Digital Marketing Insider (131): 3-11-24

Search Engine Journal confirming the least surprising news about the latest Google core update…

What is it? Well… first a quick recap of the absolute nonsense we’ve had to witness what’s happened in the last year.

Head to Twitter (er, “X”, sigh) and type SEO in the search bar, and you are bound to find, in less than 2 scrolls, the below:

• Some SEO-Bro yelling about how he generated 73,000 AI written blog posts, published them with no edits, and ‘WHOA check out all my impressions/clicks in this google search console screenshot! I’m a guru! I’m taking over the SERPPPPPPP’*
  
  *Insert an obnoxious sounding tone to this text

Unfortunately, this has been going on basically since people discovered that ChatGPT could create a blog post.

Now, we’ve finally reached a reckoning.

Google’s newest core update is going to eradicate low quality, auto and mass-generated content and, at least, heavily prioritize valuable content written by (probably) humans.

Shocking (not).

Google has, for 20+ years, stated it’s goal is to bring the best possible content to the eyes of the searcher based on their query, history and intent.

Naturally, that content tends to lean towards content that is unique, valuable, and maintains a point of view unique to it’s own circumstance. Something that generic AI content, simply doesn’t have.

So if you’re wondering:

“But if we can’t just generate blog posts with ChatGPT… how can we leverage AI in SEO?”

Here’s a really effective way to leverage AI in SEO, WITHOUT getting your content slapped off the internet.

Outlines.

Write, to the best of your ability, the best possible content outline for your given topic.

Cover the keywords it should target, headlines it should have, questions it should answer, etc.

Feed that outline to ChatGPT and ask it things like:

• What questions should I answer that I’ve not addressed?

• How would [top competitor] make a better outline?

• What key pieces of information should be included in each section to maximize the value to a reader

• etc.

Take the relevant edits/additions, add them to your outline and then…

Give that outline to a legit SME in the space, and have them fill in the gaps.

AI has it’s place, even in SEO.

Just make sure to use it well or risk your content coming face to face with judgement day.

(yup, that was my obligatory terminator joke when talking about AI. Sorry, had to.)

Rank well friends,

Josh

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