Content Marketing
How to Search Engine Optimize (SEO) With AI
Unleash the power of AI to optimize your SEO strategy. Learn how to use AI for competitor research, keyword research, content briefs, and featured snippets.
The world of content marketing and search engine optimization was turned on its head with the rapid development of AI-generated content.
While the long-term impact of AI-generated content on search engines is still unknown, many people rushed to the tools to generate as much content as possible in an attempt to drive higher organic traffic.
However, Google has shown that this approach has a limited shelf life that seems to have already passed, with Google penalizing mass-produced AI content. This has left many trying to work out how to use AI marketing tools to support search engine optimization efforts.
Find out how AI can properly boost your search engine optimization efforts and speed up your processes while still aligning published articles with Google’s people-first content guidelines.
Before we dive into how to implement search engine optimization (SEO) with the help of AI, let's quickly define what it is.
SEO is the concept of optimizing content and improving your website for search engines like Google. Those search engines may, in return, rank your content higher in search results. The higher you rank, the more people see your content and learn about your brand.
SEO involves creating well-structured, high-quality content that achieves user intent. At the same time, it accounts for additional requirements such as headings, structure, grammar, readability, and internal links.
Search engine optimization is one of the biggest elements of an effective content marketing strategy for several key reasons.
First and foremost, effective SEO efforts will help your brand place at the top of Google search results, which will, in turn, boost clicks on your content.
Getting on the first page of Google is crucial, with evidence from a recent Backlinko study showing that less than one percent of users click on results that appear on the second page.
While PPC and Facebook ads certainly have a place in content marketing strategies, they also come with a cost, whether per click or purchase.
In comparison, SEO promotes organic traffic, meaning that each click-through to your site by visitors is completely free.
The more visitors head to your website, the more your brand awareness and credibility grow. By ranking at the top of search engines for topics in your niche, you develop trust with your audience as an authoritative industry voice.
A well-optimized website strengthens other marketing initiatives by providing a user-friendly platform for converting visitors into customers.
Great articles also create opportunities to repurpose content for PPC, email newsletters, or social channels.
Gone are the days when SEO was simply a matter of stuffing keywords into an article, leaving readability to an afterthought.
Now, Google requires you to take a 'user intent first' approach to SEO. This encourages the production of fantastic content that improves the user experience by providing readers with great information and guides.
With all that in mind, let's look at how you can implement generative AI tools to help with your SEO strategy.
One of the biggest aspects of any effective SEO strategy is to understand how the best-performing brands are meeting user intent and what content they're covering.
Rather than manually scouring through competitor content to try and understand what topics you should cover, you can use AI tools to speed up the process.
Example: Let's say we run an influencer marketing agency. One quick Google search will show that two of the biggest competitors are Imagency and Influencer.
So, let's ask WebPilot to provide us with a list of content ideas to tackle based on the content of those two brands.
Here's our prompt:
"We run a start-up Influencer Marketing Agency, and we are trying to start ranking higher on Google when people search for an agency.
Imagency and Influencer are two brands that seem to rank highly for this search term.
Please use these two URLs to review what topics they cover on their blog, and then provide us with a list of 15 topic ideas we should cover, highlighting the keyword phrase in each one and why it should be covered. [Example URLs]"
Here's the response:
It immediately produces a great list of content ideas to work through!
Going back to ChatGPT, it’s also an excellent tool for keyword research. Using our example chat from above, a simple secondary prompt could provide keywords to target with our content based on what competitors are publishing.
Unfortunately, the WebPilot plugin does have a daily limit, unless you pay for a Pro Plan. However, you can still get plenty of use out of it as part of a free ChatGPT subscription.
Generative AI is also excellent for helping to craft efficient, SEO-friendly content briefs that human writers can then infuse with their unique perspectives and expertise.
Learn how to use AI to create content briefs in this step-by-step guide.
Generative AI tools are also extremely effective for helping you rank in ‘featured snippets.’
A featured snippet is a concise summary of an answer to a user's query. It’s displayed at the top of Google's search results page.
Typically, it’s extracted from a webpage and includes the page's title and URL, often presented in a box to stand out from regular search results.
So, even if your article isn't ranking on the front page, you could still do so via a featured snippet.
Example of using AI to rank in featured snippets:
Sample prompt:
"I am trying to get shown in the Featured Snippets section for the search term 'what phone should I buy?'
Using the URL below, which is the top ranking article on the subject, please review what questions are currently getting asked on the subject, and provide me with 5 variations of the question and answer, written in the style that is suited to appearing in the Featured Snippet for this search term. [Example URL]”
Ask any SEO expert, and they’ll tell you how frustrating the Google algorithm can be. Sometimes, it feels like you accomplish everything perfectly, only for it to wallow on page three.
Sometimes, when this happens, you can quickly see what the top results have done to achieve their ranking and alter your content to improve its positioning.
However, there are also times when you are left scratching your head, unable to see the difference.
This is an excellent example of how you can improve your SEO efforts with the help of generative AI.
Example of using AI to get insight into search engine algorithms:
We can use the ChatGPT plugin WebPilot to compare articles that rank low in the search results to see why they might struggle to compete.
Let's use an example for the search term 'Are solar panels effective.'
As you can see, GreenMatch's article ranks at the top for this search term:
Whereas this Eco Experts article is sitting on page three, with the exact same title:
So, let's use WebPilot to try to find out why. Here's our prompt:
"I am trying to understand why my article on 'Are solar panels effective' is ranking on the 3rd page of Google.
Can you please analyze this competitor's article and see what it contains? My article does not contain information that Google might be using as a ranking factor.
Common things to look for are article length, images, grammar, structure, authorship, linking, detail, topical expertise, and anything else you notice that you know is good SEO practice to include. [My Example Article URL and an Example Competitor URL]”
As you can see from the results below, WebPilot provided a detailed analysis of the top-performing article, as requested.
It also provided clear recommendations for ways to enhance my article and improve its ranking.
Now, while all that sounds incredible, it's important to know that there are limitations to what AI can do for your SEO campaigns.
As mentioned in the introduction, there have been significant negative impacts on websites that have replaced great writing with generic AI-generated content.
This is mainly due to Google's helpful content updates. Google has begun to prioritize content that adds value and takes a conversation forward with new ideas and experiences.
AI can only pull from information already on the web, so it struggles with this.
That’s why it's important to ensure that you lean on high-quality content writing for any SEO efforts. Quality content should be the focal point of anything you publish.
There are many ways that generative AI can improve your SEO efforts, but there are also a few aspects to be mindful of.
As Google has shown in recent updates, it certainly isn't a fan of websites that contain too much AI-generated content. If you rely too heavily on AI tools, you could get penalized, as many did in the most recent helpful content update.
A best practice is to use Originality.ai's AI checker to review content before you upload it or scan your website for AI content with our AI website scanner.
AI writers can be helpful in the content creation process but shouldn't replace human writers entirely. AI can brainstorm ideas, generate outlines, and suggest relevant keywords.
However, high-quality SEO content requires human expertise to ensure accuracy, proper tone, and creativity — and that it meets Google's helpful content guidelines.
There are many AI-powered SEO tools available, each with its strengths. Some popular options include:
As long as you use AI responsibly and prioritize human oversight, it’s a safe and effective way to improve your SEO strategy. Make sure to stay up-to-date on Google's SEO guidelines to avoid any penalties.
Track key metrics like website traffic, organic search ranking, and user engagement to measure the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. Traffic graphs can help visualize these improvements over time. Ahrefs is also a great resource for reviewing SEO strategy.
