AI SEO Optimization: Boost Your Rankings with Intelligent Strategies

In the online space, a lot of things are now AI-run. Google, the apex of the search engine space, has also started showing AI Overviews for search results now. So, it's about time AI SEO optimization becomes a must-do for digital marketers and businesses.

There's actually quite a bit of evidence showing the effectiveness of AI SEO. In our AI SEO Benchmark Report, we found that AI tools improve rankings by 49.2%, and in the content department, over 25% of marketers believe AI content outperforms human content.

These findings are just the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot more to AI optimization tools than just content creation. Below, we discuss some intelligent strategies supported by real-world case studies that reveal the potential of AI SEO optimization.

AI-Powered SEO Tactics to Skyrocket Your Rankings

With all the AI SEO tools available today, there are a lot of tactics you can use to rank higher on Google through AI-powered search engine optimization. Let's look at a few of these tactics.

Advanced Keyword Research & Optimization

Possibly, the most prominent advantage of AI SEO tools is their ability to analyze and optimize keywords. Since they employ natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand the context and intent behind search queries, they can give you a deeper understanding of how people are searching for your business or industry.

And the way these insights can impact your ranking is ultra impressive. Smileworks, a private dental clinic, was unable to get traffic to its website despite spending thousands on outbound marketing. Even though their professionals wrote a ton of articles on dental topics, they were barely getting 1,000 readers per month.

That's when insights from Semrush showed them what they were doing wrong. They used the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool and focused on the question-related keywords people were using. From there, they found that cost-related terms were separate topics from general ones. For example, for veneers, cost was an individual query people searched for.

Based on this insightful keyword research, Smileworks created separate pages, one dedicated to the general topic and one to cost. Then, they interlinked both pages. The results were nothing short of amazing, with a 3x increase in organic traffic and 80,000 monthly visits on average. 

Smileworks case study

Here are some similar ways AI-powered tools can help with advanced keyword research and optimization.

AI-Powered Keyword Analysis & Clustering

AI tools do a stellar job of conducting keyword research, particularly to find long-tail keywords, which are now becoming widely used due to the rise of voice search and people turning to question-based queries to find answers. AI tools first identify the most relevant long-tail keywords and then cluster them together based on relevance, search volume, competition, and other factors.

They also show user intent for every keyword based on search patterns. From informational to transactional, these tools tell you exactly why people are searching for those terms, giving you a better idea of how to target them.

Take Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool as an example. All it needs is a seed keyword to show you an extensive list of related long-tail phrases and their intent, volume, keyword difficulty, and cost-per-click (CPC).

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

You can then go through the list and select the most relevant keywords for your content or campaigns. If you're unsure about which ones to use, AI tools can even suggest keyword strategies based on your competitors' keywords or top-performing content.

Semantic Keyword Targeting

Speaking of keyword strategies, AI tools can cluster related keywords based on their intent and context. So, they save you a lot of time and effort required to find closely related phrases and terms.

Using closely related keywords and topics on your website also helps build topical authority for that particular subject. If you cover most verticals related to your niche, search engines will view you as an authority on the topic, which will eventually boost your rankings in relevant search results. High topical authority also makes it easier for you to rank for similar keywords in the future.

Semrush's Keyword Strategy Builder analyzes the Keyword Magic Tool's results to categorize topics under pillar pages. It clusters keywords according to their proximity and similarity. You can then create pillar pages based on its suggestions and then write subpages to further create a hierarchy in your website's content.

Semrush Keyword strategy builder

This feature is especially useful for semantic keyword targeting, where you can target a broader topic by using multiple synonyms or related terms instead of repeating the same keyword throughout your content. 

Since you provide more context to search engines this way, your content's chances of ranking higher also increase. 

Predictive Keyword Trends

Before AI, most SEO trend predictions were based on surface-level data and guesswork. However, AI optimization tools like Semrush have made it possible to predict keyword trends before they become mainstream. Their AI algorithms use data mining and natural language processing to identify patterns in search queries and user behavior and then find keywords that are on the verge of becoming popular, giving you an edge over your competitors by allowing you to target them before others catch on.

Semrush even predicts the difficulty of your particular website ranking for certain keywords with its AI-powered PKD% feature. It also shows you the topical authority of your website for the keywords and your potential position on the SERPs.

Semrush keyword overview tool

Similarly, Exploding Topics has a keyword forecast feature whereby it predicts the likelihood of a query being popular in the next 12 months. The predictions are based on data from various sources, such as Google Trends and the platform's own internal data, indicating its accuracy. 

Content Gap Analysis and Topic Discovery

A notable benefit of AI SEO is that it doesn't only provide information about your website but also that of your competition. Based on this data, you can determine:

• Which keywords your competitors are using
• Which keywords they rank for, and you don't

You can then go on to fill these content gaps using AI SEO keywords to be at par with your competition or even surpass them. The best part is that these tools take this data from the current SERPs. So, it's updated regularly, showing you the most recent keywords and topics you should focus on.

For example, Semrush updates its keyword database DAILY. That's as real-time as it gets.

The Keyword Gap tool helps you compare the keyword profile of your site with that of up to three competitors. It shows the missing keywords and the ones you share with your competition. You don't have to go searching through hundreds of keywords either; the tool shows you the top-opportunity keywords with the highest volume that you should target.

Semrush content gap analysis

Automated Content Generation and Optimization

Once you've got the keywords, AI further assists you in curating content around it, too. ChatGPT, of course, comes to mind for its decent SEO copywriting capabilities. You get to select your preferred tone and output length, and it generates an entire article for you.

It's not only faster than manually writing the content but also saves time on research, as AI has done that for you. Plus, the tool also automatically optimizes the content with relevant keywords and phrases, making it more SEO-friendly.

However, ChatGPT's shortcoming is the lack of real-time data. Since the tool relies on a pre-existing database, the generated content might not incorporate recent shifts or trends. On the other hand, a tool like SEO Writing Assistant from Semrush can help you incorporate keywords from the Keyword Magic Tool (which is updated every day) in your content.

Semrush SEO Writing Assistant

Further, it provides recommendations to improve your content's readability and tone. You can use it to either start writing content from scratch or further optimize your ChatGPT-generated content.

Similarly, if you want to update your existing content according to new keyword trends, put it through the SEO Writing Assistant and follow its recommendations.

AI-Powered Link Building & Outreach

Besides keyword research and gap analysis, AI also helps identify link-building opportunities by analyzing your competitors' profiles to find websites that link back to them. You can use this information to reach out to these websites and pitch your content for potential backlinks.

Even outreach can be automated with tools like ChatGPT. As we've shown in the article on ChatGPT SEO, you can generate guest blogging ideas using ChatGPT and then reach out to websites with them. ChatGPT can even write the email pitch for you.

Depending on your business, you may benefit more from seasonal link-building. For example, an eCommerce business may need to target Black Friday deals or holiday promotions. With AI-powered tools, you can easily identify the top-performing content for these seasonal events and create similar content to attract backlinks.

That's what MECshopping did to achieve a 70% increase in non-branded traffic. The Italian eCommerce site was experiencing a decline in its website traffic and decided to invest in SEO. Some of their website's top issues were broken links, lack of redirects, poor internal linking, and lack of backlinks.

Case study results

They used the Semrush Keyword Overview tool to find the monthly search volumes for their keywords so that they could create content accordingly. They then put these terms in the Keyword Magic Tool to find long-tail keywords they could use in product descriptions.

Keyword Overview results

During keyword research, MECshopping paid close attention to seasonal trends to find the most relevant keywords for different months. Based on this information, they found the most popular products to boost based on special events or seasons. They further used this data in link-building to create seasonal content that would get a lot of traction.

To keep an eye on keyword performance, they used Semrush's Position Tracking feature, which lets them monitor keyword cohorts over time. They could then find performance stats for keywords they used in link-building and PR campaigns during certain months to determine their success.

Position tracking data

This extensive strategy resulted in the store ranking on Google's first page for 11,235 keywords. 

Tailored AI SEO Strategies for Your Industry

Every industry with an online presence can benefit from AI SEO optimization. The strategies may differ across industries, but the end result is the same: streamline SEO operations.

eCommerce

eCommerce businesses have extensive SEO needs since their whole business revolves around attracting customers to their online store. AI SEO can help eCommerce businesses by optimizing product titles and descriptions, identifying high-performing keywords for PPC campaigns, and improving the overall user experience on the website.

The MECshopping case study we've discussed above is a good example of how AI SEO tools assist eCommerce businesses in achieving more organic growth. As an eCommerce business, you can also automate content creation and updates with AI writing tools, such as Semrush SEO Writing Assistant or ChatGPT.

SaaS

SaaS businesses can reap the following AI SEO benefits:

• Keyword Targeting: Since SaaS businesses can be quite niche, they have to target keywords that aren't as competitive as those in other industries. AI SEO tools help identify these relevant, low-competition keywords to improve search visibility.
• Customer Search Behavior Prediction: As we've mentioned, AI tools can predict customer search behavior based on their past searches, making it easier to target them with personalized content. The software sector also changes at a rapid pace, and AI SEO tools can help SaaS businesses keep up with the latest trends.
• Landing Page Optimization: With AI SEO tools, businesses can optimize landing pages for higher conversions by analyzing customer behavior and identifying areas of improvement.
• Technical SEO Audits: A business that provides software solutions to others cannot afford to have a poorly optimized website. An AI SEO tool like Semrush can ensure this doesn't happen. The Site Audit feature can perform a technical SEO audit of the website, highlighting issues that may be hampering its performance. It further provides recommendations to fix these issues too.

SEO Audit overview

Local Businesses

Local businesses need local SEO features in particular, and AI SEO tools have them covered in this area, too. For starters, local searches use question-based methods and include long-tail keywords.

If you're looking for a coffee shop in your area, you might type "best coffee shop in [your city]'' or ask Siri, "Where can I find the best coffee shops near me?"So, your local businesses have to optimize for these geographical or near-me searches. 

AI SEO tools like the Semrush Listings Management tool make your business more visible in local searches so that you can appear for these queries. The tool acts as a central dashboard where you can see your listings in all popular online directories. You can also update missing or outdated information in all directories from the same platform.

Semrush listing management

With your ubiquitous presence across directories, your business is likely to appear in top results for local searches. The Listings Management tool also shows your business ranking in Google Maps to give you an idea of which geographical locations you have the highest visibility in. You can then amp up your local SEO efforts to improve visibility in areas where you’re not as high-ranking. 

Google map rank tracker

Plus, Semrush's GBP Optimization tool helps you optimize your Google Business listing. It analyzes your existing listing to find issues that need fixing to help you come up higher in local results.

Semrush GBP analysis

Travel and Hospitality

Since travel and hospitality businesses have a lot of visual content on their websites, they can use AI SEO for visual search-related optimization. For example, they can generate meta tags for images using AI tools like AltText.ai, which generates alt text in over 130 languages. Similarly, AI tools also help generate schema markup for events, deals and offers to help them rank higher in search results.

Moreover, AI SEO tools also assist with personalization in the travel industry. They can analyze user behavior and past searches to provide personalized recommendations and offers. For example, Recombee is an AI-powered ''recommender'' that shows customers personalized recommendations based on their interests and preferences.

Like all other businesses, travel and hospitality services can also use AI tools for everyday SEO tasks. A good example comes from Voe Tranquilo, a travel service that helps consumers resolve air transport issues.

Here's how the company used Semrush to amp up its SEO results:

• Used the Keyword Overview tool to analyze keyword difficulty and monthly search volume for keywords relevant to their business
• Gathered keyword variations using the Keyword Magic Tool
• Used the Organic Research tool to find competitors who use the same keywords and compared their content to improve their own
• Monitored the ranking of their main keywords using the Position Tracking tool

Source: semrush.com

With an AI tool by their side, Voe Tranquilo was able to increase their organic traffic by 588%. They also saw a 47% increase in year-over-year revenue.

Semrush case study

Healthcare

Healthcare is a highly regulated industry, which means everything from content creation to audience targeting has to be done while keeping these regulations in mind. AI tools can facilitate compliance by identifying errors or discrepancies in content, ensuring that healthcare organizations stay within the legal boundaries.

Healthcare content must comply with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. AI tools, such as Semrush SEO Writing Assistant, account for the tone and language used in healthcare content to ensure that it adheres to HIPAA guidelines.

Local clinics can also use keyword research tools to answer voice search queries. The Smileworks case study we discussed earlier is a perfect example of how AI-driven keyword research helps healthcare businesses answer exact questions, resulting in better website traffic and leads.

Healthcare organizations can also analyze their patient reviews using keyword research tools to determine which terms and phrases patients use. For example, Morningside Acupuncture, an acupuncture and wellness center, uses Semrush's Keyword Overview to find keywords on which to create content.

Keyword Overview use

In addition, they check customer reviews using this tool to get additional keyword ideas for content generation. The strategy has helped the organization increase its organic traffic from 1,000 visitors per month to over 20,000.

Building a High-ROI SEO Workflow with AI

If you have a high-quality, multi-feature AI SEO tool at your disposal, it becomes simple to build an SEO workflow that delivers results. Semrush is one such tool that helps automate and optimize multiple SEO aspects in the same platform.

Automating Routine SEO Tasks

Some SEO tasks that you have to perform regularly are keyword research, SERP analysis, competitor analysis, position tracking, and content optimization. With an AI tool like Semrush, you can do it all, and that too in a much shorter time span than you would need if you did it all manually. The time you save can go to strategic SEO planning and outreach efforts for link building. 

Its keyword research tool updates every day, providing you with fresh, relevant search terms you can target. It also provides detailed SERP analysis, such as how your keyword rankings change over time and what keywords your competitors are targeting.

The best part is that you can automate these tasks with scheduled reports and alerts. You'll know when your keyword rankings change or when a competitor outranks you and takes immediate action.

For example, Driva, an Australian fintech company, automated its routine SEO tasks like keyword research, backlink optimization, and competitor analysis with SE Ranking. As a result, they experienced an 800% increase in clicks. Their organic traffic also increased from 3.72k to 10.4k.Since all routine tasks were automated, they didn’t even have to spend hours every day to get these results. 

SE Ranking case study

Enhancing Content Quality and Relevance

Just like keyword-related aspects, you can also improve your content regularly based on SERP data and current customer search trends. Since Semrush's writing assistant is connected to its keyword tool, the keyword suggestions you see in the former are taken from the latter, ensuring their relevance and competitiveness.

Not only this, the tool also provides recommendations for optimal keyword density. It further provides readability scores and offers suggestions to enhance your content's structure, tone, and voice.

Semrush Writing Assistant

On top of that, AI tools provide tips to improve SEO, such as link and image addition. Since the tool does everything from keyword research to optimization, you simply have to run the content through it every time you need to update it and then follow the recommendations.

Data-Driven Decision-Making with AI Insights

Insights from AI SEO tools prove to be incredibly valuable for data-driven decision-making. They provide you with in-depth analysis and performance metrics, making it easier to track your progress and make informed decisions based on real-time data.

For example, Semrush Position Tracking shows you the performance of your keywords over time. The data tells you whether the targeted keywords are increasing or decreasing in their search engine positions. You can then make changes to your content and SEO strategy accordingly to improve your rankings.

Semrush keyword position tracking tool

Similarly, the writing assistant gives a score to your content based on its SEO-friendliness. When it's time to refresh your content, you can use this score to identify areas for improvement and focus on optimizing those sections.  

You can also conduct AI-assisted backlink analysis to identify the top-performing links in your niche and gather insights on how to improve your own backlink strategy. The Semrush Backlink Audit tool provides a detailed analysis of your backlinks' quality, diversity, and toxicity. You can use this information to disavow any toxic links and focus on building high-quality backlinks that will positively impact your website's search engine rankings.

Semrush backlink audit

Tracking and Measuring SEO Success with AI Insights

Whether you're using ChatGPT SEO strategies or using a more specialized tool like Semrush, it's important to measure your SEO results. Here's how.  

Key Metrics to Track for SEO Success

Some of the top metrics you must track to measure your SEO success include:

• Organic traffic
• Keyword rank
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Bounce rate
• Conversion rate

Integrate your Google Analytics account with your SEO tool to track these metrics easily. You can also set up custom reports to monitor how your website is performing over time.  

Utilizing AI Tools for Performance Tracking

Google Analytics is obviously a popular choice for tracking and measuring SEO success, but AI tools can provide more in-depth insights. For example, you can use Semrush to monitor the changes in your keyword ranking and your position on SERPs. It also helps you compare your performance to competitors for an understanding of your industry's competitive landscape.  

The best approach would be to connect Semrush to the Search Console for a more comprehensive view of your website's performance. This way, you get to apply Semrush's AI capabilities to your site's real-time performance data.

Evaluating ROI of AI SEO Strategies

The best way to evaluate the ROI of AI SEO strategies is to compare the before and after results. Keep track of your website's performance before using AI tools and compare it with the metrics post-implementation.

Our SEO ROI calculator can help here. Just input the values, and our tool will calculate the potential ROI you can expect from implementing AI SEO strategies.

Alternatively, you can compare your SEO metrics from pre-AI era to the post-AI time to determine the ROI you’ve achieved through AI use. For example, in a video, Julian Goldie explained how he used Frase to increase his website’s SEO traffic by 180%. He compared his website traffic before using Frase to after using the tool to get to this figure. 

As for the time saved, you can monitor how much time you were spending on SEO tasks before AI came into the picture. This will give you an idea of the efficiency AI brings to your SEO efforts. 

Ethical Considerations in AI-Driven SEO

As helpful as it is, AI-driven SEO also comes with some ethical considerations. One of them is content authenticity, as AI can generate content that is indistinguishable from human-written content. This raises concerns about plagiarism and the originality of the content being produced.

In a recent paper, it was found that GPT-4, despite being the most capable LLM at the moment, cannot form abstractions or reason without prior training. This means all of its generated content is based on previously trained data, raising questions about the originality and authenticity of the content.

Another work that shows today's generative AI models merely just retrieve & remix human generated content.

Today's generative AI systems don't generate new knowledge or new content they are just approximate interpolative retrieval systems. https://t.co/TPyj4YUUid

— Chomba Bupe (@ChombaBupe) November 17, 2023

Some SEO influencers and experts are of the view that AI-generated content should not be called original since it's the result of other people's creative labor. The lack of permission from the original authors is another ethical concern.

We shouldn’t call generative AI output ‘original’ if it’s the result of running millions of people’s creative labour through a computer program without their permission.

It’s hard to think of anything more clearly derivative.https://t.co/Hq4HErIJJ9 pic.twitter.com/If9726dFtl

— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) June 1, 2024

At the same time, AI-generated content lacks the human touch and originality. So, it may not connect with the audience as effectively as human-written content.

Then, there's the issue of AI creating an uneven playing field for smaller businesses and content creators who cannot afford AI technology. This could potentially lead to a lack of diversity in the digital space, with only the financially capable being able to produce high-quality and SEO-optimized content.

Possibly, the biggest concern with AI-driven SEO is the impact on jobs. Some experts claim that SEO agencies are ''dead,'' in the wake of AI SEO.

Say goodbye to costly SEO agencies.

AI can now rank you no. 1 on Google.

I'll show you how to optimize your website and top rank it on Google without an SEO Expert: pic.twitter.com/36kGQKQF6i

— Hussain Asghar (@shussainasghar) November 15, 2023

Similarly, if laypersons can also do SEO with AI tools, what impact will it have on the job market for SEO professionals? In our AI Marketing Report, 60% of marketers reported that they fear AI may replace their roles. The concern has increased over the years, which only implies that the fear of AI taking over SEO jobs is real.

AI’s impact on job security

Actionable Steps to Implement AI SEO in Your Business

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to implement AI SEO in your business.

Step 1: Analyze Current SEO Practices

First, analyze your current SEO practices and determine the areas where AI can improve. This could include keyword research, content optimization, on-page SEO, and link-building strategies.

An AI-powered audit tool such as Semrush can be helpful here. For content audit, you can use both Semrush and Frase.

Step 2: Conduct Competitive Keyword Research

Use your selected AI tool to research keywords along with their variations. You can also conduct competitor analysis to find keywords for which your competitors are ranking. This will help you identify new keyword opportunities and create a comprehensive list of target keywords.

Step 3: Automate Content Generation

Once you have a keyword list, use AI content generators to automate content creation. These tools also provide optimization tips, such as keyword suggestions and readability improvements. Even then, you should have a human reader go through the content and make necessary edits.

Check out our AI prompt optimization guide to learn how to phrase AI inputs to get desired results.

Step 4: Monitor Real-Time Performance

After implementing AI SEO optimization, use an AI analytics tool to monitor how your SEO results change in real time. You can use this information to determine which strategies and tools are working.

For example, the Semrush Traffic Analytics tool shows you a range of metrics for your website, including visits, unique visitors, pages/visits, average visit distribution, bounce rate, and purchase conversion. Since it updates regularly, you can monitor how the changes you make using AI optimization tools affect your website's performance. 

Traffic analytics

Emerging Trends in AI SEO Optimization

Be it basic ChatGPT SEO or advanced AI use; you must keep the trends in AI SEO optimization under your radar to stay abreast of the competition. Google makes changes to its algorithm multiple times a year, and consumer preferences are also dynamic. It makes sense for your SEO strategies to change accordingly, too.

Predictive SEO and Real-Time Adjustments

We've already touched on predictive SEO, such as forecasting keyword trends and potential SERP positions. As AI becomes more capable, it will be able to anticipate consumer behavior even better.

AI tools can also predict ranking fluctuations and search behavior changes, allowing you to make real-time adjustments to your SEO strategies. Real-time changes are a must; if you take months to update your SEO strategies, you will lose out on potential traffic, and the algorithm may have shifted again.

Voice and Visual Search Optimization

Voice and visual search are among the top SEO trends, as noted by experts from Semrush and the SEO field in general. AI will be able to help SEO professionals optimize their content for these newer forms of search.

Read our 9 SEO trends about:
-AI answers search queries
-AI copywriting tools
-Voice search
-Visual search
-Video SEO
-Featured snippets
-Helpful, expert content
-Microsoft Bing
-User experience

All in the blog: https://t.co/PuTA8i5Ttn.

— Semrush (@semrush) October 12, 2024

For example, AI can identify the most common questions people ask through voice search and help you optimize your content to answer those questions. It can also analyze visual content to determine the most relevant keywords and phrases for visual search optimization.

OpenAI has launched its Vision API, which can take in and process image inputs. Its image-to-text capability can help identify the most relevant keywords within an image, making it easier to optimize for visual search.

OpenAI recently launched Vision API, so I brought my another idea to life with GPT-4 Turbo.

🔎📸 Built an image search feature that can be integrated into any online shopping site with just a few steps.

Try: https://t.co/NEIzLc9t2j

Take a look at this: pic.twitter.com/7Zp95x0R2F

— Enes (@enesozturkdev) November 11, 2023

Rank Up With AI SEO Optimization

One thing is clear from our analysis of the top intelligent SEO strategies you can implement using AI: SEO automation with AI tools is cost-effective and result-yielding. However, it comes down to the tools you select and the way you use them in your SEO efforts.

While AI can assist in keyword research, gap analysis, content creation, backlink analysis, and analytics, know that it's an assistant. You, as a human SEO professional or marketer, have to impart your knowledge and experience to AI tools for them to deliver the results you want. So, you should go for a human-AI collaborative approach in SEO and use AI to empower your efforts, not replace them.

About the Author

Nadica Naceva

Writer

Nadica Naceva, Head of Content at Influencer Marketing Hub, is a seasoned writer and reviewer with in-depth expertise in digital and content marketing. Leveraging her extensive experience in guiding content creation and strategic direction, Nadica brings a critical eye and analytical approach to reviewing articles and educational pieces. Her commitment to accuracy, integrity, and innovation with each review helps IMH grow as a leading source in influencer marketing. Her insights are backed by first-party data, ensuring content meets the highest standards of relevance.