My last blog post was about the obvious SEO megatrends of the coming years. In this post, we will weigh up the opportunities and risks of different strategies.
How is AI changing search behavior?
AI tools such as ChatGPT are revolutionizing the search landscape at an unprecedented pace. Voice search is being boosted by the new tools and local SEO is establishing itself as almost the last authentic source of information.
A reason to panic? No, but caution is still advised.
What are the risks for us content creators?
If you over-optimize "for" the AI, it will cost you findability. The reason - if you forget the people who are supposed to consume the content, the search engine won't forgive you either. So stick to your personal style and use AI tools "only" for process optimization, but don't rely on the apparent perfection of the machine.
- This results in the
opportunities - naturally use AI to create content more efficiently through faster work processes and research. Today, you can capture ideas and structures optimally and understand user intentions much more easily.
Mobile-first & voice search are these the new kings?
Yes, in a way they are. At least they are becoming increasingly important. But don't forget:
The risks: If you focus too much on mobile devices and voice search, will you quickly neglect other search types that are still very important, such as Google Search or YouTube?
- The opportunity - optimize for natural language. This helps with all search types.
How do you deal with zero-click searches?
Featured snippets are rapidly gaining in importance. What does this mean for you and your content?
Challenge: Falling click figures for the original organic search results.
- Opportunity - Reorganize your texts so that they are also relevant for featured snippets. Findout more here.
What role do local and image searches play?
Both are important, but only part of the whole.
Risk: You neglect your classic SEO measures on the website
- Opportunity - Integrating local search on your Google business listing and optimizing your image elements will not only improve the user experience, but likely your rankings as well.
How important are sustainability and values for SEO?
Users are looking for brands that share their personal values.
Challenge: How do you integrate sustainability topics authentically? There is no simple answer to this question. But I will go into this in more detail in the future.
- Opportunity - Strengthen your brand identity and appeal to value-conscious target groups.
Will the user experience remain the most important factor?
Absolutely! No matter how the technology develops.
Challenge: How do you find the balance between SEO and user-friendliness?
- Opportunity - Focus on user-friendliness. It is and remains the core factor for SEO success.
Note: Please do not confuse aesthetics and design with the UX. Just because an interface is apparently "beautiful" does not necessarily mean that it serves the purpose of user-friendliness and expectations.
Conclusion
Search engines are evolving, new players are coming onto the market, but it seems to be more of an evolution than a revolution.
My recommendation:
- Use the new technologies, but don't forget tried and tested practices.
- Stay flexible and adapt your strategies as much as possible.
- Always think about the end user - whether human or AI.
SEO therefore remains exciting and challenging. Stay curious, but never forget to critically scrutinize and test the system!
