How to Save Our Souls from the Google Storm?

Insights and solutions for SEO success

Apr 02, 2024

Staying ahead of the curve is crucial in virtually every aspect of life, and the digital sector is no exception. Among Google's recent updates, one in particular has stirred up considerable debate and concern within the SEO community, particularly targeting the abuse of scaled content.

But what exactly does this new spam update entail, and why is it causing such a commotion among SEO professionals and site owners alike? With the rise of AI-generated content, are people now questioning if it still helps websites rank higher on Google after this update? Also, even though AI was supposed to change how content is made, why do search engines seem to like it less now? These questions highlight the need for a closer examination of the dynamics at play.

The dark side of scaled content creation

This is a not-so-ethical practice of creating numerous pages just to manipulate search rankings rather than genuinely helping users. How is this done? By producing unoriginal content through programmatic SEO that offers little or no value to visitors. It doesn't matter if it's made by AI or people—what matters is that these pages don't really care about giving useful answers to users.

Nevertheless, the use of generative AI tools or similar software to churn out a large volume of pages is as common as feeling the Monday morning blues.

Google's Algorithmic Shake-up and what do they have to say about it?

With no warning, whatsoever, pages moving up and down in ranking all of a sudden, SEO managers and site owners found themselves in a dilemma post the new spam update. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into various aspects of our daily lives, its role in SEO and content creation has become widespread. While AI tools have undoubtedly streamlined processes and increased efficiency, they have also contributed to the spread of low-quality, valueless content flooding the web.

This rampant misuse of AI in content creation prompted Google to take action.

“Some companies have figured out how to create Gen AI content effectively. They've learned that it's not just about adding keywords. Instead, the key is to write content for users, not just for Google.” - Ramesh Ravishankar, Cofounder of Highperformr.ai

With this action, Google seeks to elevate content that is both search engine-optimized and genuinely useful to the audience. It represents an evolution in Google's approach to identifying and promoting helpful content.

According to Elizabeth Tucker, Director of Product Management at Google, based on their evaluations, they anticipate that the combination of this update and their previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.

However, the response to this update has been mixed, with comments reflecting a spectrum of emotions ranging from anger and frustration to sadness and despair.

Google is advising SEO managers and site owners to be patient and to take any action on their pages only after the update is complete. Given the gradual rollout process, the update's effects may extend into April 2024. Google also said they'll have a feedback form where people can share their thoughts about the update.

Balancing Technology and Humanness for SEO success

Firstly, it's important to remember that AI should be a helper, not the main writer. Relying entirely on AI for content creation could harm your site's rankings, as visitors may prefer content that feels more human. Use AI as a tool, alongside your own skills.

Start by doing keyword research to find the best words to focus on. Also, think about what people are searching for when they use those keywords.

Once you've picked a keyword and decided on a title for your page or blog, make an outline of what you want to say. Highlight the main topics and subtopics you want to cover.

With your outline ready, you can start writing. You can either use AI to help you come up with ideas and fill in the details, or you can write most of the content yourself and use AI to enhance it. Either way, make sure the final product sounds natural and not too robotic.

After you've written your first draft, go through it carefully and make any necessary changes. Double-check any facts or numbers provided by AI to ensure they're correct, and remember to include references where needed. Also, check for readability - if it sounds like a machine wrote it, tweak it to sound more human.

Before publishing, run your content through a plagiarism checker to ensure it's original. Plagiarized content can harm your site's SEO and may even lead to penalties from search engines.

Lastly, make sure your content follows good SEO practices for on-page optimization, such as using relevant keywords, proper formatting, and adding meta tags.

I came across an interesting research article by Evan Bailyn, CEO of First Page Sage, in which he discusses whether AI-generated content is beneficial for SEO. His research focused on determining whether content written by humans or AI is more effective in helping websites rank higher on Google. His findings provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of AI-generated content for SEO. Read for yourself.

Prompts

Having reviewed Evan Bailyn's research, it's clear that AI-generated content might not be as good as human-written content in terms of quality, especially when written by experts following best practices. Hence, AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard although can be of great help to create content, they cannot serve as the primary writing tool. Bailyn suggests that they're best for tasks such as training writers on audience personas, summarizing complex source materials, and generating visual aids like charts and graphs.

So, what is that one thing that helps you build rapport with AI tools? How can you stay on the right side of SEO with AI to your left?

In their podcast 'Be on the Right Side of SEO,' Highperformr Co-founders Sri and Ramesh emphasize the importance of quality content while also highlighting the value of quantity. They believe the key to this balance is knowing how to talk to AI well, which means being great at giving prompts.

To write a good prompt, you need to:

Provide clear context
Be specific
Think about style and tone
Give clear instructions

Above all this, the person writing the prompt plays a crucial role in how AI responds. They need to understand how AI works and choose their words carefully to get the best results.

When writing prompts, it's important to:

Structure your prompts: Start with an introduction, explain the main request, set any limits, and then sum up.
Balance specificity and openness: Be clear about what you want, but also give AI room to be creative.
Use examples and style: Show AI what you want by providing examples and specifying the style you're looking for.

As AI gets better, prompts will become even more important. New AI models are learning to understand prompts better, which means they can create more complex and nuanced responses. This will lead to more personalized and advanced AI interactions in the future.

The way we utilize Generative AI, create content, and manage SEO is constantly evolving, shaping how we approach digital marketing. Great prompts and increased potential of AI run on parallel tracks, leading organizations to seek individuals who can effectively communicate with AI and collaborate with it as a team.

According to Statista, a 2023 research study found that 73% of U.S. marketers stated that their organizations had used generative artificial intelligence tools, including chatbots, in their line of work. Additionally, a Forbes article predicts that by 2028, the market for AI in marketing will reach $107.5 billion, a substantial increase from the estimated $15.84 billion in 2021.

These statistics indicate that AI is here to stay, and it is imperative that we improve our skills in utilizing it to remain competitive. That’s all for now. Have a great rest of the week y’all. Ciao! 👋