For quite some time now, SEO strategies have remained relatively unchanged. While there have definitely been some larger shifts in priorities when optimizing websites and their content to improve visibility on SERPs, the core fundamentals of SEO have always remained the same.
However, with the introduction of AI technology in nearly every industry, things are starting to evolve even faster. Search engines are becoming much more feature-heavy, introducing AI-enabled solutions that create more engaging experiences for their users. This includes new additions like Google’s AI Overviews that provide users with quickly accessible answers to their queries without requiring them to click through multiple links to find them.
From a business standpoint, these changes have introduced a new set of marketing challenges, especially regarding their overall visibility on search engines and the organic traffic they generate.
How Search Engine Algorithms are Evolving
Historically, search engines used relatively basic algorithms to rank websites on SERPs. This involved primarily using keyword matching across webpages to tie them closely with the same terms or phrases users entered into their queries. However, this was quickly capitalized on by blog owners and companies that would game the ranking system by stuffing their content with irrelevant content to climb SERP rankings more quickly.
To address this issue over the years, Google introduced several system-breaking algorithm updates designed to curb spammy SEO tactics. These updates penalized site owners who overoptimized their websites while rewarding those who focused on providing better experiences for their visitors.
However, since the 2018 release of Google’s BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) AI language model, the way search engines crawl and index websites has changed considerably.
AI-powered search algorithms don’t just focus on keyword densities or exact match phrasing. Now, they use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms that recognize the nuances of user queries, focusing more on the search context instead of simply executing word-for-word site matching.
The Impact That AI Is Having on SEO
With AI-powered search results becoming much more common, businesses should consider the various impacts they can have on their traditional SEO campaigns. Below are some of the different ways AI is evolving SEO management.
Switching from Keyword Focus to Search Intent
AI search tools are designed to try to provide the most accurate results based on the types of queries or commands users provide. To do this, they apply certain processes that break down requests to understand the user’s intent behind each query.
Instead of only using keyword matching, AI platforms will attempt to recognize the purpose of each user interaction and provide generated results that match that purpose as closely as possible. This means that for site owners, focusing on specific keywords is becoming less and less impactful for improving search visibility.
Prioritizing Topical Authority
One element AI search tools use when sourcing references for their generated responses is topical authority. This means web content needs to be more in-depth and relevant instead of just containing basic surface-level answers to questions.
Search engines want to ensure that the content they provide to users comes from a reliable, trustworthy source. This authority also makes it easier for AI tools to expand on the answers they provide when asked to dig deeper on specific topics.
Increased Importance of Google E-E-A-T
In recent years, Google has updated its SEO guidelines, emphasizing the importance of site owners establishing E-E-A-T when creating new content. This acronym stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, and it is used to gauge whether or not the information will likely provide real value to users.
AI-powered search tools and AI Overviews are also using these guidelines to decide which websites to source when providing direct responses to users. Understanding and following E-E-A-T guidelines is becoming increasingly important for businesses that want to increase the likelihood of their websites being referenced in these tools.
Effective Strategies for Future-Proofing Your SEO Efforts
With AI-powered search algorithms continuing to improve and adapt over time, it’s vital that businesses follow effective strategies to help future-proof their SEO efforts. Below are some impactful steps you can take to ensure your online visibility and organic traffic aren’t negatively impacted by these changes:
Use More Conversational Language in Your Content
Most people have some level of experience using virtual assistants on their smartphones or home speakers. These solutions make it easy for users to find helpful information without needing to type anything into Google.
The underlying technology that makes these devices work is conversational AI. This feature makes it possible for these tools to turn natural language into specific search commands used to provide relevant results. For businesses, ensuring web content is structured in a natural way that doesn’t sound overly robotic is an important way to get noticed by AI search algorithms.
Instead of focusing more on keyword placements, try to cover various topics in a way that’s easy to understand and that provides definite answers to specific questions.
Make Use of Structured Data
Using structured data across your website is a great way to help categorize your content so it’s easier for search engines and AI tools to reference. Also known as “schema markup,” structured data essentially creates labels for your content like “step-by-step guides,” “recipes,” “lists,” or “reviews.”
When adding structured data to your web content and HTML, it makes it more likely that your content can be served as rich snippets on the first page of Google SERPs and within AI Overviews. This can make it much more likely that you’ll see increased click-through rates and that your site will get referenced directly on AI-powered answer engines.
Review the Crawlability of Your Site
Although spending time creating a great-looking website with a lot of helpful information can help improve your visibility online, simply loading your site with content isn’t enough to get featured on AI search summaries. You’ll also need to make sure that you structure your content in a way that crawlers and AI systems can recognize.
One way to do this is to focus on using clear content structures, including heading tags (H1-H6), tables of contents, and bulleted sections. It’s also a good practice to include an FAQ section for applicable web pages. This can help you add some additional conversational elements to your site that are commonly referenced by AI tools.
Provide Deeper Coverage of Industry Topics
The more you’re able to associate your web content with industry expertise, the more it will be trusted by search engine algorithms when referencing it to users. To achieve this level of credibility, it’s crucial to provide more comprehensive coverage on different topics and prove that you’re an authority on specific niche discussions.
Creating multiple pillars and clustering content pages is a good way to achieve this. This involves developing one comprehensive page on a specific topic while linking to numerous other subtopic pages closely related to the main discussion point. This way, when AI tools come across your site, they’ll see that you have a broad range of supporting information on a singular topic, making it more likely that the content is flagged as authoritative.
Build a Stronger SEO Foundation
As technology continues to evolve and search engines like Google look for new ways to improve user experiences, AI-powered features will only become more important. By following the strategies discussed, you’ll ensure that your site is optimized for improved visibility with AI Overviews and other AI search tools while future-proofing your SEO efforts.
