Anyone who has built and launched a website has likely encountered an oft-repeated acronym: SEO (search engine optimization). And while you might not have ever done SEO yourself, you've benefited from it in the past: Every day, search engines like Google employ complex algorithms to sift through more than 400 billion web pages and deliver the most relevant results.
Website owners like you use SEO techniques and strategies to get their websites to the top of the search results for relevant user queries. But SEO is not a one-time endeavor — Google and other search engines change often, and ongoing SEO ensures your website stays in front of the people you want to reach. Just as a physical storefront requires regular maintenance and updates to stay competitive, your website needs ongoing SEO to remain visible amidst the ever-changing digital landscape.
The ABCs of SEO: What is Ongoing SEO and Why Does It Matter?
Don't let the techy jargon intimidate you. HubSpot — considered one of the gold standards for SEO and digital marketing advice — defines SEO as simply a collection of strategies and tips that "expand a company’s visibility in organic search results'' and help "drive more visitors to the company’s website, increasing their chances for more conversions which leads to more customers and more revenue."
SEO Connects the Search Engine Algorithms With Your Website's Content
Regardless of your website's goal or industry niche, all SEO techniques have one thing in common: They look at ways to optimize your website's content, keywords, and links to help search engines rank your website higher in the search results when someone searches for something related to your keywords, content, or brand name.
According to HubSpot, SEO needs to address the key factors that all search engines use to determine the value of your website's content — and therefore how high in the search results your website or specific landing page should appear:
- The intent or meaning behind why someone is searching for a specific term or question
- The relevance between what someone searches for, and the content on your website
- The quality of your content (for instance, a website about physical exercise written by certified personal trainers is deemed by Google to be higher quality than a website where the articles are written by non-experts)
- The performance of your website, such as how long it takes a page to load and whether it works well on mobile devices
Static SEO Versus Ongoing SEO: Why It Matters to Stay Fresh and Keep Your SEO Updates Current
As users' web behavior changes and technology evolves, search engines proactively adjust their algorithms.
If you aren't conducting ongoing SEO maintenance and upgrades, a well-optimized website today can quickly become obsolete tomorrow, causing your search rankings to drop and attracting fewer organic visitors. Google itself updates its algorithms several thousand times per year, including significant "major" changes every few months that dramatically change how it crawls and ranks content. For example, Google's infamous Panda update changed how it ranked how-to lifestyle content on the Internet, causing one major content publisher to lose a whopping $6.4 million of traffic and advertising nearly overnight.
How Ongoing SEO Influences Your Website Strategy
Staying abreast of changes to SEO techniques and strategies provides important guidance to your content, marketing, and overarching website strategy. For example, it can dictate or influence:
- How much content you publish, and the content's format, length, and focus
- How you incorporate other forms of media on your website, including images, video, and audio
- How you organize content on your site, including landing page layouts and your site's navigation
- What keywords and target users your website focuses on
Embrace the Power of Ongoing SEO
Caroline Forsey, an expert in thought leadership and marketing content, looked at the survey results from more than 400 of the world's leading web analysts to predict the biggest SEO trends of 2024. According to her data, some of the top changes in SEO strategies this year include:
- A heavier emphasis on expertise, meaning the content on your website should come from experts in your related field (including bylines and author bios that demonstrate the author's credentials and experience on the topic they're writing about)
- A renewed emphasis on first-person, credible content, especially as more websites generate high volumes of low-quality AI content (Google itself has announced upcoming changes to tackle low-value articles created by AI)
- A priority on websites that are deemed trustworthy, such as e-commerce sites with well-rated customer service, or content sites that do a good job of citing trustworthy research and statistics
- Bonus points on content that is creative and original and doesn't simply rehash content found on other sites
Of course, these SEO trends will inevitably change every year, and ongoing SEO will keep you competitive no matter what Google, Bing, and other search engines do. No matter your website's industry or content strategy, ongoing SEO requires that you:
- Focus on keeping your content fresh and high quality, including new blog posts or regularly refreshing and updating old product descriptions or articles
- Conduct keyword research often, since the terms or phrases that your core audience uses will evolve over time
- Maintain your website's overarching performance, such as mobile-friendliness as mobile devices evolve, and page load speed
- Build a diverse portfolio of high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites within your niche, which may include outreach campaigns, getting others in your industry to write guest blogs, and participating in online forums or communities
- Keep on top of technical and performance metrics, such as scanning your site for broken links (and fixing the links you uncover) and using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and conversion rates
- Stay on top of algorithm changes so you can adapt your SEO strategy in real-time
Some website owners think of SEO as the first step of their promotional strategy. But it's less a first step, and more an ongoing journey to ensure you, your brand, and your content stay relevant in such a competitive atmosphere. Whether you choose to go it alone and take a DIY approach to SEO, or you choose to consult with a digital marketing and SEO agency, check in often and make sure your SEO evolves as the world around you evolves.
In the digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a cornerstone of modern business operations. From data analysis to marketing automation, AI has revolutionized various aspects of business. One area where AI has made significant strides is content creation. Through machine learning and natural language processing, AI can now generate human-like text, churning out articles, blog posts, and social media updates rapidly. However, should companies fully rely on AI-generated content? The answer is no. Let’s delve into the reasons why.
The Drawbacks of Overreliance on AI-Generated Content
While AI-generated content comes with advantages such as speed and cost-efficiency, it also carries numerous risks that businesses need to be aware of.
1. Lack of Originality and Creativity
AI algorithms excel at pattern recognition and replication. They analyze vast amounts of data to understand language patterns and then reproduce similar structures in their content. However, they cannot generate original ideas or think creatively.
AI-generated content often lacks the spark that sets great content apart from mediocre content. It’s unlikely to include clever wordplay, engaging anecdotes, or insightful commentary that human writers are known for. This lack of creativity can lead to bland content that fails to capture readers’ attention or inspire them to take action.
2. Misinterpretation and Contextual Errors
AI systems struggle with understanding context. They can’t pick up on nuances in language or interpret complex concepts the way humans can. This lack of contextual understanding often leads to errors in AI-generated content.
For instance, an AI might misinterpret a sarcastic comment as a serious one or misunderstand cultural references that are obvious to human readers. These mistakes can lead to inaccurate or even nonsensical content that confuses readers and hurts your brand’s credibility.
3. Not SEO Optimized
AI-generated content may not be as SEO-optimized as you’d like. AI writing tools might be able to include keywords and phrases in their content, but they lack the deeper understanding of SEO that human writers possess.
Moreover, search engines like Google prioritize unique and original content. They seek material that offers real value to users. Relying solely on AI for content creation could harm your SEO strategy rather than enhance it.
4. Off-brand Tone
Since AI systems don’t understand human emotions or social norms, they can’t gauge the appropriate tone for different pieces of content. They might end up creating articles or blog posts that feel more like advertisements than informative resources.
This can be a turn-off for many readers who are looking for genuine information and insight, not sales pitches. It can also damage your brand’s reputation and make you seem less trustworthy to your audience.
5. Inconsistent Quality
The quality of AI-generated content tends to be inconsistent. While some articles might be coherent and relatively error-free, others might be riddled with inaccuracies or awkward phrasing.
This inconsistency can be problematic for businesses aiming for strict quality standards in their content. To ensure all published material meets their expectations, companies would still need human editors to review and correct AI-generated work.
The Human Touch: Irreplaceable Value
While it’s clear that overreliance on AI for content creation poses several risks, it’s equally important to highlight what human writers bring to the table.
Emotional Connection
Human writers have the unique ability to connect with readers on an emotional level - something that machines cannot replicate. They can empathize with their audience’s pain points, evoke emotions through storytelling, and inspire action through persuasive writing.
Expertise and Authority
Human writers often possess expertise in specific areas, allowing them to provide insightful commentary or deep-dive analyses based on firsthand experience or extensive research - lending authority and credibility to their work.
Creativity and Originality
One of the most significant advantages human writers hold over AI is their innate ability to be creative and original. While AI can mimic language patterns and generate text based on existing data, it cannot think outside the box or come up with new ideas.
Creativity is often what sets great content apart from mediocre content. It’s what makes content memorable, engaging, and shareable. It’s what allows companies to stand out in a crowded market and connect with their audience on a deeper level.
Why AI Should Complement, Not Replace Human Writers
Embracing the digital revolution doesn’t mean replacing the human touch with artificial intelligence. While AI offers impressive capabilities in content generation, it cannot replicate the creativity, emotional understanding, and originality of a human writer.
The future of content creation lies not in choosing between AI and humans but in finding ways to leverage the strengths of both effectively. This balanced approach will ensure that your content strategy is not only efficient but also authentic, creative, and truly valuable to your audience.