Can AI Really Write Perfect SEO Articles with the Click of a Button?

This Week

• Long Read: Can AI Write SEO Articles with the Click of a Button?

• 7 AI Tools for SEO

• Career: Are you a Centaur or a Cyborg?  

• Around the Web: SGE Updates, Chat GPT vs Bard SEO Bake-Off

• Amusing: Is it Bro’y Enough? 

• Invest: What Matters in 2023

• News: Invoca Feature Release and Balancing AI

• Folks to Follow

Can AI Write High Ranking SEO Articles?

When I first started as a marketer, search engine optimization felt like a mystical beast, shrouded in complexity. It was like trying to decipher an ancient language that only a chosen few understood. Recently, there's been a lot of buzz around Artificial Intelligence and its promise to solve this eternal SEO conundrum.

But can AI truly live up to the hype and write SEO articles that are not only well-optimized but genuinely engaging and informative?

You can find out when you visit my Medium channel.

7 AI-Powered SEO Tools for Your Workflow

Ready to try your hand at AI-assisted SEO? Here are a few tools I recommend:

1. Surfer SEO

What it does: Surfer SEO helps you conduct keyword research, write content and optimize it for SEO.

Favorite Feature: Its real-time suggestions for keyword usage, content structure, and competitor analysis.

Pros: Its detailed on-page analysis and user-friendly interface.

Cons: Some say the AI-powered writing tool isn’t as good as others.

Price: You can get started for $69/month.

G.2 Rating: 4.8

2. Clearscope

What it does: Clearscope is an AI tool that helps you create content that matches user intent. It identifies relevant keywords and phrases to include in your content.

Favorite Feature: It provides a clear list of suggested keywords, which makes optimizing content easy.

Pros: The in-depth content optimization suggestions.

Cons: It may be more suitable for content creators than SEO specialists, and it’s the priciest option out there.

Price: Starts at $170/month.

G.2 Rating: 4.9

3. MarketMuse

What it does: MarketMuse analyzes your content and provides recommendations for improvements.

Favorite Feature: The AI Content Briefs provide a detailed roadmap for creating comprehensive content that ranks well.

Pros: It provides detailed keyword analysis, including keyword difficulty, search volume, and related keywords.

Cons: There’s a pretty steep learning curve, and it’s expensive once you move off the free plan.

Price: You can get started for free or upgrade for $149/month.

G.2 Rating: 4.3

4. Frase

What it does: Frase is an AI content optimization tool that generates content briefs, answers questions, and helps with content strategy.

Favorite Feature: The AI-generated content briefs save a ton of time in research and planning.

Pros: Content briefs and easy integration with content management systems.

Cons: Limited data sources for some niches.

Price: Starts at $15/month.

G.2 Rating: 4.9

5. SEMrush

What it does: SEMrush offers a suite of SEO tools for keyword research, competitive analysis, and content optimization.

Favorite Feature: The Keyword Magic Tool and On-Page SEO Checker.

Pros: It has the most extensive features and functionality for optimizing your SEO.

Cons: It’s expensive.

Price: You can run a few queries for free but if you want full functionality, you’ll need the $130/month plan.

G.2 Rating: 4.5

6. Ahrefs

What it does: Ahrefs provides comprehensive SEO insights, including keyword research, backlink analysis, and site audits, all powered by AI.

Favorite Feature: The Site Audit and Content Explorer are top-notch for technical SEO and content research.

Pros: Powerful data and a massive database.

Con: It can be slow when running complex reports.

Price: Starts at $99/month.

G.2 Rating: 4.5

7. TextOptimizer

What it does: You input your URL, and TextOptimizer tells you what keywords and content you need to start ranking.

Favorite Feature: It's simple SEO analysis and AI text generator.

Pros: It’s easy to use.

Cons: It has limited functionality.

Price: Free

The Latest Updates on Google’s SGE

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is rolling out new features to more users, and it’s having a significant impact on search performance. You’ll want to stay on top of these changes, or you’ll watch your former SERP darlings sink into the abyss of second-page rankings.

Here’s a look at non-SGE search results (on the left) vs SGE results (on the right):

What is Google’s SGE?

Google introduced SGE in May 2023 and is now rolling it out for wider release. If you’re new to SGE, here’s a quick summary: It provides what Google calls zero-click searches, meaning users can get answers directly on the search results page, with no need to visit a website. Every marketer's nightmare, I know.

There isn’t a lot of data available yet on how SGE impacts search trends, but SEO expert Eli Schwartz predicts that top-of-funnel searches will be a thing of the past as users rely more on zero-click answers.

The Latest Updates

• Expanding Reach: Google is making SGE available to a broader audience across more languages. This expansion means more users will encounter SGE, altering search behavior on a broader scale.

• Enhanced Features: Users can now generate images within a search request, preview definitions, and view diagrams directly from the search page. Check out this Verge review for more info on the new image generation feature.

• Improving Accuracy: According to Google, they’re working to enhance the precision and usefulness of SGE-generated content, but they don’t say much on what that looks like.

What you Need to do

1. Keep an eye on how your website performs as these changes roll out. Utilize Google Search Labs to test your rankings and adjust your SEO and SEM strategies accordingly.

2. With SGE's influence on search behavior growing, proactively update your SEO and SEM strategies to align with the changes. Optimize your content for the formats SGE favors, and consider how generative AI can be used to your advantage.

3. According to Insight Partners, you need to understand the risks associated with the rise of zero-click searches. Assess the impact on web traffic, lead volume, and revenue. Explore alternative paid channels to compensate for reduced ad slots within SGE.

Schwartz has practical advice on tackling SEO in this new era. Here are seven things he thinks you should do:

• Focus on middle-of-funnel search terms

• Be more deliberate in targeting the right users with the right keywords

• Align your content to your buyer personas

• Use modifiers on your keywords

• Publish content that compares you to competitors

• Look at “people also ask” phrases for ideation

• If SGE shows up for a topic idea, scratch it from your content roadmap

Google's SGE is evolving fast, and it will have a significant impact on SEO strategies, so it’s a good idea to start planning now.

SEO Performance: ChatGPT vs Bard

Victoria Kurichenko publishes a ton of content on medium on SEO and AI. I found her ChatGPT and Bard bake-off article filled with great metrics and advice. She also has a step-by-step guide for using AI in your SEO efforts. She says:

“The best results in content creation often come from a fusion of AI and human-written content. While AI can be efficient and cost-effective, combining it with human insights and experiences yields remarkable outcomes.”

What Happens When You Use AI for SEO Articles

Zulie Rane tested 22 articles: 10 written partially or mostly with AI, and 12 written without the help of AI. She shares the results in her video.

Make it Super Max Bro

ChatGPT rising to the challenge.

Are You a Centaur or a Cyborg?

Researchers from Harvard, Warwick and MIT collaborated with Boston Consulting Group to test the results of consultants working with and without the help of AI.

They found that consultants using AI finished 12.2% more tasks on average, completed tasks 25.1% more quickly, and produced 40% higher quality results than those without. The study also found AI acts as a skill leveler.

There is a caveat: Co-author of the study, Ethan Mollick warns that people using AI risk falling into autopilot and failing to notice AI mistakes.

There’s a ton more interesting data and insights in Ethan’s blog post: Centaurs and Cyborgs on the Jagged Frontier.

News

• AI And Marketing: Fact Versus Fiction at Forbes.

• Invoca Launches Conversation Intelligence AI for Digital Marketing at Street Insider.

• How to balance AI with the human touch at MarTech.

Folks to Follow

• Victoria Kurichenko for her SEO Medium articles

• Zulie Rane for her AI SEO videos

• Amanda Natividad, who coined the Zero-Click Content concept

Thoughts

It’s difficult to think about creating this content when there is war and terror raging in Palestine and Israel. I can’t help feeling inadequate in the face of something so insurmountable.

I read a blog post by a friend this week on the crisis; he said, “Use this moment to create something positive in the world.” So, hopefully, this small newsletter counts as that something positive.

Of course, I want to do more, but I’m not there on the ground. That’s why I found this list of 14 humanitarian efforts from NPR helpful. If you have ideas on how to help, I’d love to hear more.