AI and SEO — How Does AI Content Affect Search Engine Optimization?

Whether you are passionate about artificial intelligence (AI) or still unsure — AI is here to stay. 

The rise of AI content has had a notable ripple effect in the world of search engine optimization (SEO). Long gone are the days of keyword stuffing and article spinning. 

Today, SEO is all about quality. Google’s shift to people-first content and EEAT or Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust reflects this. 

But what role does AI play in the world of search engine optimization? 

Artificial intelligence has impacted many of the processes we rely on to optimize pages for search engines. Learn about AI SEO optimization and answer the popular question — Is AI generated content good for SEO?

What Role Does AI Play in SEO? 

AI’s entrance into the world of search engines has been nothing less than a seismic shift. Even if you don’t specifically use AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, you often see AI at work when you search. 

In fact, a number of things are happening behind the scenes that are giving you the best possible and most relevant results.

Machine learning understands and ranks web pages

According to Semrush, Google’s RankBrain is powered by AI and uses machine learning to better understand the context behind the user’s search. 

Traditionally, Google and other search engines set up predefined rules to deliver relevant search results. 

For example: if you searched for “best Italian restaurants in New York” the algorithm would:

• Seek out web pages with that exact phrase in them. 
• Look for pages that had any combination of those words or phrases. 
• Rank pages higher that mentioned those words in that exact order. 
• Give bonus points if those words were in heading tags or page titles. 

Additionally, having a high density of keywords also factored into how well your pages ranked. 

These rule-based algorithms didn’t place as high of a value on the quality of the content or the context behind it. That’s where AI stepped in. 

Machine learning analyzes incredible amounts of data to understand what the user actually wants when they’re searching. They may be looking for specific locations, recommendations, or user reviews, that emphasize the value of a specific page or piece of content.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) leads to more accurate results

Let’s apply that traditional rules-based algorithm to another common search type to illustrate how AI works. 

Let’s say it’s the early 2000s (considering Google’s RankBrain was released in 2015) and you search “how to fix a leaking faucet.”

The search engine’s (now outdated) rules only tell it to look for pages that contain the words “fix,” “leaking,” and “faucet.” Instead of getting instructional steps or how-to videos, you could be inundated with plumbing business pages. 

However, with natural language processing or NLP, another type of AI algorithm, the search engine understands the context behind your search based on its training.

Identifying spam

AI algorithms are excellent at picking up patterns. They can recognize constant keyword stuffing, doorways (for example: several lightly modified versions of the same web page that aim to manipulate search rankings), or mass-produced AI content as spam.

Algorithms are also often trained to detect strange traffic patterns and odd user behavior, such as manipulative link schemes like link farms or paid link networks. As AI continues to advance it can learn to stay a step ahead of any emerging tactics designed to try and thwart a search engine’s ranking ability.

Using AI Personalization to Tailor Search Results

AI is about more than just helping search engines rank pages more effectively. It’s also fantastic at tailoring search results based on user data and behavior. 

AI SEO tools can analyze click patterns, search history, location data, device, and time to personalize search results dynamically. 

How does AI personalization tailor SEO results? In practice, it means you may receive an entirely different set of search results for the exact same query as your friend or family member.

Depending on the search engine, the AI algorithms may also use social media activity or account preferences to tailor search results specifically to a user based on things they’ve clicked on or liked previously. 

For SEO professionals, this could lead to several perks such as higher conversion rates, higher engagement, and a better overall user experience. 

How AI Affects Keyword Research and Optimization

With tactics like keyword stuffing relegated to yesteryear, today’s keyword research has taken on an entirely new level of sophistication.

• Data analysis: AI analyzes huge swaths of data to precisely dial in the best possible keywords, long-tail phrases, and intent behind user searches to give SEO specialists access to invaluable trends, so they can stay ahead of the competition.
• Contextual view: AI digs into the intent behind search queries, for a more well-rounded view of user searches beyond a list of keywords.
• Predictive insights: One of the best reasons to leverage AI stems from its ability to use past and current data to predict future trends. This predictive analysis helps businesses adapt with an eye on future SEO trends.

Is AI Content Good For SEO?

AI search engine optimization is a smart strategy with a variety of benefits — if you stay compliant with Google’s helpful content guidelines.

Some beneficial ways to use AI for SEO include:

• Creating content briefs with keyword ideas, that you then build out with original human-written copy to offer value to your audience.
• Using AI as an assistant to streamline optimization research, instead of relying solely on AI to create the entire draft of SEO content.

Then, seek out content experts who can go further in-depth on your researched topics to share their knowledge and experience.

To get the full picture of how AI impacts SEO, go beyond asking, “is AI generated content good for SEO?” and factor in the potential issues of AI text.

• AI generators often ‘skim the surface’ of a topic, which removes the opportunity to infuse content with your unique expertise.
• AI can hallucinate or make up “facts” out of nowhere, resulting in misinformation.
• There may be inherent biases based on the AI model’s training material.

Although AI is good for content ideation, when using AI to write copy, it’s best to review it further. Use an AI detector to highlight AI text. Then fact-check and edit articles, so they provide the helpful and valuable information that Google — and your audience are looking for.

Final Thoughts on AI and SEO

The best way to leverage AI for SEO is to use AI as a tool to do what it’s best at — crunching huge amounts of data in record time. 

AI SEO tools are great for keyword research, coming up with suggestions for further optimization, and researching SEO trends. However, both readers and Google place high value on original and authentic content. So, when it comes to AI and SEO, AI is best as an assistant.

Interested in learning just how much AI content is currently on your website? Use the Originality.ai Site Scan to highlight potential instances of AI text to review and optimize.

Then, try Originality.ai’s Readability Checker to improve the readability of your page, or check out the Content Optimizer Tool to take your SEO to the next level.