Using AI for SEO marketing? You could be doing more harm than good

The use of generative artificial intelligence tools is all the rage for both businesses and consumers alike, with early adopters appreciating its capabilities for saving time and helping with tasks. But don’t hand off search engine optimization to ChatGPT just yet.

The rules of the game seem to be changing, and jumping on the AI ​​bandwagon in SEO strategies could be a mistake for some companies, said Frank Sanchez, managing partner at digital marketing agency Elk Marketing. warn.

“This is happening so fast that even Google seems to be on the back foot right now,” Sanchez told Fox Business. He noted that since ChatGPT’s introduction, the narrative has changed many times about whether the search engine giant can or will do it. – Penalize users for AI-generated content. “It seems very lost.”

Sanchez, who co-founded Elk in 2016, says companies that already have a strong SEO strategy in place that are working well should proceed with caution. Because if the rules of the game change and companies are punished for AI-generated content, they have the most to lose.

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“Ultimately, it depends on where your unique SEO strategy is in the business cycle,” he said. “If you have good domain authority, you’re writing content that really engages your customer base, you’re really happy with the results, and you keep doing things from a profitable perspective, screwed. Please don’t do that.”

Frank Sanchez is a managing partner and co-founder of Elk Marketing.

On the other hand, lean startups looking to compete with big players and launch content quickly say there is “little risk” in using AI, and in fact “everything is for the better” at this point. he says. .

Sanchez said that for the last few years, Google has basically been in a content war for Page 1 results. However, with the advent of generative AI for public use, content generation costs have dropped to pennies per dollar.

Sanchez said there are other reasons companies should stop relying on AI tools beyond SEO, and relying on the accuracy of their results is a big one.

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For example, relying on tools that provide bad health advice that actually harms potential patients and those doing research and due diligence before receiving treatment is a big deal for any brand. Wrong, he says. medical care.

He said companies also run the risk of diluting their branding by using AI-generated copy instead of human-written articles, especially if they have a clear brand voice.

Sanchez acknowledges that AI tools can play a role in improving efficiency in a number of ways, but cautions against never trusting them and always verifying their results. “AI can do a lot, but I think we still need to keep an eye on the content,” he said.

Regardless of whether a company is using AI or not, Elk helps clients identify high-traffic keywords relevant to their industry, develop high-quality content, keep their websites user-friendly, and stay as local as possible. It advises following traditional SEO best practices, including using SEO.

Experts warn that search algorithms could change as Google and Microsoft compete with their AI-powered search engines Bard and Bing, respectively. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Online marketing experts say drastic changes to algorithms could happen to the industry as competition between Google and Microsoft intensifies, so their advice to companies is to slowly, steadily, and carefully incorporate AI into their SEO. It states that it is to consolidate the use. .

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“I think the core message here is that it’s too early to really understand the large-scale implications of how this will play out,” he said.