There is no doubt that the digital landscape has changed a lot in the last few years. SEO  looks very different just from a couple of years ago.

With AI entering the picture and people using Youtube ChatGPT, Instagram, Tiktok etc to gather information before making decisions. 

Google is no longer the only place where people search. This means SEO has changed and will continue to change.

In short: a lot. But to use more words (and these are actually my own, not generated by an AI tool, I promise!) AI allows you to do much more in a shorter amount of time. 

AI can help with creating meta description, title tags, help with content ideation and much more.

And because I believe link building is an important part of a content marketing strategy, I want to talk a little more about content.

Generative AI now speeds up the whole content creation process so much faster – you save time, money (hey, no copywriter needed), and you can produce articles in minutes.

That sounds amazing, right!?

Well, I do think we still need good and creative copywriters.

While we can use AI to some extent when creating content, the human touch – a personal experience, standing out – is hard for AI to recreate.  

The goal of a content marketing strategy is all about connecting with another person.

And if the created content sounds very similar to one another, what is the difference between you and a competitor?

I will give an example, when I do outreach for a link building campaign I sometimes get the response that “you actually made an effort reading up about me”, “it’s so refreshing to actually not get some AI-generated email”.

To show a person I have looked at their website, or that I know what they are all about and to combine that with what I am all about – that is how you can build a bridge… 

AI can build a bridge, but to build a proper bridge (ideally with some nice plants) we still need humans – with the right type of experience and knowledge.

If you’ve looked at my website, you’ve probably noticed  that I am very people-oriented (and plant-oriented). I want visitors to feel what I am all about. That may be a bit hard I get that, but at least to some extent. 

Being personable is one way for me to stand out from every other SEO person or link builder. 

The same goes for your business. 

Link building and content marketing go hand in hand. Without a good content marketing strategy, you won’t get good backlinks, little traffic and few conversions. 

So….ask yourself:

• What makes you unique? 
• What do you stand for? 
• Are you coherent on all marketing channels?

People do business with people they like.

And getting that “you-feeling” is hard to achieve with AI alone. You need yourself and your target audience.

Video is an awesome way to engage and connect with your target audience. It is easily digestible and offers that genuine connection that AI can not provide. 

Being authentic, open and showing your target audience what you and your brand is all about builds trust. 

Video content allows your audience direct access to you, and in the long run, trust and connection lead to more sales.

You know your audience best, not AI. AI makes assumptions about your audience.

You likely have an idea who your target audience is, but to really attract high-quality traffic that converts, you need to know your audience inside and out.

1. What topics are they interested in? 
2. Where do they hang out? 
3. What does the normal customer journey look like for them? 

You always want to build a strategy (whether it’s link building or any other digital marketing), based on data – not feelings.

Give your target audience what they want and become an authority (and as a bonus you will get good backlinks). 

Answer their questions as if you know the truth. By doing this you will position yourself as a thought leader, and people want to be around those.

Ideally, the topics your target audience is interested in fall in line with the products and services you want to promote. There has to be a business and sales perspective in the content creation process; otherwise, what’s the point? 

That doesn’t mean every video, post or infographic has to be super salesy (it shouldn’t), but there should be some thought behind it.

One of the biggest problems with AI is that we get lazy and choose shortcuts, and in the long run, we stop caring a little bit. Maybe even a lot. 

What I mean by this is that content creation is more than just asking ChatGpt or Copilot to create an 800-word article about a topic. 

What’s the value of that article if it’s not written in your brand’s tone, if it’s not about a topic valuable to you (in terms of money) and if it’s not something your target audience is interested in?  Sometimes I call this “AI laziness“.

So it’s about creating content that your audience will want to consume.

The digital landscape has changed a lot and the way people search is way more complex. 

To be in the game for the long run, you have to know where your customers hang out, what they care about and never forget the sales perspective.

The focus of any digital marketing strategy should always be building relationships, and as a consequence of that, selling more products or services.  

AI can help SEO, but you still need your tone of voice  and to understand your audience. You need that connection. 

And I still need my plants:)