SEO is dead… Blah blah blah… We’ve heard it all before.
I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m saying it doesn’t matter!
The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and with the rise of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, there's a new narrative making the rounds:
It's a bold claim, one that has marketers and content creators alike questioning the future of their craft. Nothing more wrong!
Let me tell you why this line of thinking is not just premature but fundamentally flawed.
The proclamation that SEO is dead is not new. It's a refrain that surfaces every few years, usually in response to significant technological or consumer behaviour changes. Remember when social media was supposed to kill email marketing? Or when mobile apps were going to make websites obsolete? History has shown us that while the tools and platforms may change, the foundational strategies remain relevant.
The latest supposed harbinger of doom is ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model that has captured the imagination of millions. Its ability to generate human-like text has led some to believe that traditional search engines and the strategies that optimise for them are on their way out.
The argument goes like this: As AI models like ChatGPT become more advanced, people will turn to them for answers instead of using search engines like Google. Consequently, the need for SEO, content marketing, and blogging will diminish. After all, if an AI can provide immediate answers, what's the point of creating content that's optimised for search engines?
This line of thinking overlooks several critical factors that not only keep content creation relevant but make it more important than ever.
Whether someone types a query into Google or poses a question to ChatGPT, the fundamental desire is the same: to find an answer or solution to a problem. The medium through which they seek this information may evolve, but the underlying need remains constant.
Traditional search engines provide a list of links that may contain the answer, requiring users to sift through content to find what they're looking for. AI models aim to deliver immediate answers, summarising information from various sources.
But here's the kicker:
Where do you think AI models like ChatGPT get their information? They are trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, including articles, blogs, research papers, and more. The richness and accuracy of their responses depend on the quality and diversity of the content available online.
AI doesn't generate knowledge out of thin air. It processes and learns from existing content. If content creation were to halt, the development of AI models would stagnate. They would have no new information to learn, making their responses outdated and less valuable.
There's a symbiotic relationship here. Content creators produce material that AI models learn from, and in turn, these AI models can help disseminate that content to a broader audience. It's a feedback loop that benefits both parties.
Let's suppose you stop creating content because you believe AI will render it obsolete. What happens then? Your brand, ideas, and solutions become invisible to search engines and AI models that could have included your insights in their responses.
In the digital age, visibility is everything. You need to actively contribute content to the internet to show up in search results or in AI-generated answers. Both rely on indexing and processing available online content.
Publishing quality content establishes you as an authority in your field. This helps with SEO and signals to AI models that your content is credible and worth including in responses. With a robust online presence, you can build that authority.
This isn't just motivational fluff, it's actionable advice rooted in the realities of how information is consumed and disseminated today.
AI models are powerful but lack the human touch that comes from personal experience, anecdotes, and nuanced understanding. Quality content created by humans resonates in ways AI-generated text often can't.
Content creators can adapt to emerging trends, address new concerns, and provide timely insights. This agility is something that AI models, which require time-consuming training on new data, can't match in real-time.
The news that ChatGPT has surpassed Bing in traffic has fueled the narrative that traditional search is dying. But let's put this into perspective.
source: https://www.similarweb.com/blog/insights/ai-news/chatgpt-bing-duckduckgo/
So we can see that ChatGPT (chat.openai.com) compared to challenger (..to Google) search engines, including Baidu, Yandex, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, from November 2022 to March 2023. While Baidu and Yandex maintain higher traffic levels, ChatGPT sees steady growth, surpassing Bing's visits by March 2023. This trend highlights ChatGPT's rising popularity, sparking discussions about the relevance of traditional search engines in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
First, surpassing Bing's traffic is noteworthy but not earth-shattering. Bing holds a small fraction of the search engine market share compared to Google. ChatGPT's rise indicates growing interest in AI but doesn't spell doom for search engines.
People use ChatGPT and search engines for different purposes. ChatGPT excels at generating human-like text, brainstorming ideas, or providing quick explanations. Search engines are better suited for finding specific information, accessing up-to-date news, or exploring a range of resources.
The panic around AI replacing search and rendering content creation obsolete is overblown. Here's why you should stay the course.
The emergence of new technologies doesn't necessarily eliminate existing ones. Instead, it often leads to market evolution, where different tools serve different needs.
Rather than seeing AI as a threat, consider it another platform to distribute your content. Just as you optimise content for search engines, you can feel how AI models might utilise your content.
While the tools and algorithms may change, the core principles of SEO and content marketing remain vital.
Search engines and AI models alike prioritise content that offers value to users. By focusing on creating high-quality, user-centric content, you're not just optimising for algorithms, you're building relationships with real people.
Understanding what your audience is searching for allows you to create content that meets their needs. This isn't about gaming the system but about effective communication.
AI tools can help generate topic ideas, headlines, or even first drafts, which you can then refine and personalise.
As AI models include your content in their training data, they can help amplify your reach, introducing your ideas to a broader audience.
Your content is the foundation for both search engines and AI models. Keep creating informative, engaging, and valuable material to your audience..
While it's essential to consider SEO best practices, prioritise the human experience. Content that resonates with readers will naturally perform better across platforms.
Understanding how AI models work can help you adapt your content strategy. For example, clear and well-structured content is more easily processed by AI, increasing the chances of your material being included in AI-generated responses.
Don't rely solely on one platform or medium. Explore various channels like social media, podcasts, video content, and, yes, even AI platforms.
Build a community around your content. Engagement leads to loyalty, and loyal audiences are less likely to be swayed by new platforms or technologies.
The rise of AI and models like ChatGPT is an exciting development in the digital landscape, but more is needed to signal the end of SEO, content marketing, or blogging. If anything, it underscores the importance of high-quality content.
By continuing to produce and publish valuable content, you're serving your current audience and contributing to the broader pool of knowledge that powers the next generation of AI models.
Change is the only constant in the digital world. Technologies will evolve, and platforms will rise and fall, but the human need for information, connection, and value remains steady. By focusing on creating content that meets these needs, you position yourself and your brand for long-term success, regardless of the latest trends or technological shifts.