Before answering if AI killed SEO – is SEO actually dead? From where I sit (20+ years as an SEO expert), SEO is not dead and hasn’t gone anywhere. I regularly receive new leads from people that found me in Organic Google.
It could very well be dead for you, meaning you don’t drive traffic from Organic Google and all your traffic comes from social media. Cool. But both of our businesses should diversify and not put all of our eggs in a single basket (remember that time that Meta was down for several hours?). My website has also been down, so we are even 🙂 But choosing not to put effort into SEO does not equate to SEO being dead.
Is Google SGE Going to Kill SEO?
Now this is an intelligent question 😉 I say that because I also wondered if AI would kill my Search Engine Optimization business. Quick answer is not today and I don’t know what 5 years from now looks like!
We’ve established already that SEO is far from dead and the future of SEO in 2024 remains bright. Despite the constant changes in Google’s search algorithm and the rise of new technologies like Google’s Search Generative Experience, SEO experts understand that SEO is still alive and kicking. The SEO industry is constantly evolving with new SEO trends such as search intent, content strategy, and local SEO to help websites rank higher in search engine results. While there may be those who say that SEO is dead, the majority of SEOs and digital marketers think SEO is far from dead.
SEO in 2024 will certainly look different, but it will continue to be an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. On-page SEO and creating authoritative content that answers searcher questions and ranks for featured snippets will still be important tactics in the world of SEO. Despite Google’s Search Generative Experience, SEO will not die anytime soon, and people are still using search to find information online.
Will SGE Replace Traditional SEO
SEO will evolve but it’s not going anywhere. And that constant change is what keeps this ADHDer in the industry for over 20 years!
A marketer won’t be able to just “optimize pages” and call it SEO, especially since SGE focuses on quality content. They will have to understand the client’s business well enough to recommend and implement changes that demonstrate expertise, experience, authority and trustworthiness.
If we are lucky, SGE will encourage better quality SEO as opposed to chat-GPT article spam (though I have at least some lingering doubts about this)
In the SGE era, understanding user intent is crucial. Gone are the days of obsessing over specific keywords and stuffing them into the content. Instead, there is a need to focus on understanding what users are trying to achieve with their searches. Are they looking for information, trying to make a purchase, or seeking guidance? Aligning content with user intent, not only improves the chances of appearing in relevant search results but also enhance the overall user experience.
Matching user intent to content is done by conducting thorough keyword research to uncover the queries the target audience is using and then creating content to address those queries and provide valuable insights or solutions.
Using a tool such as Neuron Writer is really helpful for understanding if your content is “better” from an SEO perspective than the competition and ChatGPT can help determine if the content is helpful and possesses EEAT.
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SEO Strategies That Still Work
With the introduction of SGE, Google appears to be focusing more on answers, rather than a list of links. This means that your content needs to anticipate the questions searchers will ask and ensure that these questions are answered in the content. Will Kode coined a new phrase for what SEO content creation looks like in 2024: AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization). It resonates 🙂
Recipe for SGE Success:
+ fast loading website
+ high volume of incoming links
+ EEAT content focused on meeting user needs
Leveraging structured data and schema markup
From articles and recipes to events and products, there’s a schema markup for almost everything. Start with schema for organization and/or person then expand into other relevant areas such as products or events.
Building a strong brand presence across multiple platforms
Publishing on your own website is great but try to also get published or listed on other websites or directories. In the health field, Psychology Today or Rate my MD are valuable sites not just for their backlinks but their opportunity to drive traffic.
Make your content worthy of sharing and share it far and wide on your social media platforms. Encourage your visitors to further share.
Readying your Business for the New SEO (AIO)
Check out some previous blog posts about the basics of Search Generative Experience (SGE shall we call it Artificial Intelligence Optimization AIO?).
Frequently Asked Questions
Will SEO exist in 5 years?
I’m not a fortune teller but based on 20 years of experience, SEO will continually evolve and you’ll want to work with an SEO that stays on top of these changes. What will die is lazy people who just hit run on the AI tool and copy and paste the output without refining it (for instance, the tool I am using to write this post stated that Google uses ChatGPT – that is not true and publishing that sort of misinformation will negatively impact my trustworthiness and therefore EEAT score.
Will AI replace SEO?
AI is great for workflow and is also being used to display Search Engine Results. It’s in it’s infancy so who knows but we’ll still need people who understand what it takes to have the greatest possible visibility in Google or other platforms where people search (Tiktok is growing as a search engine!). AI should definitely be part of the workflow for an SEO already today but critical thinking needs to be combined with these tools.
Is Google deprioritizing content they think is made with AI?
Google deprioritizes content that it deems unhelpful or non trustworthy. That content could be written by a human or AI. So AI provided content that answers users questions and is thorough on a topic and has backlinks should perform well. User created content that is almost identical to other sites and does not have any external backlinks is the least likely content to succeed. So it’s not whether the content is AI generated or not – it’s where the content is of quality.
- About the Author
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Darlene is a search marketer, analyst, speaker, trainer, and owner of DriveTraffic Digital Marketing. She has been working in the digital marketing industry since the mid 90s and has narrowed her specialty to SEO, Google Ads and Google Analytics. She is especially interested in Google’s new Search Generative Experience and how businesses will need to adapt to remain visible. Want to see how DriveTraffic can help? Let’s chat!
