AI's Impact on SEO

Subscribe | AI Tools

Google’s big 2023 I/O event could have easily been called Google AI 2023. AI took center stage at the show and is being added to basically everything Google, including Google Search, which will soon introduce Google Generative AI Search.

Generative AI Search, which will use AI to generate text summaries as part of your search results, is one of the most significant changes made to search in a long time. It has the potential to change the way people search for information online which will very likely have a major impact on the SEO landscape.

Today, I want to explore what the impact of AI will be on SEO, what changes I think are coming, and what you need to do to prepare.

🔎 What is Google Generative AI Search?

Today, when you do a Google search, you get a list of links that Google thinks are relevant to your search (after all the ads of course). Also, depending on your search you might see a few additional sections that Google has added over the years like: images, videos, shopping links and quick FAQs.

With Generative AI Search, search results will now include a conversational text response similar to what you now get from ChatGPT or Bard. That conversation will now embed relevant details, images, videos, products, and more right in the text. This is a significant change from the way Google Search works today.

The problem with the old way of searching was not always knowing what was behind the link. We’ve all been there, you search for something and you end up having to go from link to link to figure out the answer to the question you are looking for.

Google Generative AI Search solves that problem by generating text summaries of the search results. This means that you will be able to quickly and easily understand what the results are about without having to click on any of the links.

🧨 How will Google Generative AI Search impact SEO?

I believe Google's new AI-powered generative search is going to clean up the internet. No more keyword-stuffed articles that repeat the same word so many times you'd think they were stuck in a loop.

Here's why:

1. The AI large language model (LLM) powering Search will understand the intent behind your search, making it smarter at figuring out what content to show you.

2. Keyword-stuffed articles won't fool the algorithm anymore. No more pretending to have the answer when they don't.

3. Those websites that write a whole novel before getting to the point? They'll need to focus on delivering the answer right away (this is basically every recipe site ever).

4. What will matter now is high-quality content. That's the golden ticket to success.

5. With the focus shifting from keywords to content, we'll get articles that are actually readable.

So, in a nutshell, it's good news for consumers but for creators, it's going to be a challenge to churn out content based on niche keywords. Instead, they’ll have to write short, relevant, and to-the-point articles. The SEO game is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

☠️ Is this the end of SEO?

Nope, this is a huge shift in SEO but it doesn’t mean it will kill SEO altogether. This actually reminds me of when Google made changes to PageRank.

PageRank used to be the way sites would get ranked on Google, and one of the primary factors in page rank was the number of links that pointed to your site. So of course SEOs would basically spin up new sites and find ways to get as many links as possible.

Google moved away from PageRank being the primary deciding factor for which sites to display first in a search result but some of its principles are still relevant today, i.e. having high-quality links to your site still matters.

I suspect the same will happen here. Keywords will no longer be the primary focus, however many of their principal will still apply.

🆘 How should I prepare my business?

The best way to prepare is to follow the guidelines Google has been giving us for years:

1. Focus on quality content: Create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience.

2. Use natural language: Use natural language in your content, rather than trying to stuff keywords in.

3. Be original: Google's AI will be able to identify duplicate content, so it's important to create original content that stands out from the crowd.

4. Stay relevant: Google's AI will be able to understand the context of your content, so make sure it's relevant to the search terms that users are using.

5. Be timely: Google's AI will be able to understand the freshness of your content, so make sure it's up-to-date.

By following these tips, you can create content that is more likely to rank well in Google's new AI-powered generative search experience.

✨ How do I get access to Google Generative AI Search?

Like most new things in AI, it’s in Beta and there is a waitlist. To sign up for the waitlist go here.

So there you have it, folks. Google's Generative AI Search is going to shake things up, and I for one, can't wait to see where this takes us. The SEO landscape is shifting, but don't be scared. Embrace the change, focus on creating killer content, and you'll ride this wave like a pro.

🚀 Ready to launch your dream company? Refer 1 friend to this newsletter using this link, and once they confirm, we'll send you a copy of "Your Startup Copilot: A Guide to ChatGPT" to streamline your journey from idea to launch. Let's make your startup soar! 🚀 

Tip: To make sure you get the book, refer at least two friends so at least one confirms.

🛠️ AI tools and resources

• Databerry - build a ChatGPT Plugin with your own data in minutes.

• Twelve Labs - describe and search for a moment in a video.

• MidJourney - our go-to tool for creating images for GPT Hacks.

• Synthesia - create custom videos with AI-generated human avatars.

🎁 We just launched an AI Tools Directory with 400+ AI tools you can use to supercharge your growth.

⏮️ Catch up with articles from our archives:

• 🤖 ChatGPT Code Interpreter is a huge deal

• Use ChatGPT for Keyword Research and SEO

• How to create a pitch deck with ChatGPT

• Get ChatGPT to sound like you

• Visit the archives