Why AI will not replace SEO

When running a business online, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), is something you will no doubt encounter as an integral part of your success. For more than two decades, SEO has been essential to digital marketing, playing a central role in content creation and structure, and enhancing online visibility. Now, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), there have been a number of changes and alterations to SEO in general, leaving many to question if AI will ultimately replace SEO altogether. Well, with the information currently available, it seems that AI will not replace SEO. But why is this? And how can the two be used together to improve your business?

What is SEO?

So first of all, what exactly is SEO? Well, this is a combination of techniques and methods that all have the overall aim or goal of increasing your website’s visibility on the search engine result page (SERPs). This means lifting your website link to the top results positions, in order to drive more traffic to your website.

What are the different components of SEO?

There are a number of different techniques, methods and components of an effective and thorough SEO strategy. These include:

On page SEO- This is the method of altering individual website pages to be optimised for maximum performance online, so that these pages can rank higher, and drive more relevant traffic. As part of on page SEO, keyword optimisation, content quality, meta tags, header tags, and URL structure all play a crucial role.

Off page SEO- This involves taking actions outside of the website itself to improve search rankings. Building backlinks and online authority is a big part of this, with an emphasis on social media marketing, guest blogs and guest posting, and local community work.

Technical SEO- The technical aspect of SEO emphasises the steps taken to optimise the structure of the website. This not only ensures that the website provides a positive user experience, with an infrastructure that is easy to understand and navigate, but it also helps search engines crawl and index the site more effectively. As part of this, aspects like site speed, mobile-friendliness, secure connections (HTTPS), and site architecture.

Content SEO- This is an aspect of SEO that focuses on the content itself. Creating valuable and high quality content that is original and relevant to your audience can help your website answer any common questions, and deliver the information that your potential customers or clients are looking for, quickly and easily. This improves the user experience, and aso allows your company to rank for a wider range of relevant keywords.

While AI can play an important role in working alongside SEO to deliver boosts to your website, there are a number of reasons why the current evidence suggests that this will not replace SEO completely, or make SEO obsolete. These include:

The prevalence of search engines- While AI may be a driving factor for change when it comes to search engines, it is unlikely to replace them altogether. AI can be used to gather a simple answer to a question, without having to wade through different search results, but this is not always accurate, and may need to be fact checked with a search engine. At the same time, for products and services, and for local results, AI is not yet at a stage where this can deliver useful results. As a result, while people are still using search engines, it will still be essential to optimise website performance for search results.

Content quality- One of the key areas that AI is not yet capable of mimicking is the nuances of human language and the emotional factors behind this. From user intent and cultural context, much of the content process relies on a deep, human level understanding and creativity that AI can not yet replicate. From crafting content that connects, to analysing trends and making changes as needed, SEO content strategies can ensure that you deliver the best possible content for complex queries, in a way that AI cannot. This means that AI will not be able to replace content SEO for the foreseeable future.

Evolving search engine algorithms- Search engines like Google continuously update their algorithms to improve the quality of search results. While AI can help track these changes, the strategic interpretation of algorithm updates often requires trained human insight to deliver effective SEO adjustments, for the best possible results. This means that AI alone cannot replace SEO analysis and updates, or on-page or technical SEO.

Customisation and strategy- The best possible SEO strategy is one that is tailored to your business and your requirements. Every business is unique, with different goals, target audiences, and competitive landscapes, and these are factors that a detailed SEO strategy will take into account. While AI can be used to provide valuable insights and recommendations, it will not have the same deep understanding of the business and its environment as an SEO expert.

How can AI and SEO be used together to boost your business?

So, with AI on the rise, how can your business adapt, and combine your SEO strategy with elements of AI? Well, there are a number of different options available, including:

Content creation and optimisation- AI tools can be used effectively to analyse data, and lots of it, to identify trends, including trending topics and keywords. This information can be gathered in a much more efficient way using AI, and the information provided can help to shape your SEO strategy for maximum positive impact. AI can also be used to generate content ideas, help to create draft content, and even help to optimise existing content for better SEO performance.

Predictive analysis- There are AI tools that are available that can predict which keywords and content strategies are likely to be successful based on historical data and current trends. This information can be used as part of your data-driven SEO strategy, helping to inform decisions for SEO improvement.

Automation of routine tasks- AI can automate repetitive tasks such as keyword research, site audits, and performance tracking. This can be tailored to suit your SEO strategy and requirements, for example, if you only wanted to track the content performance for a particular block of keywords, AI can help to achieve this.

Enhanced user experience- Finally, AI driven tools can analyse user behaviour on a website and suggest improvements to enhance the user experience. This can lead to better engagement metrics, which are increasingly important ranking factors.

For more information or for professional SEO that you can count on, get in touch with the experts today here at Pumpkin Web Design. We are Preston’s number one choice for digital marketing and SEO.