Discover the Influence of Artificial Intelligence on SEO

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken over many aspects of people's lives. Paired with the digital revolution (which still continues to reshape everything in its wake), AI has carved its way into the public's radar, alongside other digital phenomena like the popular concept of Internet of Things (IoT).

Human dependence on machines, software, and systems assembled with computer-generated rational capabilities is a recurring topic, even when many people are not aware of it. AI is present in many day-to-day activities, like a simple search suggestion on your mobile, a quick Google translation, the arrival and distribution of emails in your inbox, or the common Facebook tags based on face recognition.

Artificial intelligence contributes to a number of small actions that people don't always acknowledge but are still meaningful to their habits. According to Gartner, by 2022, one in five workers will have full AI support for nonroutine tasks.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

John McCarthy gave a very straightforward definition in 1956, as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines."

To elaborate on this definition, the term Artificial Intelligence is given to machines or systems that are capable of imitating certain cognitive functions in order to perform daily activities or analytical procedures, usually leading to a progressive increase in knowledge and new faculties to solve logical problems.

AI in Digital Marketing

After providing an explanation of what AI entails and its importance to people's everyday lives, it is time to highlight the changes that have been implemented when it comes to digital marketing.

Online marketing professionals stress the improvements brought with the integration of AI technologies to the market, specifically for the optimization of strategies/tools designed to personalize user experience and make it long-lasting and accessible.

AI is such an important part of digital marketing that a report by Salesforce, surveying 3,500 marketers around the world, showed that over 50% of specialists were already using AI in 2017, while 30% of them were planning to implement AI in their work. Among the group of marketers already using AI, 57% of them deemed it an essential factor for personalized tracking of their customers, and 59% of them vouched for its effectiveness to increase productivity.

So, What is the Impact of AI in SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a fundamental process for any company's digital marketing campaign. With a correct SEO technique, a website can make the top spots within search engines and gain more visibility to attract potential customers.

It's no secret that Google is the primary online search engine in the world and, as time goes by, it has increased the demands for the placement of each of its result. Its algorithm changes 500 times a year. All these updates are introduced solely to improve user experience and ensure that whatever users are looking for, they find it in a single search. This is where artificial intelligence comes in.

Google has performed several tests to improve its semantic search features; Knowledge Graph and Hummingbird served as examples of such tests at some point. All these efforts led the company's engineers to the development of a new algorithm involving an artificial intelligence learning system: RankBrain.

What is RankBrain and How Does It Help Google's SEO?

In 2015, Google revealed the inclusion of an AI experimental algorithm called RankBrain. The system was created as an aid to improve search results via word transformation, so machines can understand the context and provide an accurate result for the user.

Users often fail to find the results they need during their first searches. This can pose a risk for Google because these users are likely to abandon the search when they don't immediately find the expected solution. Through the years, Google has worked on improving its algorithm to avoid such instances, optimizing the interpretation of certain words and inquiries, most of which carry different or confusing connotations that affect the results selected by the engine.

RankBrain works through an artificial neural network that organizes the information provided by the user when an unknown phrase is detected. It creates semantic clouds via latent semantic indexing to guess, in a way, the keywords related to the user's main search. The context of the phrase is organized so the results generated are closer to what the user expects, sometimes reaching almost complete accuracy.

Specialists like Gary Illyes see this algorithm as the third most important factor for natural search engine optimization, after links and valuable content. There is no reason to worry, though: RankBrain will only affect those strategies that aren't based on optimizing user behavior, so anyone leading an organic digital marketing strategy should be free of complications from the algorithm. If this isn't your case, it's time to redirect your strategy.

WebFindYou Keeps you Updated on Google's Constant Changes!

At WebFindYou, the All-In-One Digital Marketing Technology, we are aware of Google's modifications and the underlying aim to improve the experience for both users and the brands hosted on the search engine. This is why WebFindYou is always adapting to any new update and meeting all the technical requirements introduced by Google. WebFindYou wants to ensure the best results in your digital marketing strategies.
WebFindYou was created to simplify the implementation of true digital marketing with our All-In-One Digital Marketing Technology, along with our constant efforts to effectively support our clients to the best of our ability. If you want to know more about the ways we can help you on your path to success, contact us at 866-SEO-WEBS or fill the contact form. We will be happy to assist you!

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