are still some fun possibilities. For example, provide a few images as input and ask AI to turn them into a video, or experiment yourself to discover the possibilities! We have written a blog about the role of AI in creating videos and images. Read the blog here. 

Translating articles and keyword analyses

Have you put together a good SEO page in Dutch, but want to translate it into German or English? AI can help with that too. Ask it to translate the page and provide the main keywords in that language as well, so the AI can work them into the copy. You can use the following AI tools to translate your texts: 

Writing structured data scripts

Is your page complete and properly translated? Then you can enrich the page with structured data. Fortunately, you don't have to write these scripts yourself. Put AI to work and have it draw up the structured data scripts based on the information you provide as input. Then check your structured data script with Google's testing tool, so you know your script is completely correct.

On-page optimisation advice

Your page is live, but you notice that the results are disappointing or not coming at all. That is not the idea, of course. Ask AI for additional on-page optimisation advice. For example, ask what you can do to optimise your page so it ranks better than the competition. AI can give advice on technical improvements, but also on optimising your internal links or expanding your content, for example. Want to update an older article? AI can help with that too. Provide the current copy as input and ask how you can expand the article to bring it more up to date.

Mapping link-building opportunities

Want to give your new pages an extra push with link building? Then use AI to map the opportunities for you. Various tools can run different analyses and, based on them, advise which websites you can approach for smart link-building opportunities.

Technical SEO audit

Your articles are finished and fully optimised. Time to see what else you can improve in the overall technical state of your website. With AI, you can check whether you have done all the technical checks or whether there are points that need extra attention. There are also various tools for pulling technical errors, which is also a form of AI. Have you come across a particular problem and want to brief a developer to fix it? Then ask AI to help you draw up the briefing.

Data processing and reporting

If you need help processing and reporting on various datasets, AI is the answer! For example, export data from tools such as Google Analytics 4 or Google Search Console and call on AI to help visualise your data. This lets you test different visualisations and decide which presents the data best, without spending a lot of time on it yourself. I also often use AI as a helpdesk when working in Excel. For example, you can ask whether your formula is correct, or which formula is best for processing certain data.

ChatGPT (Data Analysis) Looker Studio Tableau Power BI 

Automating processes

Let AI assist you in automating certain processes. Think, for example, of automatically writing your image alt tags, optimising your evergreen content or updating your meta descriptions. But you can also automate your keyword research, data processing or dashboarding, for example.

Best AI tools for SEO specialists

These tools can help you with several of the tasks above. 

CoPilot by BrightEdge or Jasper AI

BrightEdge CoPilot helps you with various SEO tasks. Another tool, Jasper AI, can be used for essentially the same tasks. Below is an overview of all the work CoPilot or Jasper AI can help with: 

• Keyword research: The tool can be valuable for extensive keyword research, not only finding relevant keywords but also providing insight into search volumes, competition and trends. 
• Content creation: Jasper AI can help you quickly generate SEO-optimised content. This includes blog posts, web pages and article ideas optimised for search engines. 
• Keyword insertion: The tool can work keywords into existing copy in a natural way. This helps create content that is relevant and attractive to both users and search engines. 
• Titles and meta descriptions: Creating catchy titles and meta descriptions that contain keywords and prompt users to act can be automated with Jasper AI. 
• Content restructuring: Jasper AI can be used to restructure, rephrase or update existing content, making it fresher and more relevant for both search engines and users. 
• Idea generation: Coming up with new content topics can be a challenge. Jasper AI can help generate ideas that are relevant to your audience and to search engines. 
• Improving readability: The tool helps improve the readability of content, which has a positive impact on user experience and SEO. 
• Jasper AI can help you formulate concise, informative answers suitable for featured snippets in search results. 
• Multilingual content creation: For companies operating internationally, Jasper AI can generate content in different languages. 
• Tone of voice analysis and adjustment: The tool can also help adjust the tone of voice of your content so it always fits your company. 
• Content optimisation: CoPilot or Jasper AI can help identify content optimisation opportunities by suggesting improvements based on current performance. This means  advice on keyword use, content structure and topic relevance 
• Competitor analysis: Jasper AI or CoPilot can be used to analyse competitors' SEO strategies. This can give insight into which keywords they target, what their backlink profiles look like and which content performs well. 
• Link building: The tool can help identify link-building opportunities by finding relevant and authoritative websites in your industry. 
• Performance tracking: Monitoring SEO performance is essential. CoPilot or Jasper AI can help track rankings, organic traffic and other important KPIs. 
• User experience analysis: improving the user experience on a website is crucial for SEO. Jasper AI or CoPilot can provide insight into how visitors interact with the site and make recommendations based on the website's usability. 
• Task automation: For routine and time-consuming SEO tasks, AI can offer automation solutions, such as keyword research, site audits, backlink analyses and reports. 
• Predictive analysis: by using machine learning, the tool can help predict future trends and changes in the SEO industry, so you always stay informed and can support your clients proactively. 
• Content trends and insights: The tool can provide trends and insights into what performs well in your industry, helping you make better-informed decisions about the types of content you should produce. 

Other tools that can also carry out the tasks above are Munch and Surfer SEO. A nice extra feature of Surfer SEO is the Content Editor, which gives real-time optimisation advice while you write! 

ChatGPT

ChatGPT brought about AI's big breakthrough with the general public. And rightly so, because ChatGPT is handy for all your questions. I do recommend getting the paid version, because unlike the free version it has live access to the internet, so its information is up to date. The information available to the free ChatGPT-3 version is only up to date until 2021. You can tackle these tasks with ChatGPT: 

• Helpdesk for Excel or code questions: Can't quite figure out your code or Excel formulas? ChatGPT can track down errors for you and give you the solution to get your code or formula working. 
• Content creation and ideas: ChatGPT can help generate ideas for blog posts, articles or web pages. It can also help write first drafts or work out content structures. 
• Keyword research and analysis: Although ChatGPT does not have direct access to keyword data, it can help you brainstorm possible keyword combinations and advise on keyword strategies based on general SEO principles. 
• SEO-friendly copy: ChatGPT can rewrite existing content to make it more SEO-friendly, without undermining the original angle. 
• Meta descriptions and titles: Creating engaging meta descriptions and SEO-optimised titles or headers can be time-consuming. ChatGPT can help generate creative and relevant meta tags. 
• Answers to frequently asked questions: ChatGPT can help formulate answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) that are both informative and optimised for relevant keywords. 
• Link-building strategies: ChatGPT can give advice on link-building techniques and strategies, although you will have to carry them out yourself. 
• SEO audits: ChatGPT can give general advice on what to look for in an SEO audit, such as technical errors, content improvements and user experience issues. 
• SEO training material: for training teams or writing educational material about SEO, ChatGPT can be useful for putting together learning resources. 
• Support with client communication: ChatGPT can help formulate professional communication with clients, such as explaining SEO concepts or reporting on campaign progress. 

NeuronWriter

NeuronWriter is an AI tool entirely focused on optimising your content for SEO. If you are looking for a tool that can take your SEO content to the next level, NeuronWriter is a great fit. You can use it for these tasks: 

• Content optimisation: NeuronWriter helps optimise content for search engines. It analyses your competitors' high-ranking content and offers suggestions for improving your own content based on what already performs well in the search results. 
• Keyword research: the tool helps you find relevant keywords and topics. It suggests not only primary keywords but also related terms and questions you can use to expand and enrich your content. 
• Content strategy and planning: With NeuronWriter, you can develop an effective content strategy, including planning topics and subtopics relevant to your audience. Ideal, then, if you are working out several topics in full. 
• Content SEO audit: The tool analyses existing content and makes recommendations for improvement, such as adding specific keywords, increasing content length or improving readability.
• Competitor analysis: NeuronWriter can be used to analyse competitors' content strategies, giving you insight into what they do and how you can adjust your own strategy to stay competitive. 
• Titles and meta descriptions: the tool helps generate SEO-optimised titles and meta descriptions that appeal to both search engines and potential visitors. 
• Usability and readability: NeuronWriter offers advice on improving the user experience and readability of your content. 
• Predictive analysis: by using AI, NeuronWriter can predict which strategies are likely to be most effective for your content, based on data analysis. 
• Reporting and analytics: The tool can help draw up reports on content performance, including rankings, traffic and engagement metrics. 
• Multilingual SEO: Do you manage a multilingual website? NeuronWriter helps you optimise your content in every language. 

Pictory or Opus Clip

Pictory and Opus Clip are AI-driven tools focused mainly on creating and editing visual content such as videos and images. As an SEO specialist, you can use Pictory or Opus Clip in the following ways: 

• Video content creation: Pictory or Opus Clip lets you create high-quality videos quickly and efficiently. This is useful for adding video content to your website, which contributes to  engagement and longer time on page. 
• Video SEO: by creating videos optimised for search engines, Opus Clip or Pictory can help improve overall SEO performance. This includes adding relevant titles, descriptions and tags to videos. 
• Turning blog posts into videos: Pictory or Opus Clip is used to turn existing written content, such as blog posts, into engaging videos. This can help share the content on multiple platforms and reach a wider audience. The video can also be added to your blog posts to enrich them. 
• Improving your social media presence: videos can be used on social media platforms to drive traffic to the website. Social media visibility indirectly contributes to strong SEO positions, and social media platforms are increasingly becoming real search engines. So it is smart to optimise for them too. 
• Creating video snippets for featured snippets: with Pictory or Opus Clip, you can create short video snippets to use as 'featured snippets' in search engine results. Or use them for YouTube Shorts, for example, so you also become easier to find in that search engine. 
• Infographics and images: besides videos, the AI can be used to create infographics and images that enrich web pages and blog posts. The content becomes more visually appealing, and video and images add extra context, which can lead to better rankings. 
• Speeding up content production: thanks to its user-friendly interface and AI capabilities, Opus Clip or Pictory can significantly reduce the time needed to produce high-quality visual content. 

Want to know more about Opus Clip? In this article, we tell you everything about creating images and video with AI. 

Midjourney or DALL-E

Midjourney and DALL-E are AI tools you can use to create unique images. Using text prompts, you explain what you want to see in the image, and then Midjourney or DALL-E gets to work for you. Not quite satisfied? Then build on your previous prompt until the image matches exactly what you want. You can use the AI for: 

• Visual content creation: Midjourney is used to generate unique, attractive images for websites and blog posts. These visual elements increase  user engagement and  make content more appealing. 
• Infographics and data visualisations: for conveying complex data or information, Midjourney can help create infographics and data visualisations. This makes it easier for users to understand data and can lead to content being shared more often.  
• Creating visual assets for link building: engaging, unique images can become linkable assets that others want to share or refer to, contributing to link earning. 
• A/B testing visual elements: SEO specialists use Midjourney to test different visual styles in A/B tests to see which perform best. You can use these images for better findability in Google Image Search, but also to contribute to rankings in 'regular' Google Search. 
• Enriching product pages: for e-commerce websites, Midjourney can help create unique product images or visuals that complement product descriptions. 

Want to know more about Midjourney? In this article, we tell you everything about creating images with AI. 

SEMRush

SEMRush is an SEO tool that is probably familiar to every SEO specialist. I have tested various SEO tools, and SEMRush remains my favourite, because you can do an enormous amount with it. Even so, I supplement SEMRush with other tools that each specialise in something else. As an SEO specialist, this is what you can do with SEMRush's AI: 

• Keyword research: identifying relevant keywords, including search volumes, keyword difficulty and related terms. 
• Competitor analysis: analysing competitors' SEO strategies, including their keyword use and backlink profiles. 
• On-page SEO: analysing and optimising the content of web pages for specific keywords. 
• Backlink analysis: examining backlink profiles, including identifying new link-building opportunities. 
• Site audit: identifying technical SEO problems on a website. 
• Rank tracking: tracking keyword positions in search engine results. 
• Content marketing: support with planning and creating content that matches search queries. 
• Social media tracking: analysing social media activity and its impact on SEO. 
• Traffic analytics: gaining insight into web traffic, for your own site and for competitors' sites. 
• SEO Writing Assistant: help with writing SEO-friendly content. 

Tools such as Ahrefs and MOZ have similar features to SEMRush. I think it is a matter of preference, but all these tools are fairly comprehensive in their SEO analyses. 

The integration of AI into SEO is transforming the way specialists work. AI-driven tools such as NeuronWriter, SEMrush and ChatGPT enable SEO experts to work more efficiently, from keyword research to content creation and technical audits. This evolution underlines how important it is for SEO specialists to fully embrace AI, so we can stay effective and competitive in a rapidly changing digital environment. 

This article was created partly with the help of AI. Would you like to get started with AI too, but aren't sure where to begin? Then get in touch with us and together we will look at how we can make your work more enjoyable, faster and easier.