A Beginner’s Guide to AI SEO

What Is AI SEO?

AI SEO intends utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) for tasks related to improving your website’s visibility successful integrated hunt results.

AI devices for this are capable to quickly analyse tons of data. And supply recommendations based connected their learned understanding.

This intends that AI-powered devices tin velocity up time-consuming but basal SEO tasks. Like:

• Generating contented ideas and outlines
• Adding schema markup to your website (i.e., codification added to webpages to thief hunt engines amended understand your content)
• Analyzing contented trading data

In different words, AI tin thief you get your activity done faster.

For example, ContentShake AI tin make afloat articles that are optimized for SEO. And connection tips connected really to amended the content.

And Semrush Copilot analyzes your content’s performance. And gives you a summary of information and recommendations astatine a glance.

For instance, the instrumentality will show you erstwhile your competitors accrued their visibility aliases if you’ve mislaid rankings for keywords. And what to do successful those cases.

Further reading: 9 Tips for How to Bring AI into Your SEO and Content Strategy

How to Use AI for SEO

Many SEOs and contented marketers usage AI to constitute contented briefs, outlines, and drafts. 

But you tin leverage the exertion successful tons of ways.

Here are 7 AI SEO usage cases:

1. Do Topic Research

If you’re caller to SEO, it’s a bully thought to commencement gathering immoderate taxable ideas. Which you tin later usage for investigation to find circumstantial topics you’ll cover.

Trying to travel up pinch ideas connected your ain tin beryllium tricky. But AI tin springiness you viable ideas successful minutes if not seconds. 

You tin usage a instrumentality for illustration ChatGPT to participate a punctual like, “Hi, tin you make fun, SEO contented ideas for the keyword ‘makeup.’”

And the instrumentality will springiness you a database of nosy ideas.

But devices for illustration ChatGPT don’t typically person entree to reliable keyword data. So, usage these arsenic starting points for your research.

2. Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of uncovering words aliases phrases that your target assemblage really searches for. So you tin target those keywords and look successful beforehand of the correct people.

AI tin importantly velocity up the keyword investigation process. And alteration you to get much personalized keyword data.

Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool for this.

Enter a connection aliases building related to your manufacture aliases products/services, participate your domain, and click “Search.”

You’ll get a database of keywords. With the pursuing data:

• Search intent: What a searcher wants to spot erstwhile they hunt for a keyword. For example, erstwhile searchers look up informational (I) keywords, they want to study much astir a topic—not bargain a product.
• Volume: The estimated number of times a keyword gets searched per month
• Keyword Difficulty (KD %): How reliable it is to rank for a keyword connected a standard of 0% to 100%
• Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %): An AI-powered metric that shows really reliable it is for your circumstantial website to rank successful the apical 10 hunt results

Look done the database of keywords. And return statement of the ones pinch precocious hunt volumes (higher than 100) and little Personal Keyword Difficulty scores (lower than 50%).

Once you’ve picked a keyword, click connected it to entree the Keyword Overview tool. And get moreover much data.

Like your domain’s topical authority (i.e., really charismatic your website is successful the analyzed term’s niche).

You tin besides scroll down to spot keyword variations. And the top-ranking contented connected the hunt motor results page (SERP).

Use this information to create a database of keywords that are some applicable to your marque and feasible to rank for. And repetition the process utilizing the different ideas you came up with.

Or, fto ContentShake AI do the investigation for you.

Go to the instrumentality and commencement a free proceedings if you don’t person an relationship yet.

During the setup stage, you’ll supply accusation astir your marque and voice. So the instrumentality tin tailor its suggestions for you.

After you’ve group up your account, the instrumentality will make a database of contented ideas. Grouped into categories that are based astir a superior keyword.

Go done each thought and click “Start writing” to get article-specific suggestions like:

• Titles
• Target keywords
• Recommended connection count
• Brand sound (which you tin create)
• Readability level

You tin moreover inquire ContentShake AI to make the afloat article for you. By clicking “Create article” > “Go to editor.”

3. Perform Content Optimization

Content optimization is the process of creating aliases updating contented to guarantee it performs arsenic good arsenic imaginable successful integrated search. 

This tin see tasks like:

• Finding and utilizing applicable keywords
• Updating titles, headers, and meta descriptions
• Reworking sections to amended meet hunt intent

Over half (53%) of the marketers and business owners we surveyed said they saw engagement summation aft optimizing content. And 49% said their rankings and postulation improved.

Luckily, AI tin thief you pinch 2 contented optimization tasks:

• Identifying contented that’s performing poorly and needs to beryllium updated
• Updating your contented to thief it rank amended and scope much people

Semrush’s Copilot does the first task—identifying contented that’s declined successful performance.

Simply spell to your projects dashboard to find problems and suggestions from Copilot.

After you’ve identified contented that needs to beryllium optimized, tally it done Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant.

It’s an AI-powered editor that evaluates and grades your contented based connected 4 cardinal factors

• SEO
• Originality
• Readability
• Tone of voice

And offers real-time recommendations connected really to optimize your contented for each aspect.

Keep notes for your semipermanent AI SEO strategy erstwhile auditing and optimizing existing contented for search. And usage what you study to guideline your early contented creation efforts.

4. Improve Your Internal Linking

Internal links are links from pages connected your tract to different pages connected your site. They thief hunt engines amended understand your site architecture and observe caller pages.

This tin perchance thief your pages rank better.

Use ChatGPT-4o to support your soul linking strategy.

Just inquire it to find soul linking opportunities for your tract aliases blog and supply your sitemap.

The instrumentality will past spell done your links. And show you which pages you tin adhd soul links to.

Like this:

Then, spell 1 measurement further and look for your orphaned pages. Which are pages without immoderate links pointing to them. These pages person a little chance of ranking because they’re harder for Google to find.

First, you’ll request a instrumentality that tin do a afloat SEO audit. Like Semrush’s Site Audit. 

Once you’ve group up your project, click connected “View details” nether “Internal linking.”

Scroll down to “Orphaned sitemap pages” nether “Notices” to find pages without immoderate soul links pointing to them.

If you person orphaned pages, you’ll spot an “# issues” fastener successful that row. Click connected that fastener to find a database of your orphaned pages.

Add links from different pages to your orphaned pages. So Google tin find them much easily.

5. Perform a Backlink Analysis

Backlinks (links from different sites that constituent to yours) are for illustration votes of confidence. So, if an charismatic website links to your content, Google sees that nexus arsenic an parameter that your contented is trustworthy.

AI-powered devices tin thief you place imaginable high-quality link-building opportunities. And show you erstwhile you’ve mislaid backlinks from charismatic domains.

Semrush’s Copilot automatically evaluates your backlink health. And delivers recommendations arsenic soon arsenic you motion successful to your Semrush account.

In this case, it’s showing the domain has mislaid valuable backlinks.

To travel up connected these suggestions, click the nexus successful the bottommost area to quickly entree the Backlink Analytics tool.

You’ll beryllium taken to the “Referring Domains” tab. Where you tin reappraisal your mislaid backlinks much closely. And find which websites you want to interaction to recoup those links.

From there, spell to the “Overview” tab and adhd immoderate competitors to comparison yourself to.

Hit “Compare,” and you’ll get a study for illustration this:

Here, you’ll spot information points that tin thief you gauge the effectiveness of your and your competitors’ link building campaigns. And find caller backlink opportunities.

6. Generate Schema Markup

Schema markup (also called system data) is codification that helps hunt engines amended understand your content. And makes it eligible to show rich | results that look much salient and return up much abstraction than plain matter results.

For example, look schema tells Google further accusation that tin look for illustration this:

Google uses schema markup to place 31 contented types (e.g., books, how-to guides, events, etc). So it tin service up much enticing, applicable results and adjuvant snippets.

But penning and implementing schema markup tin beryllium a daunting process. Because you request to adhd codification to your website. 

This is wherever generative AI devices travel successful handy—they tin create the codification for you. Jasper’s FAQ Schema Generator is 1 option.

Then, you tin transcript and paste that codification into the HTML of your chosen webpage. Through your content guidance strategy (CMS) aliases different website platform. 

To enactment updated connected the position of your schema, mention to Semrush Copilot.

Copilot will show you astir immoderate system information errors. To reappraisal these errors, simply click connected the linked tool.

7. Quickly Analyze Data

One of AI’s strengths is analyzing ample volumes of data.

For example, Semrush Copilot draws from Semrush devices to supply insights astir postulation dips, ranking declines, etc. 

So you don’t person to sift done individual devices to find SEO tasks that request attention.

And you tin usage AI Narratives for GA4 to automatically import information from Google Analytics 4. 

It will past move that information into personalized insights. To thief you amended understand personification behaviour and make data-driven decisions.

3 AI SEO Best Practices for Beginners

Here are 3 champion practices to thief you maximize your usage of AI SEO tech:

Figure Out Where AI Can Help the Most 

Consider wherever you and your squad really request support erstwhile integrating AI into your SEO efforts. By focusing connected things that slow you down aliases that particularly align pinch AI’s strengths.

From there, you tin find wherever AI logically fits into your workflows.

For example, AI excels astatine information study and shape recognition. So, it would beryllium a smart move to usage AI to place trends and patterns. 

Or, if determining which position are astir applicable during keyword research is slowing your squad down, usage AI to help.

Further reading: 14 Best AI Assistants for Marketers

Write Detailed Prompts 

The output you get from AI devices is only arsenic bully arsenic the inputs. Which intends your prompts request to beryllium circumstantial and supply details. 

For example, here’s a LinkedIn station generated utilizing a one-line prompt:

And here’s 1 pinch a much elaborate prompt:

You tin besides adhd custom instructions to ChatGPT to further refine your output.

Just click your floor plan sanction successful the apical correct of the ChatGPT model and prime “Customize ChatGPT.”

Then, adhd the specifics successful the matter boxes. Like this:

The much elaborate you tin beryllium pinch your input, the stronger the AI’s output will be.

Continue to Involve Humans

AI is particularly adjuvant for speeding up contented creation. But you still request group to reappraisal what it generates.

AI can’t bring the aforesaid nuances and discourse to the page that humans can. And it’s not ever accurate.

So, regularly reappraisal and refine immoderate AI-generated contented to guarantee it’s accurate, relevant, and aligns pinch your marque sound and value standards. And ever check for plagiarism.

Here’s what Semrush’s Managing Editor Alex Lindley recommends:

Whether you’re asking AI to create contented aliases complete immoderate different SEO task, interrogate the output: 
Is it helpful? Is it high-quality? Does it adhere to Google’s guidelines? 
If the reply to immoderate of those questions is no, make changes until the reply is yes.

Further reading: The 9 Best AI Copywriting Tools successful 2024

AI successful SEO: What Does the Future Hold?

The astir commonly reported uses of generative AI devices are successful trading and sales, according to research from McKinsey & Company. 

And arsenic Semrush Content Writing Manager Ana Camarena notes, marketers who are discerning erstwhile utilizing AI SEO devices will use the most:

Knowing really to usage AI is important. But I judge what’s cardinal is to cognize what you shouldn't usage it for. AI—and, specifically, ChatGPT—is not the solution to each things SEO. Even if immoderate marketers are treating it arsenic such.
For instance: When utilizing ChatGPT to behaviour keyword research, it’s communal to get incorrect hunt volumes aliases zero-volume keywords (it’s a overmuch amended thought to usage our Keyword Magic Tool).
When utilizing it to constitute articles, you’ll astir apt get factually incorrect contented that doesn’t travel Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines and doesn’t fulfill hunt intent.

The bottommost line?

AI tin support your work. But shouldn’t switch skilled SEOs, contented marketers, and editors. 

Ultimately, humans still request to beryllium progressive to create high-quality contented that follows Google’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) guidelines Camarena mentions above.

Lindley sums it up best: 

Let AI make ideas. And fto humans take the champion ones.

Every trading squad has different needs. An AI instrumentality that useful for 1 mightiness not activity for another. 

That’s wholly fine.

Learn really to build your strategical SEO tech stack pinch our guides to the champion AI-powered tools: 

• AI SEO Software: 10 Tools for Speed and Success successful 2024
• The 10 Best AI Writing Tools to Try successful 2024 [Tested Manually]
• Boost Your Content Output: 11 of the Best AI Rewriting Tools successful 2024