Is AI Replacing SEO in 2023?

January 4, 2023

Let’s talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and whether or not our jobs as SEO professionals and content marketing professionals are in jeopardy.

Are the bots taking over?

I don’t think so, and here’s why.

Our job is to project and amplify the expertise of our clients. That expertise often goes against what is commonly accepted as “truth” in any given industry.

When 99 percent of your industry is saying the sky is green and you are the lone voice who can explain why the sky is blue, your SEO and content marketing program should clearly articulate your position, win over your audience, build trust and grow your share of voice.

Those AI bots? They do exactly what crappy SEO copywriters have been doing for at least ten years: They scrape page one of Google results and regurgitate what they find there.

And if you’re an expert in a given subject, you know that what ranks on page one is often misleading or flat-out wrong.

So how do we reconcile the “garbage in, garbage out” nature of AI tools like GPT3 and ChatGPT (GPT3.5)? So how do we effectively use AI copywriting tools like Jasper.ai and Clearscope (in the video I said “Copyscape”—my bad!).

Expert-Driven Perspectives Will Rise Above The Fray

Remember: It takes expertise to stand apart. It takes the intellectual ability to discern the truth from the crap. These AI tools are excellent at producing outlines and content briefs, because they can inform us as content marketing pros what Google expects to see from a given piece of content before ranking it for a given keywords.

Use that outline to know how to structure your header tags. H2 tags are great for addressing specific themes that pertain (in Google’s eyes) to your topic. Even if you (the expert) know that a certain theme doesn’t really need to be there, it might be a good idea to try to address why most of the other “experts” get it wrong. Remember: You’re trying to keep Google’s bots happy!

Is SEO Relevant in 2023?

I’ve created and executed successful SEO for local, national and global technology brands. If you can use me, let’s talk about what you’re working on. I bring: – Expertise in search marketing strategy, team-building and execution (including topic and keyword research and competitive analysis) – Expertise in SEO setups, audits and technical remediation – A journalism degree and a long history in content marketing Currently I’m advising on all things SEO for Boston Consulting Group’s digital division. Let’s talk! I’m at marshall@theaustineditor.com

As always, hit me up if you have any ideas for future topics.