Nighat Yasmeen

AI-Driven Transformation: SEO Expands Beyond Text to Social and More

Discover how AI is transforming SEO with insights into Answer Engine Optimization, traffic quality, and creator-driven strategies. Elevate your marketing with PushLeads.

AI Driven SEO

The integration of generative AI by Google and Bing is poised to revolutionize the realm of search engine optimization (SEO).

AI-Powered Search:A New Era

On May 10, 2023, Google unveiled its AI-powered search strategy, emphasizing addressing shopping and purchase intent queries. The tech giant aims to leverage its shopping graph, comprising more than 35 billion product listings, integrating it within its generative AI search feature.

Despite the e-commerce sector’s significant interest in this shopping-oriented update, one fact remains evident: SEO is undergoing a paradigm shift.

A Shift in Focus: Embracing Diversity

Historically, Google’s search engine has predominantly focused on text since its launch in the late 1990s. While it allowed for video searches, primarily via YouTube, the incorporation of generative AI signifies that search results may now offer “a wider range of experiences and perspectives.”

Google’s efforts are directed toward introducing “new methods to discover and explore diverse viewpoints via Search.”

Google Search product manager, Lauren Clack, explained that users may now observe a ‘Perspectives’ filter on their search results page. This feature aims to display long and short-form videos, images, and posts from discussion boards, Q&A platforms, and social media.

Krista Doyle, SEO manager at Jasper, the AI writing company, encapsulates the change by saying, “SEO can no longer operate in isolation.” The SEO domain will need to broaden its scope beyond blogs and websites, extending to social media, forums, public relation

SEO: Adapting, Not Dying

Contrary to the notion that AI would spell the death of SEO, evidence suggests that it is merely transforming it. SEO is not becoming obsolete; it is evolving to stay relevant. This echoes the sentiment that change has always been the only constant in the SEO industry.

The rise of generative AI in search engine technology will inevitably reshape e-commerce strategies, irrespective of whether they pertain to retail, direct-to-consumer (DTC), or business-to-business (B2B). The primary shift from keyword-based rankings to a more comprehensive approach prioritizing relevance and user intent or Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), coupled with comprehensive content strategies.

Answer Engine Optimization: A Shift Towards Relevance

AEO aims to rank a site on platforms that respond to queries, including voice-activated assistants, AI chats, virtual assistants, and generative AI searches.

While not new, this SEO variant aligns with many businesses’ strategies to identify their prospects’ questions and provide AI-friendly responses. ChatGPT, popular for understanding human queries, illustrates the focus on natural language queries over keywords or specific entities. This is akin to optimizing for voice search.

Thus, AEO represents a shift rather than a novelty. AEO strategies should be effective in the era of generative AI search, at least initially.

Creators: The New Power Players

By incorporating “new perspectives in search,” Google seems to acknowledge the vast community of content creators. Content creators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok have gained substantial follower bases, which, until now, Google and other search engines have yet to index. However, these sources feature in a video that Google included in its generative AI search announcement. SEO managers will likely partner with influencer marketing teams to commission content creators for “new perspective” content. Eventually, SEO managers could gain influence and create social content to drive AI searches. This creator-driven social content could become crucial to content marketing and SEO strategies.

Traffic Quality: A Game-Changer for SEO

Another significant change in SEO influenced by AI could be the quality of traffic. As Jasper’s Doyle observes, “Reduced traffic doesn’t necessarily equate to reduced returns if the traffic converts.”

While traditional conversion rate optimization efforts have primarily targeted high-revenue pages and sign-up processes, SEOs, and content marketers will likely start implementing these tactics to ensure content performance and drive reader action.

Embracing the Evolution: The Future of SEO in an AI-Driven Landscape

In conclusion, the advent of AI technologies, especially generative AI, is reshaping the landscape of SEO. The shift propels us from a keyword-centric model towards a more comprehensive approach that prioritizes relevance and user intent. This transition underscores the need for SEO strategies to expand beyond blogs and websites, incorporating elements of social media, forums, and PR.

The inclusion of ‘new perspectives’ from content creators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok further accentuates the significance of creating social content in future SEO strategies. Moreover, the focus on traffic quality over quantity signals a shift in how SEO success is measured, emphasizing the importance of conversion rates.

As the SEO realm continues to adapt to these AI-driven changes, businesses and marketers must evolve their practices to stay competitive. The constant in SEO remains change, and those who can adapt to these transformations will be best positioned to thrive in this new era.

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