Since the recent integration of ChatGPT with Bing, Microsoft’s search engine may experience a resurgence. This article provides tips for business owners and marketers to avoid being left behind.
It comes as no surprise that Google is Africa’s leading search engine, with a whopping 95% market share (2022). Until now, it was difficult to imagine another platform threatening its dominance but, since Bing incorporated the ChatGPT language model into its search interface, we could start seeing a shift in the market–and consumer behavior.
There has been a recent surge in AI-related conversation which has triggered alarm bells. As a business owner in the SEO space, I believe this change should be embraced rather than feared. And here’s why:
AI in search isn’t new and there’s a good chance you use it every day, oftentimes without realising it. Think: Maps, Chatbots and E-Payments. These are all examples of AI and, when used well, make our lives a lot more convenient.
Most search engines already use AI within their algorithms, including Google (Alphabet) and Bing (Microsoft). Now, however, instead of AI working behind the scenes and requiring users to sift through endless results, search engines like Bing allow you to interact with its search functionality in real-time, providing you with a more comprehensive and precise result.
This is a really exciting time to be in the Digital Marketing space. The integration of AI in search is arguably the biggest change we’ve seen in the past decade. This doesn’t mean SEO will die, but it will evolve.
Google recently released a blog about how they’re approaching AI content. In a nutshell, regardless of whether content is AI or human-generated, it must be of high-quality, have a people-first approach and demonstrate E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), to rank well in organic search.
However, considering AI can output incorrect facts–we saw this when Google botched Bard’s launch with a factually incorrect answer about the Webb Space Telescope, resulting in a loss of 120 billion dollars (R2.2 trillion) from Google’s market value–people or brands with well-researched content will be rewarded with better rankings and organic traffic than an article directly copied and pasted from an AI tool.
Don’t get left behind:
Hedge your bets
It’s still early days so I suggest experimenting with both Bing and Google search. If one search engine starts to dominate the market share versus the other, you won’t have to play catch up.
Get comfortable with AI
AI is here to stay and can provide instant value when used efficiently–just be sure to pay close attention to Google’s guidelines. My suggestion is to use AI to save time doing the job, not replace it, and always scan it for accuracy. Personally, I find that using it for email, social media copy, client correspondence, and standard operating practices (SOPS) increases productivity and saves time.
Here is a quick example of how to use ChatGPT to help create a LinkedIn social media post for this article:
This is a great example of time saved.
While it is likely that AI will replace jobs that are easy to replicate, such as a call center (which is problematic in a country such as South Africa), more technically inclined jobs will become more efficient with AI tools.
Try these AI tools
As an SEO consultancy, we are currently utilise three AI tools, including:
- ChatGPT to generate org, a language markup for search engines. One can prompt ChatGPT to generate schema.org for a specific URL, according to what type of schema.org is most applicable. For example, for a business with a strong local requirement for SEO, you’d install LocalBusiness schema.org. Which would then tell Search Engines that you’re a local business and help you show up if someone searches for “Plumber near me”, “Electrician near me” etc.
- ai to create content for articles or service pages more efficiently. It can be used to generate metadata, blog outlines, introductions, conclusions, or specific text based on your input. One could use Jasper.ai to generate a blog outline, write the introduction and conclusions, generate the title tag and meta description, and generate each paragraph. For example, Jasper.io could effectively generate a blog on “different types of plumbing emergencies” and then give me the outline, which will then undergo a human-review.
- And finally, ai to record meetings, write notes and generate summaries.
These are just a few examples. Depending on your industry, you will have different requirements. Future Tools is an excellent resource to find AI tools that will be valuable for your profession.
There is immense value that can be found when you learn how to use AI in a way that adds value to your life. It may take some time at first, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.
