SEO

What Matters In SEO As AI Accelerates Rapid Change

Published

11 months ago

May 29, 2023

What Matters In SEO As AI Accelerates Rapid Change

SEO is, by default, a longer-term digital marketing channel, and this can challenge the patience of SEO professionals – and that of important stakeholders.

Discipline and a high level of knowledge are often needed to see it through to success for companies and their clients.

I can’t understate the importance of being patient, disciplined, and focused right now.

With news emerging weekly about new ways search engines are integrating AI technology and how it will reshape search, SEO pros have a lot to think about.

And we should think about them, and start incorporating AI into our SEO strategies and processes!

But until AI fully takes over the algorithms and search results, we also need to stay focused on what works today – and that’s not a basic or simple checklist of things to do.

Getting our strategies right, aligning with our own goals, knowing our audiences and competitors, and focusing on the top priorities of what matters most right now for our SEO plans is still very much important.

Whether you’re concerned about being able to keep up, what the future of SEO might look like, whether it’s still worth investing in, or just want some perspective on what to do right now, I hope this article helps provide some reassurance.

I will unpack eight things right now to focus on and prioritize as we balance the AI boom with our current environment and reality.

1. Know Your Goals & Objectives

SEO can be a big waste of time and resources if it isn’t guided toward specific goals.

There are so many tactics and things to “do,” but it can all be done in vain if you don’t know what you’re targeting and why you’re doing it.

You can spend less time doing things manually and turn your processes over to AI, but if they are misguided or misaligned with your goal outcomes, then you run the risk of not achieving the results you want.

Whether it is a set of goals tied to conversions, traffic, exposure, or aligned with thought leadership and a customer journey – you want to set goals so you can work toward them in an organized fashion.

2. Have A Set Process & Standard Operating Procedures

If you’re integrating AI deeper into your methodology, you’re now introducing new technology and processes.

Innovation is great, and I support it 100%.

However, you can get loose with processes and practices if you don’t have a set process from which you’re starting.

My team is working on enhancing our standard processes and operating procedures, not just in how we do SEO, but across our entire agency.

We’re utilizing Systemology for this, but there are a number of different ways and approaches.

Regardless of how much you’re adjusting and adapting, if you have a team of more than one, or want to be able to hand off or delegate in the future, you should have things documented and standardized as much as possible.

Plus, you’ll want to have a handle on what’s working and what isn’t.

3. Be Adaptable & Embrace Change

If you’ve been doing SEO for a long time, you know that change is a constant.

From big algorithm or ranking factor updates to ongoing core updates to machine learning being built into the algorithm, changes will occur, and you will inevitably need to pivot – even when you’re firmly established where you want to be in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Even if you’re skeptical or want to take a “wait and see” approach to how AI will truly impact the SERPs and change SEO in the bigger picture and longer term, I encourage you to use AI today to automate processes and leverage those increased abilities to increase efficiencies.

4. Leverage What Works Today

It can be all-consuming to test new things, adapt processes, and engage AI within them.

While my point above encourages such exploration, don’t take your focus too much off of what works today and what the current ranking factors are.

Keep a human, user-first approach when it comes to using AI to generate content.

Yes, you can use multiple AI tools to get a good score, regardless of whether the content was generated by AI or a human.

However, even if you get rankings and traffic to your site, if your goal is conversions or something deeper than that, you may not be hitting the right level of resonance with your audience.

Focus on your user, even if you’re using AI, to ensure that you stand apart from any level of commoditized AI-generated content or low-quality content (even if human-generated) in your industry.

Focus on solid technical, on-page, and off-page ranking factors that are tied to strong SEO strategies and tactics right now.

5. Implement Today With An Eye On The Future

Am I contradicting myself at this point? I don’t think so.

While you focus on what works today, my message and recommendations are all about balance. While you’re implementing your current strategy, you can’t fall behind.

Know how ChatGPT, Bard, and other aspects of AI are being used by search engines and integrated into search results. Develop an understanding of how SERP feature changes are going to influence how we do SEO.

Be ready and willing to adapt and adjust as you go.

We’re definitely in a balancing act right now; Those that don’t adapt will be left behind.

Those that get distracted by the new shiny object today and stop doing what works today will lose ground and momentum.

6. Stay Active & Keep Momentum

A constant since the beginning with SEO is the need to take a long-term and ongoing approach to it.

Sure, you might see a bump from doing a round of optimization tactics.

Yes, you can stop actively working on SEO and might not see an immediate or drastic drop in traffic.

However, my recommendation hasn’t changed: You need to have a plan – phased out, ongoing optimization built into it – and stay the course.

Even if the SERPs change and the things that work today are totally different in SEO next year, you want to keep going and not get lax. Momentum is important in SEO strategies and in getting where you want to be with your goals.

The search engines aren’t the only things changing.

Your marketplace and competitors are extra variables to contend with.

7. Don’t Write Off SEO Easily

SEO has gotten harder in some ways over the past few years.

As the ongoing squeeze of real estate continues at the top of the organic results, we can see high rankings but lower traffic from those.

Looking at my historical Google Search Console data, I can attest to that.

SEO can be hurt by not having the resources – internal or external, soft or hard costs – beyond people with SEO titles to see success. Content is fuel for SEO; Dev, UX, and IT teams all have a part to play.

Your overall marketing strategy and ensuring things work together across multiple marketing channels can provide insights and lifts in SEO.

There are a lot of reasons why SEO doesn’t work.

Don’t silo it and have unfair expectations.

Don’t write it off without fully trying it.

A three-month investment isn’t enough. It takes time and additional resources, but if the return on investment (ROI) math works, it is worth sticking with so you really know whether it can be successful or not for your brand.

8. Keep SEO Integrated With Other Channels & Efforts

Naturally, SEO and paid search have a lot in common, seeking the same audiences and trying to land traffic coming to a SERP.

Other digital and traditional marketing channels that involve content, websites, and customer journey mapping can provide insights and work “with” SEO, versus separately from it.

Don’t set SEO apart from the overall marketing plan and strategy. It can benefit greatly from being plugged in.

And as you work on leveraging new technologies, it can be a testing ground to find areas where previously time-consuming and inefficient processes can be improved.

Conclusion

I’m excited about how technology will improve SEO.

My team is fully testing and already leveraging AI for internal processes and content outputs. We will continue to do this.

However, we’re still in the day-to-day process of optimizing client sites and implementing strategies within what works today to reach goals.

The key to any big change in SEO has always been to balance the here and now versus what is to come.

This might be one of the biggest waves of distraction and disruption we’ve seen, but the need for balance remains – and might also be more important than ever as we rapidly advance tech and AI.

More resources:

Featured Image: Treecha/Shutterstock

Related Topics:accelerates Change Matters Rapid seo

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SEO

Google Further Postpones Third-Party Cookie Deprecation In Chrome

Published

3 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Max

Close-up of a document with a grid and a red stamp that reads "delayed" over the word "status" due to Chrome's deprecation of third-party cookies.

Google has again delayed its plan to phase out third-party cookies in the Chrome web browser. The latest postponement comes after ongoing challenges in reconciling feedback from industry stakeholders and regulators.

The announcement was made in Google and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) joint quarterly report on the Privacy Sandbox initiative, scheduled for release on April 26.

Chrome’s Third-Party Cookie Phaseout Pushed To 2025

Google states it “will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4” this year as planned.

Instead, the tech giant aims to begin deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome “starting early next year,” assuming an agreement can be reached with the CMA and the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The statement reads:

“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem. It’s also critical that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence, including results from industry tests, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June.”

Continued Engagement With Regulators

Google reiterated its commitment to “engaging closely with the CMA and ICO” throughout the process and hopes to conclude discussions this year.

This marks the third delay to Google’s plan to deprecate third-party cookies, initially aiming for a Q3 2023 phaseout before pushing it back to late 2024.

The postponements reflect the challenges in transitioning away from cross-site user tracking while balancing privacy and advertiser interests.

Transition Period & Impact

In January, Chrome began restricting third-party cookie access for 1% of users globally. This percentage was expected to gradually increase until 100% of users were covered by Q3 2024.

However, the latest delay gives websites and services more time to migrate away from third-party cookie dependencies through Google’s limited “deprecation trials” program.

The trials offer temporary cookie access extensions until December 27, 2024, for non-advertising use cases that can demonstrate direct user impact and functional breakage.

While easing the transition, the trials have strict eligibility rules. Advertising-related services are ineligible, and origins matching known ad-related domains are rejected.

Google states the program aims to address functional issues rather than relieve general data collection inconveniences.

Publisher & Advertiser Implications

The repeated delays highlight the potential disruption for digital publishers and advertisers relying on third-party cookie tracking.

Industry groups have raised concerns that restricting cross-site tracking could push websites toward more opaque privacy-invasive practices.

However, privacy advocates view the phaseout as crucial in preventing covert user profiling across the web.

With the latest postponement, all parties have more time to prepare for the eventual loss of third-party cookies and adopt Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox APIs as replacements.

Featured Image: Novikov Aleksey/Shutterstock

SEO

How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results

Published

22 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Max

How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results

ChatGPT is a game changer in the field of SEO. This powerful language model can generate human-like content, making it an invaluable tool for SEO professionals.

However, the prompts you provide largely determine the quality of the output.

To unlock the full potential of ChatGPT and create content that resonates with your audience and search engines, writing effective prompts is crucial.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the art of writing prompts for ChatGPT, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced strategies for layering prompts and generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content.

Writing Prompts For ChatGPT

What Is A ChatGPT Prompt?

A ChatGPT prompt is an instruction or discussion topic a user provides for the ChatGPT AI model to respond to.

The prompt can be a question, statement, or any other stimulus to spark creativity, reflection, or engagement.

Users can use the prompt to generate ideas, share their thoughts, or start a conversation.

ChatGPT prompts are designed to be open-ended and can be customized based on the user’s preferences and interests.

How To Write Prompts For ChatGPT

Start by giving ChatGPT a writing prompt, such as, “Write a short story about a person who discovers they have a superpower.”

ChatGPT will then generate a response based on your prompt. Depending on the prompt’s complexity and the level of detail you requested, the answer may be a few sentences or several paragraphs long.

Use the ChatGPT-generated response as a starting point for your writing. You can take the ideas and concepts presented in the answer and expand upon them, adding your own unique spin to the story.

If you want to generate additional ideas, try asking ChatGPT follow-up questions related to your original prompt.

For example, you could ask, “What challenges might the person face in exploring their newfound superpower?” Or, “How might the person’s relationships with others be affected by their superpower?”

Remember that ChatGPT’s answers are generated by artificial intelligence and may not always be perfect or exactly what you want.

However, they can still be a great source of inspiration and help you start writing.

Must-Have GPTs Assistant

I recommend installing the WebBrowser Assistant created by the OpenAI Team. This tool allows you to add relevant Bing results to your ChatGPT prompts.

This assistant adds the first web results to your ChatGPT prompts for more accurate and up-to-date conversations.

It is very easy to install in only two clicks. (Click on Start Chat.)

Screenshot from ChatGPT, April 2024

For example, if I ask, “Who is Vincent Terrasi?,” ChatGPT has no answer.

With WebBrower Assistant, the assistant creates a new prompt with the first Bing results, and now ChatGPT knows who Vincent Terrasi is.

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

You can test other GPT assistants available in the GPTs search engine if you want to use Google results.

Master Reverse Prompt Engineering

ChatGPT can be an excellent tool for reverse engineering prompts because it generates natural and engaging responses to any given input.

By analyzing the prompts generated by ChatGPT, it is possible to gain insight into the model’s underlying thought processes and decision-making strategies.

One key benefit of using ChatGPT to reverse engineer prompts is that the model is highly transparent in its decision-making.

This means that the reasoning and logic behind each response can be traced, making it easier to understand how the model arrives at its conclusions.

Once you’ve done this a few times for different types of content, you’ll gain insight into crafting more effective prompts.

Prepare Your ChatGPT For Generating Prompts

First, activate the reverse prompt engineering.

Type the following prompt: “Enable Reverse Prompt Engineering? By Reverse Prompt Engineering I mean creating a prompt from a given text.”

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

ChatGPT is now ready to generate your prompt. You can test the product description in a new chatbot session and evaluate the generated prompt.

Type: “Create a very technical reverse prompt engineering template for a product description about iPhone 11.”

Reverse Prompt engineering via WebChatGPT

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

The result is amazing. You can test with a full text that you want to reproduce. Here is an example of a prompt for selling a Kindle on Amazon.

Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {product), capture the writing style and the length of the text :
product =”

Reverse prompt engineering: Amazon product

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

I tested it on an SEJ blog post. Enjoy the analysis – it is excellent.

Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {text}, capture the tone and writing style of the {text} to include in the prompt :
text = all text coming from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-bard-training-data/478941/”

Reverse prompt engineering an SEJ blog post

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

But be careful not to use ChatGPT to generate your texts. It is just a personal assistant.

Go Deeper

Prompts and examples for SEO:

Keyword research and content ideas prompt: “Provide a list of 20 long-tail keyword ideas related to ‘local SEO strategies’ along with brief content topic descriptions for each keyword.”
Optimizing content for featured snippets prompt: “Write a 40-50 word paragraph optimized for the query ‘what is the featured snippet in Google search’ that could potentially earn the featured snippet.”
Creating meta descriptions prompt: “Draft a compelling meta description for the following blog post title: ’10 Technical SEO Factors You Can’t Ignore in 2024′.”

Important Considerations:

Always Fact-Check: While ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, it’s crucial to remember that it may generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Always verify any facts, statistics, or quotes generated by ChatGPT before incorporating them into your content.
Maintain Control and Creativity: Use ChatGPT as a tool to assist your writing, not replace it. Don’t rely on it to do your thinking or create content from scratch. Your unique perspective and creativity are essential for producing high-quality, engaging content.
Iteration is Key: Refine and revise the outputs generated by ChatGPT to ensure they align with your voice, style, and intended message.

Additional Prompts for Rewording and SEO:
– Rewrite this sentence to be more concise and impactful.
– Suggest alternative phrasing for this section to improve clarity.
– Identify opportunities to incorporate relevant internal and external links.
– Analyze the keyword density and suggest improvements for better SEO.

Remember, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool, it’s essential to use it responsibly and maintain control over your content creation process.

Experiment And Refine Your Prompting Techniques

Writing effective prompts for ChatGPT is an essential skill for any SEO professional who wants to harness the power of AI-generated content.

Hopefully, the insights and examples shared in this article can inspire you and help guide you to crafting stronger prompts that yield high-quality content.

Remember to experiment with layering prompts, iterating on the output, and continually refining your prompting techniques.

This will help you stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of SEO.

More resources:

Featured Image: Tapati Rinchumrus/Shutterstock

SEO

Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2024

Max

Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey

Understanding the impact of your content at every touchpoint of the customer journey is essential – but that’s easier said than done. From attracting potential leads to nurturing them into loyal customers, there are many touchpoints to look into.

So how do you identify and take advantage of these opportunities for growth?

Watch this on-demand webinar and learn a comprehensive approach for measuring the value of your content initiatives, so you can optimize resource allocation for maximum impact.

You’ll learn:

Fresh methods for measuring your content’s impact.
Fascinating insights using first-touch attribution, and how it differs from the usual last-touch perspective.
Ways to persuade decision-makers to invest in more content by showcasing its value convincingly.

With Bill Franklin and Oliver Tani of DAC Group, we unravel the nuances of attribution modeling, emphasizing the significance of layering first-touch and last-touch attribution within your measurement strategy.

Check out these insights to help you craft compelling content tailored to each stage, using an approach rooted in first-hand experience to ensure your content resonates.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or new to content measurement, this webinar promises valuable insights and actionable tactics to elevate your SEO game and optimize your content initiatives for success.

View the slides below or check out the full webinar for all the details.