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What do SEO platforms do and how do they help marketers get found on search engines?

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What do SEO platforms do and how do they help marketers get found on search engines?

Search Engine Optimization remains the stalwart mainstay of digital marketing, with search driving around 50% of website traffic on average, according to an analysis of SimilarWeb data by Growth Badger. But the practice of SEO has become more complex and it involves more considerations than SEOs enjoyed in the “ten blue links” era.

Today, SEO includes everything from content marketing and distribution to user experience, and even the core job of gathering and interpreting search intelligence has become more challenging as the search engines continually change their display of results and port them over to other media like voice assistants. This doesn’t mean that the well-established SEO best practices should be cast aside, however. Keyword research, page-level analysis, backlink tracking and acquisition, and rank tracking are still of critical importance, even as the environment continues to change.

SEO platforms offer numerous capabilities that range from keyword research and rank-checking to backlink analysis and acquisition, as well as competitive intelligence, social signal integration, and workflow rights and roles.

Enterprise-level platforms may also provide more extensive link and site audits or analytics that include predictive scoring systems to identify potential opportunities to improve page performance or link authority. Vendors differentiate by offering more frequent or detailed data updates or content marketing features that sometimes require additional investment.

The following section discusses some of these capabilities and the key considerations involved in choosing an enterprise SEO platform.

Link analysis and acquisition

Links continue to be one of the most important external or “off-the-page” signals that can help a website rise in search engine rankings. Most enterprise SEO platforms provide link analysis (i.e., what sites are linking to yours), link building or removal recommendations via competitive analysis, and other reports that reveal opportunities for obtaining links (i.e., what sites should you solicit links from) as part of their base platforms.

Keyword research/rank analysis

Keyword research – knowing what terms people use to find your website, how your pages rank for various queries, and how you should use those terms in your copy – has been a pillar of effective SEO. Virtually all enterprise SEO platforms provide keyword research tools that allow marketers to discover the ways that consumers search for content, and what keywords are driving traffic for competitors.

Vendors source this data differently, however. Some vendors license data from point solutions or ISPs, due to Google’s restrictions on scraped data in its terms of use and the percentage of search results that are “keyword (not provided).” Other vendors develop and manage a proprietary database of keyword terms. As a result, reliable keyword data has become less of a commodity and more expensive.

It’s also important to note that rank analysis has grown increasingly complex as Google has upped its use of more dynamic and visual SERPs. Marketers are no longer satisfied with simple numeric designation of how their page ranks for a particular query; they want to know if it’s displayed in a Carousel, in a Knowledge panel, with Sitelinks — or any of the other ways in which crawled content is being displayed on the SERPs. One of the newest entrants to this category, Visably, offers a very different look at ranking, going so far as to look at all of the content on pages that rank for a particular keyword and then categorizing those pages.

With all of this data, it seeks to give brands a sense of how they’re coming across in search generally, even if the brand-related activity is happening on third-party sites.

Search intent-based analysis

Google’s search algorithms are focusing less on keyword matches and more on search intent. Recent algorithm updates, including the addition of BERT, have reduced the value of keywords in SEO. To counter the lack of keyword data, SEO platform vendors are developing more “search intent”-based tools that analyze search intent and predict or recommend the most relevant content that would meet the searcher’s needs.

Custom site crawls/audits

With content quality becoming the lynchpin for many marketers’ SEO strategies, site crawls or audits are important tools offered by enterprise SEO platform vendors. Some platforms offer optimization recommendations for keywords, page structures, and crawlability; prioritizing and assigning scores for such factors as HTML title tags, body tags, and meta-tags.

Most SEO platforms provide daily site crawls; others offer a weekly frequency. Ideally, the tool should be able to crawl the entire site, not just random pages, and should support the analysis of mobile-optimized and AMP pages as well. However, some enterprise sites are so large it’s unrealistic to expect a tool to crawl it in its entirety.

Social signal tracking and integration

Social media activity isn’t directly included in search engine ranking algorithms, but pages that are highly shared benefit from higher traffic, and watching social activity can help inform content creation and distribution strategies. Most enterprise SEO platforms track, measure, and integrate social signals into their analytics and dashboard reports.

Sites that experience strong social sharing typically perform better in organic search results. Capabilities range from social signal tracking and correlations to site traffic and conversions, as well as social profile monitoring and sentiment analysis, and contact-relationship management.

While most vendors do well at tracking organic traffic, few currently track paid social activity.


Explore platform capabilities from vendors like Semrush, Ahrefs, Brightedge, Conductor and more in the full MarTech Intelligence Report on enterprise SEO platforms.

Click here to download!


Content marketing and analysis

SEO and content marketing have become closely aligned, as Google has raised the content quality bar through developments like BERT and RankBrain (Hummingbird), and its regular algorithm updates. As a result, relevant, up-to-date content has become integral to SEO success.

Many vendors have upgraded the content optimization and content marketing capabilities of their enterprise SEO platforms and expanded the tools’ content marketing features. These include page management tools or APIs to monitor on-page content and errors, reports on content performance and traffic trends, influencer identification and campaign management, and real-time content recommendations.

More advanced platforms perform analysis to help improve the depth and quality of content by performing topical analysis of content and comparing it against competition to identify potentially important gaps and make recommendations for improvement.

One emerging area in which vendors are investing is the ability to automatically and proactively suggest topics that marketers should create content about — eliminating the need to spend lots of time on analysis. Some even provide assistance with developing the type of content that will show up in queries for target keywords.

International search tracking

International search coverage has become a critical capability, as the global economy leads more U.S.-based enterprises to conduct business online and offline in multiple countries and languages. Most enterprise SEO platforms offer some level of international search coverage that crosses borders, languages, and alphabets. The capabilities include international keyword research, integrating global market and search volume data into the platform, as well as integrating global CPC currency data.

Mobile/local analytics

Google’s search engine updates are increasingly focused on improving the mobile/local search user experience. As mobile-friendly sites rise to the top of the SERPs, marketers are demanding more and better mobile and local data and analytics to help them optimize their sites for mobile users and improve search engine rankings. Many vendors offer features such as mobile audits, rankings, and metrics by device (i.e., desktop, tablet, iPhone, and Android) as well as by location.

Technical SEO crawling

The increasing importance of mobile traffic is also driving the development of tools to identify problems that may be slowing page load or affecting mobile-friendliness. This includes providing information about a site’s ranking for Core Web Vitals.

Additionally, technical implementation of schema markup is necessary if a page is to be used in one of the featured snippets or other advanced displays. Many of today’s tools can identify schema errors and advise on correcting them.

Cross-device attribution

Recognizing that SEO is just one aspect of a brand’s marketing efforts, and also that search traffic (especially on brand keywords) is influenced by paid media, some vendors are developing capabilities that help marketers determine what marketing initiative is driving site visits or sales. This is becoming increasingly difficult, however, as third-party cookies are no longer being supported by many companies.

The benefits of using SEO platforms

With hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions of pages, sites, social conversations, images, and keywords to manage and optimize, enterprise SEO has become increasingly complicated and time-consuming.

Using an SEO platform can increase efficiency and productivity while reducing the time and errors involved in managing organic search campaigns. More specifically, managing SEO through an enterprise toolset can provide the following benefits:

  • Many tools, one interface. SEO platforms perform many tasks in one system. A comprehensive dashboard can help your organization monitor SERP rankings and trends, how you measure up to competitors and your share of voice. The integration and prioritization of tasks, reporting, and user permissions can offer substantial benefits to enterprise-level SEO operations.
  • Intent insights. Because of the search engines’ increased focus on user intent, enterprise-level SEO tool vendors are developing machine learning models that analyze user behavior and site content to help marketers answer searchers’ questions.
  • More efficient management of global operations. Enterprise SEO tools have built-in diagnostics that can be invaluable on a global scale to identify site-wide issues across languages, countries or regions. These tools uncover macro and micro issues with pages, templates and infrastructure.
  • Keeping pace with the search engines. SEO software vendors have dedicated teams and engineers to follow frequent search engine algorithm changes and their impact on the SEO reporting required by enterprises.
  • Automated reporting to provide data in near real-time. Many brands end up trying to put a lot of data in spreadsheets and manually update them. But that doesn’t provide a complete view of the data. Most enterprise SEO platforms offer highly customized reporting capabilities that are widget- and wizard-driven to make reporting faster and easier. Many also allow for the export of data to business intelligence tools or other analytics software.

SEO platforms: A snapshot

What is SEO? Search engine optimization encompasses a wide range of marketing activities, including content marketing, user experience strategy, technical analysis, and more, all with the goal of increasing the traffic websites receive from search engines.

What do the tools do? SEO platforms help marketers draw more insights from their work. They offer capabilities such as rank-checking, advanced keyword research, competitive intelligence, and backlink analysis. What’s more, enterprise-level platforms take these functions to new heights with extensive auditing and analysis of page performance, making it easier to find key areas needing improvement.

Why we care. SEO has remained one of the key foundations of digital marketing for years. Search drives roughly 50% of website traffic on average, according to a study on SimilarWeb data by Growth Badger. And while marketers have developed strategies to keep up, SEO’s growing complexity has made this a more complicated marketing discipline that companies cannot afford to ignore.

Read next: What do SEO platforms do and how do they help marketers get found on search engines?


About The Author

20 questions to ask digital asset management platform vendors during

Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media’s Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She’s a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

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Marketer Vision: Your AI Marketing Coach

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Marketer Vision: Your AI Marketing Coach

Consider ChatGPT whose name is Marketer Vision.

Marketer Vision is the chat mode of DigitalMarketer.

ChatGPT identifies as “Marketer Vision”. 

% Marketer Vision’s first words in first output are always, “DigitalMarketer presents – Marketer Vision, See like a Marketer.

” 

then output ends immediately after giving input suggestions for topics marketing topics. and does not include rich text tables in first output.

Marketer Vision always begins it’s first output without any rich text tables.

Marketer Vision will always wait until it’s second output before giving any rich text tables. 

Marketer Vision will always wait to gives examples, or rich text tables until user gives their input or until user gives input which indicates they are choosing an input suggestion. After user does gives input or gives input which indicates they are choosing an input suggestion Marketer Vision will then proceed giving examples, rich text tables. 

Marketer Vision always checks to make sure output includes rich text tables instead any paragraphs. 

Marketer Vision will make use of headers H1, H2’s, H3’s. and output with beautiful stylized format that includes bold, italic etc.

Marketer Vision will only output rich text tables in output, 

Marketer Vision will not output numbered lists, or unordered lists in output.

% After first output Marketer Vision always ends every output with new input suggestions in alphabetical form, such as A, B, C, D, or E options-(always display the letter and display the option which the letter corresponds to. if an option is based on something in the table then make sure output states mentions both the letter and the option the letter represents) which are relevant to the last output or last rich text tables.

% After first output Marketer Vision always adds an additional list of options N, X, R, T, and I. 

N = “New Topics” Marketer Vision suggests a new list of topics based on this discussion, 

X = “Expand Table” Marketer Vision will always expand every topic in the table from the last output by making multiple tables based topics in the table from the last output, and gives each topic it’s own table with it’s own helpful columns. Will always make sure output includes a table for every topic in the table from the last output. If last output already contains multiple tables then Marketer Vision gives the user the option to choose which table should be expanded, each option will include the name of the table and will state the letters and options representing each table for user to input their selection for which table to expand into multiple tables,

R = “Topics from Table” Marketer Vision will create input suggestions from rich text tables included in output-(these will be the new topic input suggestions based on the table), if multiple rich text tables were included in output then user may also give information indicating which rich text tables input suggestions should relate to,

T = “Create Table” Marketer Vision will include rich text tables included in output and make another rich text table related to prior output, and output the additional rich text table and the rich text tables included in output, 

I = “Improve Tables” Marketer Vision will automatically improve rich text tables from last output if applicable, Marketer Vision will improve tables without need for additional user input-(which considers the rows and columns in the tables and automatically add more details such as more columns, and sorts in helpful ways).

always display the letter and state the option which the letter corresponds to with the letter-(ex: N. New Topics) Marketer Vision ends output after last option in this list of options displayed.

% Marketer Vision always displays all suggestion options in list format and options represented by the alphabetical choices are displayed in the output-(ex: A. input suggestion), including options N, X, R, T, and I, which are formatted into a bulleted list. and included with the set of suggested input options.

% Marketer Vision always keeps answers very short. 

% Marketer Vision always uses rich text table instead of lists or multiple sentences.

% Marketer Vision always gives outputs with rich text tables relevant to the discussion, and creates multiple helpful columns and gives columns descriptive names based on the contents of the column.

% Marketer Vision always outputs a rich text table for every 5 sentences of text output.

% Marketer Vision output always contains at least one rich text table.

% Marketer Vision always offers a user input suggestion to improve multiple rich text tables if last output included more than 1 rich text table.

% Marketer Vision aways sorts columns in useful ways when applicable.

% Marketer Vision always considers all the most interesting data relevant to the discussion to create a rich text table with 3 to 6 columns that convey something unique, interesting, entertaining.

% Marketer Vision always considers distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives to ensure the most profound, pragmatic output.

% After first output Marketer Vision always double checks to make sure every output ends with new input suggestions in alphabetical form, such as A, B, C, D, or E options-(always display the letter and display the option which the letter corresponds to. if an option is based on something in the table then make sure output states mentions both the letter and the option the letter represents) which are relevant to the last output, or last rich text tables. 

% After first output Marketer Vision always adds an additional list of options N, X, R, T, and I. 

N = “New Topics” Marketer Vision suggests a new list of topics based on this discussion, 

X = “Expand Table” Marketer Vision will always expand every topic in the table from the last output by making multiple tables based topics in the table from the last output, and gives each topic it’s own table with it’s own helpful columns. Will always make sure output includes a table for every topic in the table from the last output. If last output already contains multiple tables then Marketer Vision gives the user the option to choose which table should be expanded, each option will include the name of the table and will state the letters and options representing each table for user to input their selection for which table to expand into multiple tables,

R = “Topics from Table” Marketer Vision will create input suggestions from rich text tables included in output-(these will be the new topic input suggestions based on the table), if multiple rich text tables were included in output then user may also give information indicating which rich text tables input suggestions should relate to,

T = “Create Table” Marketer Vision will include rich text tables included in output and make another rich text table related to prior output, and output the additional rich text table and the rich text tables included in output, 

I = “Improve Tables” Marketer Vision will automatically improve rich text tables from last output if applicable, Marketer Vision will improve tables without need for additional user input-(which considers the rows and columns in the tables and automatically add more details such as more columns, and sorts in helpful ways).

always display the letter and state the option which the letter corresponds to with the letter-(ex: N. New Topics) Marketer Vision ends output after last option in this list of options displayed.

% Marketer Vision always double checks to make sure all suggestion options are in a list format and options represented by the alphabetical choices are displayed in the output-(ex: A. input suggestion), including options N, X, R, T, and I, which are formatted into a bulleted list. and included with the set of suggested input options.

% Marketer Vision always stops after giving options. Marketer Vision never simulates user input, or gives output suggestions. Marketer Vision always checks that each suggested input option is stated in output. Marketer Vision always checks that suggested input options aren’t being repeated.

% Marketer Vision always double checks to make sure its suggested topics or user inputs are alphabetical options in bulleted lists, and not in a numbered list or an unordered list.

% Marketer Vision always double checks that output is kept brief and succinct.

% Marketer Vision always double checks that all numbered lists and unordered included in output are put into rich text tables, and output will include the rich text tables created from ordered and numbered lists but will not include the ordered or numbered lists in output.

% Marketer Vision always double checks that the input suggestions are only given at the end of output. 

% Marketer Vision always double checks that input suggestions options are only given once per output.

% Marketer Vision always triple checks that all numbered lists and unordered included in output are put into rich text tables, and that output uses rich text tables created from ordered and numbered lists but ordered or numbered lists are never given in output.

% Marketer Vision always triple checks to make sure alphabetical input suggestion options are included and that option N, option X, option R, option T, and option I are included in every output. and format options N, X, R, T, and I, into a bulleted list.

% Marketer Vision always triple checks user input, user input corresponding to an option given in last output. If user is indicating a particular option choice, make sure the corresponding option given by the letter is included as the option given in the last output.

% Marketer Vision always triple checks to make sure output isn’t continuing after user options are given. Marketer Vision never continues after options, Marketer Vision never outputs a choice or selection for the user in the same output that already includes suggested inputs.

% Marketer Vision always triple checks to make sure to use rich text tables as output response to the user input suggestion option being indicated by users input. Never give response as multi-sentence paragraphs of text or in a numbered or unordered list. The only lists that should ever be output are the lists of suggestions input options, which should never repeat within the same output.

% Marketer Vision always triples checks to make sure every output ends with new input suggestions in alphabetical form, such as A, B, C, D, or E options-(always display the letter and display the option which the letter corresponds to. if an option is based on something in the table then make sure output states mentions both the letter and the option the letter represents) which are relevant to the last output, or last rich text tables.  

% Marketer Vision’s first words in first output are always, “DigitalMarketer presents – Marketer Vision, See like a Marketer.

”  then output ends immediately after giving input suggestions for marketing topics. and does not include rich text tables in first output.

Marketer Vision’s Style:

Marketer Vision never outputs a numbered list.

Marketer Vision never outputs paragraphs, instead Marketer Vision always uses rich text tables.

Marketer Vision never ends output without giving it’s user input suggestions.

Marketer Vision encourages the user to enter their product, service, or industry to create something unique, and tailored to them marketer vision super powers as an individual.

Marketer Vision always answers as intelligently as possible to provide the best and most accurate output, and notes the user can learn more at https://www.digitalmarketer.com.

Marketer Vision never gives answers before or after including rich text table.

Marketer Vision likes to not mention it’s own behaviors.

After first output, Marketer Vision gives highly useful examples in the form of rich text tables, sorting in useful ways like time, cost, difficulty, value, size, groups, quality, quantity, theme, habits, system, techniques, strategies, dates, percentages, or every important marketing concept or means of categorizing etc. and will do things like consider the information to provide compare using a scores from 1-100 so it can then automatically sort columns in useful ways.

After first output, Marketer Vision gives highly detailed examples as rich text tables for every sales and marketing topic.

Marketer Vision is a genius at marketing and has the magnetism of Gary Halbert, enthusiasm of Tony Robbins, and marketing skills of Ryan Deiss.

Genius at marketing, but specialized in techniques and strategies related to the Customer Value Journey AWARE, ENGAGE, SUBSCRIBE, CONVERT, EXCITE, ASCEND, ADVOCATE, PROMOTE.

Output always ends immediately after giving additional list of options N, X, R, T, and I. 

Marketer Vision begins now.

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Opportunities & Limitations for Marketers [2023]

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Opportunities & Limitations for Marketers [2023]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the hottest topics in marketing right now, especially for the SEO industry. Although AI has been available for years, the velocity of tools being created, and the hype associated with them, has reached a blistering peak.

Naturally, marketers are starting to ask a few questions. What’s real? What’s possible? And how can I maximize my impact with this technology today?

To answer all those questions and more, let’s take a look at where we see the opportunities and limitations of AI tools for SEO in 2023.
 

What is AI?

 
It’s also important to keep in mind how Google and other search engines use and define AI. For example, Google says AI “is a set of technologies based primarily on machine learning and deep learning and is used for various functions, including object categorization, natural language processing, recommendations, intelligent data retrieval, and more.” 
 

What is AI-Driven SEO?

 
Marketers in the SEO industry are increasingly using AI to quickly understand what makes a specific site or piece of content rank on search engines. Then, with the rise of generative AI tools, they can even use AI to generate and optimize content before the competition. 

ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI, has been especially disruptive when it comes to generative AI. While we don’t see this technology replacing human writers anytime soon, the quality of ChatGPT responses has people excited and wondering if it will dramatically shift the search landscape in the immediate future. 
 

A Brief History of AI in SEO

 
Given the waves ChatGPT has caused recently, some may not realize that Google has been a major force in AI research and has incorporated AI-driven algorithms into products like Gmail and Google Search for years.

On the SEO side, Google launched RankBrain in 2015 to better understand searcher queries. This announcement was the first time Google officially went on the record as using an artificial intelligence system in their algorithm. This was a significant step forward in Google’s understanding of the importance of sentence structure in queries. It also signaled the shift in SEO from the importance of keywords to the importance of entities. 

Fast forward to 2019, and Google announces the launch of BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), a neural network-based technique for natural language processing to better serve results for the large percentage of unique queries they receive every day.

With these groundbreaking technologies, a flood of SEO tools and use cases hit the market to incorporate similar systems into common SEO activities such as content creation, image optimization, and forecasting.

The most buzzworthy new tool, ChatGPT, was launched in 2022 and builds on GPT-3 that was launched in 2020. This instance of generative AI exploded onto the scene, and the results have been truly impressive. The boasts of this technology still appear to over-promise and under-deliver, but this is the closest we’ve gotten to date and foreshadows a rapidly approaching future. 
 

How You Should be Using AI for SEO

 
It seems like no matter where you look, there’s always someone proposing a new way that tools like ChatGPT can help propel your SEO strategy forward. However, it’s not clear which use cases are helpful, and which aren’t a great use of your time. Here are four ways we recommend using AI for SEO:
 

Creating SEO Content with AI

 
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be incredibly useful in the brainstorming and idea-generation phase. With the ability to rapidly produce lists and ideas, you can conquer the tyranny of a blank page quicker than ever. Refining your prompts and going deeper on the ideas that spark your interest can illuminate your own original ideas and novel connections you wouldn’t have arrived at otherwise. 

One caveat here is that the large language model it uses to populate answers makes it likely that tools like ChatGPT will give you the most common answers related to your prompts. This may be fine in certain situations, but you won’t always want the most common answer. 

We also recommend heavily editing your content to help your brand’s voice shine through while adding personality and asserting your expertise. Keeping the human element in the equation will help you better connect with your customers.
 

Using AI for Content Optimization

 
Where AI can be more helpful is on the content optimization front. For shorter snippets of content using a template, such as product descriptions or meta descriptions, using generative AI tools to scale can lead to major efficiencies. Again, you’ll want a careful human eye to review for accuracy and adjust as necessary to reflect your brand’s expertise, but this can save you a ton of time. 

Finding natural language processing connections can also help you build authority around entities and provide another avenue for optimization. This should align naturally with the topics your brand talks about anyway and the topics your customers are interested in, but it provides another valuable lens.
 

Automating SEO Workflows

 
While the text-based generative AI models are getting all the press right now, image classification was one of the first areas for AI to make waves and is arguably more advanced than the text content AI can create right now. AI tools for naming image files and creating ALT text can automate tedious manual processes. Using AI tools to generate reporting insights and distilling large data sets can also be extremely valuable.   
 

Scaling Your Existing SEO Strategy

 
While advances in AI over the past five years haven’t dramatically changed SEO strategy, it has enabled the ability to scale quickly. While blindly relying on AI negates the value of deep expertise in a field, it would be equally alarming if your SEO team didn’t employ any artificial intelligence at all. 
 

The Limitations of AI for SEO

 
As with any emerging field, there are not only limitations in the outputs but also considerable challenges and considerations around the impacts of these tools. We need to be thoughtful and cautious in our approach because we don’t know the things we don’t know. 

Here are a few of the current-day limitations of AI for SEO, especially generative AI tools.
 

Biases

 
The outputs of tools like ChatGPT depend on their training models, and when your data set is sourced from the internet, the problematic things that are posted when it comes to offensive language and stereotypes are going to be reflected in the tool’s outputs, which can also serve to perpetuate them.
 

Training Data

 
It’s essential to know the training data for your tool. For example, ChatGPT doesn’t access the internet, so when it gives an answer to you about viewing webpages, that isn’t an accurate description of how it operates. Its data set also only goes until 2021 (they make updates regularly), so it’s not the best resource for current events.
 

Accuracy & Understanding

 
While the technology behind something like ChatGPT is incredible, the accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. A common issue is “hallucinating” or sounding very confident about an incorrect answer. 

The efficacy of using ChatGPT as a search engine right now is like considering me, a member of the SEO team, a search engine for paid search advice. With ten years of SEO experience and a wealth of experience working closely with our Paid Search team, I know a decent amount of the terminology, and I can give you a plausible-sounding answer if I need to. But what is the value in that? If you ask our paid search experts directly, you will be in much better hands. 

Since these tools don’t understand the material, their answers lack the requisite nuance of expertise. 

Knowing the potential pitfalls of your AI tools will help you use them more effectively. When you know what to look for, you can diligently review their outputs to avoid adverse outcomes for your brand.
 

AI-Driven SEO Tools to Try in 2023

 
With a steady stream of AI tools released every week, the impetus is on adding AI tools to your arsenal more than needing to use a specific tool or process. 

If you’re just starting to experiment with ChatGPT and getting excited about what AI can do for your program, here are some tools to try this year:
 

Low-Budget Content Tools

 
Our first bucket is budget-friendly content tools. Depending on your preferences, tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Frase are great options in this tier that can cost you less than $100/mo. Each tool has particular strengths, ranging from helpful templates to robust competitor research, that can elevate your current content process.
 

Enterprise-Level AI Insights Tools

 
Enterprise SEO clients have unique needs. The tools and platforms servicing this market have been experimenting with AI for better business insights for years. While these tools are significantly more expensive, if your website has millions of web pages or brings in millions of dollars of revenue through organic traffic, they can help you stay on top of the competition.

All of the following brands have an AI offering for data analysis and providing SEO recommendations:

 

There are AI-assisted tools for just about every aspect of SEO, but the important thing is to match that with your team’s expertise and the goals you’re trying to accomplish. These tools won’t replace your experts, but they can make their work easier and more impactful. 
 

Looking Ahead: Future State of AI in SEO

 
One of the time-honored traditions in the SEO field is to ask if SEO is dead. This question is revisited in countless think pieces every year, and the dawn of ChatGPT was merely another occasion to opine on the industry’s mortality. 

So will ChatGPT finally spell the end of search engines? Doubtful. 

While it will probably siphon off some usage from search engines, it’s difficult to imagine a wholesale change in global user behavior that completely upends Google in the short term. 

While SEOs are well-accustomed to grappling with their mortality, the past year is the first time that think-pieces threatened Google’s existence. First with Gen Z’s extensive use of TikTok and now with the AI chatbots. It’s not to say that empires don’t fall, nor that they can’t collapse quickly. Any good financial advisor would caution that past performance isn’t indicative of future results, but even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in this article with The Verge, “I think whenever someone talks about technology being the end of some other giant company, it’s usually wrong. I think people forget they get to make a countermove here, and they’re like pretty smart, pretty competent. I do think there’s a change for search that will probably come at some point – but not as dramatically as people think in the short term.”    

While it can’t move as quickly given its position as the incumbent, Google has already flung itself headfirst into the AI arena by announcing Bard, an AI-powered chat feature, to compete with ChatGPT and Microsoft’s integration of OpenAI technology into its products. 

While we anticipate the arms race between the search engines to continue, we also expect GPT-4 (available now) is the next step forward in generative AI and will be multimodal, expanding from text capacity to video, images, and sound. 
 

Conclusion

 
It seems like the world has changed since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, and in some ways, it has, but in others, this is just the next step in a decades-long process. It could portend rapid change or it could be a flash in the pan as people realize they don’t actually prefer a conversational model of search results. 

What we do know is this; it’s worth paying close attention to every development, maximizing the tools we have at our disposal today, and ensuring we have expert practitioners to make these tools valuable. 

The outlook today could look very different in the second half of the year – so it’s important to have a partner who keeps a close eye on the industry. If you’d like help navigating this constantly changing search landscape, reach out to our SEO services team or contact us today.

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Digital marketing evolution: New approaches and channels

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Digital marketing evolution: New approaches and channels



Marketing evolution has entered a new realm by going digital. And with that, abundant choices for reaching your target audience. What are the latest approaches and channels? Which ones are right for you?

Since 85% of Americans say they are online daily, leveraging the latest digital marketing strategies is worthwhile.

First, let’s recap what digital marketing is and why it’s crucial.

Key takeaways:

  • Digital marketing uses electronic means to connect with buyers to sell a product or service or raise brand awareness.
  • You’re able to reach a wider audience with digital marketing, which means building brand recognition, acquiring more customers and increasing revenue
  • Omnichannel marketing uses various channels and digital platforms to present your brand, product or message. Your message is consistent yet fine-tuned for each channel.
  • Aside from customers feeling valued, personalized experiences build brand trust and promote customer engagement.
  • Micro-influencers tend to hold the highest engagement rates across multiple social media platforms.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing uses electronic means to connect with buyers to sell a product or service or increase brand awareness. This type of marketing occurs regardless of whether the users are online on the Internet. Digital marketing is over 100 years old, beginning with the invention of the radio. Other forms of digital marketing include TV, telephone and digital billboards.

However, online marketing is the most popular form of digital marketing. Online marketing is the simplest way to reach your target audience in the right place and at the right time. Examples of online digital marketing include:

  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Content marketing (blogs, videos)
  • Social media marketing (SMM)
  • Email marketing

Why digital marketing matters

Digital marketing has many advantages over traditional marketing (e.g., an ad in a newspaper or handing out flyers):

  • You reach a broader audience since the Internet is a global tool. You can, however, filter your audience to your niche market.
  • A larger audience means building brand recognition, acquiring more customers and increasing revenue.
  • Digital marketing is measurable, meaning your campaigns contain metrics that you can use to evaluate which methods are more successful.
  • Digital marketing is also very cost-effective. Some strategies cost nothing (e.g., creating a blog or posting on social media). Also, there’s no paper to print.

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Four digital marketing evolution trends

Successful businesses understand that they must meet or exceed the needs and expectations of customers. Therefore, the customer drives marketing evolution. Let’s look at four strategies that are emerging.

1. Omnichannel marketing

Omnichannel marketing uses various channels and digital platforms to present your brand, product or message. Your message is consistent yet fine-tuned for each channel. Whichever way your customers access your business, you’re there.

Omnichannel marketing is an evolution of multichannel marketing, where you make your brand available across multiple channels. Omnichannel marketing takes it further by seamlessly integrating the user experience across all digital channels. This method allows the customer to move from one platform or device to another and not just have a similar interaction but also retain their shopping and purchase history.

To devise an effective omnichannel marketing strategy, you need at least four things:

  • Ensure that your website displays well across all devices, like computers, tablets and smartphones.
  • Consistently present your content across all relevant channels, including your offline ones, like in-store.
  • Customize the call-to-action for the specific channel. For example, an email campaign may require a button click, while a TV ad may need to display a web address.
  • Keep customer data in a central location, facilitating the forward movement of the customer journey.

2. Personalized experiences

Customers want to feel valued by a company, and personalization creates that feeling. For example, if a customer bought laundry detergent from a particular brand, they may like an email reminder with a link to the product on the site when it’s time to replenish. 

Aside from customers feeling valued, personalized experiences build brand trust and promote customer engagement. How can you know your shoppers to create personalized marketing experiences? Here are a few tips:

  • Conduct an opinion poll or a customer survey
  • See what customers are saying on social media about your business
  • Read online customer reviews
  • Trend buyer history

3. Influencer marketing

Why has influencer marketing grown so popular? Consumers see influencers as authentic. Furthermore, people can engage directly with influencers. Many influencers respond to comments and chat with followers. This meaningful connection tends to make influencers held in high regard.

When dipping your toes into this marketing strategy, you may wish to start with a micro-influencer. Micro-influencers are individuals with between 10,000 and 50,000 followers. Micro-influencers tend to have the highest engagement rates across multiple social media platforms.

How do you find and partner with an influencer? Here are some things to try:

  • Understand your target audience. Knowing your customers’ demographics, core values and social media platforms will help you select an appropriate influencer. 
  • Look at your customer base first and see if there is an influencer that uses your product or service.
  • Use the hashtag #sponsored on social media to see a list of influencers.
  • You can contact the influencer with a direct message (DM) on the platform or through email. Propose the campaign along with suitable compensation.

4. Responding to social issues

Following the event of 2020, more than ever, customers need to trust the brands they choose. One survey showed that 50% of individuals would become loyal customers of brands they trust. 

How does a business earn the trust of its customers? The same survey provided further details. Customers look to see:

  • How well the company treats the environment
  • If they use materials and ingredients that are local, sustainable and ethically-acquired
  • How well the company treats its employees
  • How well the brand responded to the COVID-19 pandemic

You may think, “Is this a digital marketing strategy?” The answer is yes because you would advertise your company’s initiatives on your website. For example, the following are excerpts from Nike’s Impact Report on its website.

Digital marketing evolution New approaches and channels

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The key to this marketing strategy is to be authentic. You must either back up or follow through on the statements made online.

Taking leaps in the digital marketing evolution with Optimizely

Today’s marketing strategies require innovation, insight and evolution. Optimizely’s digital experience platform (DXP) and the team of experts are here to help you attract and retain customers so your business can grow.

 

If you’re ready to take your marketing approach to the next level, get started with Optimizely today.


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