Generative AI is a powerful tool that simplifies and improves many SEO tasks. Using its capabilities, you can speed up routine work and streamline workflow.
There is an opinion that any AI-generated content is bad because search engines may penalize your website in some way for using AI tools. However, Google clearly states that it rewards high-quality content, however it is produced.
So using AI tools in SEO is totally fine and even recommended, you just need to make sure that you are not creating duplicate or low-quality content.
Let’s look at the SEO tasks where generative AI can be really useful, and where it can do more harm than good.
Tasks where generative AI can be of great help
Writing page titles and meta descriptions. If you give the AI tool precise instructions (prompts), it can generate good options for page titles and descriptions. Some tools can even scan a page and write meta tags without any detailed instructions.
Content optimization. You can use generative AI to identify areas for improvement in existing content. For example, AI tools can check the readability of your content and its overall quality, suggest missing subtopics, etc.
Generative AI may also be helpful in content writing. For example, it can generate content ideas or write article outlines. However, it is important to remember that artificial intelligence cannot replace human creativity and skills.
Writing snippets of code. AI can easily write short snippets of code needed for technical SEO.
For instance, it can generate hreflang attributes and create Schema markup. AI can also write regular expressions (regex) used in Google Search Console for advanced analysis.
Image generation. One of the best features of generative AI is that it can generate not only text but also images and even videos. Tools like Midjourney or Microsoft Designer can create unique and visually appealing images for articles and blog posts.
Text translation. If you publish content in different languages, AI tools can significantly speed up the process of translating your content.
Proofreading. AI tools like Grammarly are very sophisticated at spotting errors in grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation. This can help save you a lot of time, especially if you publish new content frequently.
Tasks where generative AI can show poor results
While generative AI offers many benefits, it’s important to understand its limitations. Here are SEO tasks where generative AI may be inaccurate or produce poor results.
Content creation. Generative AI can produce content, but often it is not original and just rewrites existing content on the web. Additionally, AI-generated content often doesn’t include the experience and expertise that human-written content has. That’s why AI-generated content always requires careful review to ensure it is trustworthy.
Keyword research. AI can generate long lists of potential keywords, but it can’t accurately assess their search volume and search intent. That’s why using “traditional” keyword research tools is still necessary if you want to find good keywords for your SEO campaign.
Improving Core Web Vitals. Optimizing website speed and Core Web Vitals requires technical expertise and an understanding of website performance factors. Although AI can help identify potential areas for improvement, it cannot directly identify factors like poor hosting or a bad server.
Creating an SEO strategy. Developing a good SEO strategy requires a deep understanding of your website, target audience, and your competitors. AI can provide general suggestions, but it cannot replace the strategic thinking of an SEO expert.
How to Use Generative AI Wisely
The following recommendations will help you effectively leverage the power of generative AI to improve your SEO.
- Don’t rely too much on AI. Even the most sophisticated AI tool is just an advanced language model and cannot replace human experience. Use it to speed up your SEO work, but don’t expect it to solve all your problems.
- Provide detailed instructions. The more specific and clear your prompts are, the better the AI can generate accurate outputs.
- Don’t ask to generate long pieces of content. AI is better suited for generating shorter pieces of content, such as titles, meta descriptions, or article outlines.
- Add human experience and expertise to your content. Incorporate your own knowledge to make your content more informative and engaging.
- Always check facts, statements, and recommendations made by generative AI. AI models may have so-called “hallucinations”. This is when AI produces results that appear correct at first glance but are actually misleading. That’s why it’s so important to manually review AI-generated content, especially if it contains financial, medical, or other important advice.
Conclusion
Generative AI is a valuable tool for improving and speeding up SEO work. It can help SEO specialists streamline processes, improve content quality, and simplify routine tasks.
However, to effectively use generative AI in SEO, it is important to know its strengths and weaknesses. AI tools cannot do everything for you, but they can be of great help if you combine them with your own knowledge and experience.