Thriving in the small business space is easier said than done, considering it is rife with competition. Online visibility is the foundation of small business sustenance and success. It boils down to ranking on top of web searches and sustaining your place up there. You can achieve both with an actionable SEO plan, but it requires consistent effort and hard work.
Enter artificial intelligence, and SEO becomes faster and easier with tools that automate several processes, from content creation to keyword research and link building. According to a recent survey, more than 55% of organizations already leverage AI for their marketing initiatives, including SEO. The numbers will likely increase in the future as more sophisticated tools hit the market.
While the growing use of AI is permanently changing SEO practices, small businesses should use it responsibly. Most importantly, marketers need to understand the value it can add to different aspects of SEO.
Here are a few ways they can leverage the winning combination of AI and SEO.
Automation of Repetitive Processes
SEO often involves a set of repetitive processes marketers have to perform every day to drive consistent and sustainable results. On the surface, these processes are relatively straightforward, but they can become cumbersome due to the sheer number. Here is a partial list of activities AI can help automate for your small business:
- Data analysis
- Content planning
- Content analysis
- Page by Page content optimization
- Creation of local knowledge graphs
- Creation of Schema structured data
- Optimization of meta descriptions
- Optimization of interlinking
This list is only the tip of the iceberg as AI technology is exploding right now. SEO only makes AI better because these self-learning tools learn more by working on SEO steps. As a marketer, you can expect easier and faster ways to cover all elements of SEO with more tools in the coming time.
Content Creation
According to MarTech statistics, 44.4% of marketers are utilizing AI for content production. AI content tools can help content developers in more than one way. For example, you can use it to create a closer connection between content and what users search for by personalizing topic ideas and content for your target audience.
CodeParachute notes that EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, and trust) is one of the key aspects of SEO. You can achieve all these goals with high-quality content, and AI tools can help you produce it with minimal time and effort.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the cornerstone of SEO success. With the right keywords in your content, you can convince Google that it is meant for users. Additionally, it serves valuable information to your audience, giving them a reason to stick around. But keyword research entails consistent effort as audience expectations evolve with time.
AI can help you scale the research process, reducing the turnaround time between keyword research and publishing relevant content online. You can deliver the most accurate data in search demand, topic intent, and keyword difficulty in real time. The best part is that you have a set of tools doing all the heavy lifting.
Onsite Optimization
Google currently uses 200 ranking factors, making SEO more overwhelming than ever. Besides content and keywords, on-page factors such as page titles, headers, meta descriptions, URLs, internal links, and image alt text are the most challenging ones to handle. The sheer number of factors to address can stress you out.
Onsite optimization is another crucial aspect of SEO marketers can leave to AI. Advanced AI tools can take care of on-page-related factors such as structured data and internal linking. Automating these factors can reduce your workload yet deliver substantial growth in organic traffic for your small business website.
Ethical Considerations While Using AI for SEO
Using AI for SEO can be a wise decision, provided you do it judiciously. You must take into account ethical considerations, specifically when it comes to content creation. Google still loves human content that empathizes with users. Conversely, AI-generated content can fetch dire penalties, even the extent of removing your content from search results.
Moreover, search engines can identify AI-generated content, no matter how great it is. The best piece of advice is to use AI tools only for research and ideation instead of using shortcuts like generating content from scratch.
Summing Up
AI and SEO make a surefire success formula for small business marketers. AI can ease and accelerate SEO processes by automating most of the repetitive elements. However, you must use these tools cautiously to enhance your SEO effort rather than take shortcuts with them. Leveraging this winning combination for success is about practicing caution and restraint.
