The AI wave hitting digital marketing is filled with slop – AI-generated content that doesn’t engage people or search engines. That’s good news for copywriters and brands that understand good content is still king and still based on sound SEO principles
“AI is a tool. It’s not a reliance,” said Noam Dorros, director analyst on search marketing and AI for Gartner. Some people think, “we can get efficiencies by creating more content in … a pump and dump mentality. But unless you have your brand voice or some opinion on it or make it distinct, you’re not going to gain much value from a search perspective.”
That’s because, as far as search algorithms are concerned, one piece of AI-made content is the same as another. They lack the knowledge and point of view used to determine credibility. That makes it difficult for search algorithms to differentiate them, lowering credibility and expertise ratings.
So, while AI can be used to create content frameworks and gain efficiencies, good, experienced writers are still needed for the content to get noticed.
“You need people familiar with the tools and the capabilities and what they can use them for,” Dorros told MarTech. “But I think you still need people with writing experience and that ability with a written word to make it distinguishable.”
Who knows what’s next in search?
The Google antitrust cases and introduction of AI overviews make it difficult for marketers to know what to expect in search.
So far, the overviews vary in prominence depending on the industry. They appeared in health care searches about 47% of the time in March 2024 and less frequently for “your money, your life” topics like finance. Also, they tend to appear more often in the earlier, research and information phase of the consumer journey and are less common closer to the point of conversion.
That’s not a lot to go on, and the specific real estate and content of AI overviews continue evolving. Marketers need to be careful about overreacting to new developments in overviews.
“These search engines don’t even know where this is going,” said Dorros. “It’s still going to change again and again and again. So if you keep trying to pivot on every change, you’ll lose your mind.”
The good news is you already have the skills you need for this challenge.
“Don’t abandon what has gotten you to this point from a visibility standpoint on the SERP,” he said. That’s because analysis shows “those brands showing up in AI reviews are securing the top spots organically because they’re doing some of those fundamental things the right way. You’re doubling down on your SEO efforts to show up in AI reviews.”
Always know your customer
Marketing success depends on knowing your customer as well as possible.
“Ultimately, everything we do in marketing… is to service the consumer,” Dorros said. “And I don’t think that’s changed at all.”
Instead of getting caught up “chasing AI right now,” focus on “what’s three feet in front of you, which is your consumer, and understand their needs, their behaviors, their demands.” Your primary goal is still to “satiate that by having the appropriate content on your website to do so,” prioritizing content based on what’s essential to your brand and, crucially, your consumer.
“If you’re foundationally sound across the board, you can make those pivots easier,” he said. So, remember the core message: “Follow that consumer and let them sort of drive your comms planning and your strategic marketing approach.” That’s your best strategy, no matter what AI or search engine comes next.
Dig deeper: 5 tactics to make your B2B content hit harder and stick longer