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- With AI being relatively new to the marketing space, you deserve the data, transparency, and guidance to drive your business.
- This page is your ultimate resource for AI in digital marketing. Use these resources for learning how to strategically pivot your campaign.
The Evolution of Search Engines’ Adoption of AI Algorithms
How to Use AI Tools and Platforms for SEO
How AI Is Transforming the Content Marketing Industry
Google’s Advice for AI-Generated Content
Benefits of AI in Content Marketing
Challenges of AI in Content Marketing
Why You Should Hire a Content Marketing Agency
Challenges of Implementing AI in PPC
Why You Should Hire a PPC Agency
What Can ChatGPT Do? What Are Its Limitations?
Is ChatGPT Killing SEO and Content Marketing?
Why Do I Need an Agency If I Can Use ChatGPT?
How Can I Use ChatGPT in Digital Marketing?
Will Google Penalize My AI-Generated Content?
Are There Current Drawbacks or Limitations to A.I.?
Stay Afloat Amid the AI Tides With Big Leap
A Brief History of AI
If humans can take action with intent, why can’t machines? This question has fascinated many for decades and is what brings us to where we are today.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane that highlights notable milestones in the AI journey.
- 1950: British polymath Alan Turing explores the mathematical possibility of AI. He discusses the idea of machines using reason to solve problems.
- 1956: Scientists John McCarthy and Marvin Minksy host the first AI conference. McCarthy coins the term artificial intelligence.
- 1958: McCarthy invents the first real AI programming language, Lisp. This language is still used today, including what’s used by OpenAI.
- 1966-1972: Shakey, the first general-purpose mobile robot, is created. Shakey performs with reason—it plans, finds routes, and rearranges simple objects.
- 1990: Dragon releases Dragon Dictate—the first voice recognition system for consumers. It converts spoken words into text on the computer.
- 1997: IBM creates the first supercomputer called Deep Blue®. It’s the first computer to beat chess champion and grandmaster Garry Kasparov.
- 1998: Google founders debut PageRank—an AI tool that measures the authority of web pages to rank them and provide helpful results to search queries.
- 2015: Google implements RankBrain—a machine learning system. The tool assists the search engine in better understanding the user intent behind a search query.
- 2016: Lee Sedol and AlphaGo—a computer Go program developed by Google DeepMind—play a five-game Go match. AlphaGo wins all but the fourth game.
- 2017: Deloitte survey reports 83% of respondents have already achieved moderate or substantial benefits from AI technologies.
- 2022: OpenAI releases ChatGPT—an AI chatbot that generates human-like text responses to a prompt.
- 2023: Google publishes guidance about AI-generated content. It states that content, however it’s produced, should be created with quality and people in mind.
AI in the News
- https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/5-ways-chatgpt-will-impact-digital-marketing/446208
- https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/02/google-search-and-ai-content
- https://ahrefs.com/blog/chatgpt-for-seo/
- https://venturebeat.com/ai/soci-raises-120-million-to-boost-ai-for-digital-marketing/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2023/02/08/alphabet-google-stock-plunge-erases-100-billion-after-new-ai-chatbot-gives-wrong-answer-in-ad/?sh=58af3b255ce8
AI in Digital Marketing
https://www.bigleap.com/blog/how-will-ai-impact-digital-marketing-in-2023-and-beyond/
“AI is the first technology of its kind with the capacity to ruminate over these human expressions and to emulate them. We’re witnessing a technological innovation founded upon that burst of inspiration that elevates an idea: the human spirit.”
–Michael Angel, Content Writer, and AI Expert
AI is a transformative technology that impacts every industry—including digital marketing.
Viewed as a radically disruptive technology, AI will take time to develop to its full potential. Rather than viewing AI as a force that’s threatening industries and roles, it’s wise to approach it as a tool that can help:
- Expedite tasks, allowing teams to invest more in critical areas of the business
- Collect and gain access to data much faster
- Elevate the overall quality of marketing messages and strategies
So, right now, AI is a tool—not a complete solution—for digital marketing.
Even if it leverages intelligent machine learning, AI is still limited. It’s critical to understand these limitations to use AI correctly and well.
AI in SEO
The Evolution of Search Engines’ Adoption of AI Algorithms
AI technology has been driving search results for several years:
- 2015: Google implements RankBrain—a machine learning system. The tool assists the search engine to better understand user intent behind a search query.
- 2018: Neural matching helps Google look at broader concepts within a search query. This matching analyzes language better and produces better results.
- 2019: BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) helps Google understand how word combinations express different meanings.
- 2021: MUM (Multitask Unified Model) allows Google to understand and generate 75 languages and manage complex queries.
- 2023: E-E-A-T formula integrates AI machine learning based on metrics on how Google examines source accuracy and authority.
While these are unique algorithms, they often collaborate to better:
- Analyze search queries.
- Decipher user intent.
- Produce valuable search results.
- Provide a better user experience.
How to Use AI Tools and Platforms for SEO
Commentary from the Experts:
Senior SEO Director Tyler Brown and VP of Product James Straatman weigh in on the impact of AI in SEO campaigns and searches:
- According to Tyler, while AI isn’t ready “to do any heavy lifting with actual keyword research,” it can be beneficial by “help[ing] organize and classify the keywords found in the research process.”
- James adds that AI is a valuable “starting point on content ideas/topics (particularly when faced with writer’s block).”
Keyword Research
Though AI can’t do the heavy lifting on keyword research right now, it can speed up the process.
For example, marketers can use ChatGPT to:
- Collect and sort keywords by topic.
- Assign user intent for each term.
Content Research
Need more content ideas? AI tools can help get the creative wheels turning. For instance,
Hubspot’s AI content assistant leans on machine learning to:
- Help marketers discover quality content ideas.
- Offer suggestions on topic clusters worth pursuing based on competitor data and relevance.
BrightEdge’s AI-powered SEO platform leverages machine learning to:
- Find what users are searching for.
- Help your team align content around those search terms.
- Build a content strategy.
Content Optimization
Businesses can leverage AI to optimize their content.
For example,
AI content-optimization tool Clearscope can:
- Test alternative titles and metadata to discover what phrasing yields the best results.
- Offer recommendations on topics and keywords to cover.
- Monitor content performance and how it stacks up against the competition.
ChatGPT can:
- Edit and insert content into existing content with GPT-3.
- Create click-worthy titles.
- Rewrite sentences.
- Create quick content outlines on which a strategist can then expand further.
AI Does Not Automate SEO
SEO is a long-term strategy requiring effort and patience. AI won’t change this.
AI doesn’t automate SEO. The primary purpose of SEO is to add value for the user. Otherwise, you might veer into spam territory.
Here’s how Google defines spammy content:
“Spammy automatically generated (or “auto-generated”) content is content that’s been generated programmatically without producing anything original or adding sufficient value; instead, it’s been generated for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings and not helping users.”
Any content that violates this spam policy is not eligible to appear on search results. And yes, Google knows what is and isn’t generated by AI. So let’s not even go there.
AI in Content Marketing
How AI Is Transforming the Content Marketing Industry
As illustrated above, AI has begun automating parts of the content marketing process. And there’s no doubt AI will play an essential role in shaping the future of content creation.
But right now, creating people-first content ultimately relies on the hands of humans.
Creative Services Director Jaime Theler weighs in on AI’s impact on content:
“Right now, AI can produce passable content, but not the type of valuable, people-first content that Google is already looking for.”
Google’s Advice for AI-Generated Content
Here’s what Google’s developers have to say about AI-generated content for SEO purposes:
“…however content is produced, those seeking success in Google Search should be looking to produce original, high-quality, people-first content demonstrating qualities E-E-A-T.
Evaluating your content in this way, whether you’re using AI-generated content or not, will help you stay on course with what our systems seek to reward.”
While you can create content using AI, your team should take time to ensure the content aligns with your audience’s unique needs and pain points.
Read more from the almighty search engine on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.
Benefits of AI in Content Marketing
Using AI in content marketing has been assisting marketers to:
- Gather data (e.g., behaviors, buying habits, pain points, needs).
- Generate content ideas based on competitor and market data.
- Fine-tune content based on insights gathered from AI tools (e.g., grammar).
Let’s examine a couple of examples of actual companies that have leveraged AI to enhance—not replace—their messaging and products:
- Chase partnered with Persado, an AI marketing company, to optimize their messages. The bank earned a 450% increase in CTR rates.
- Starbucks uses AI to collect and evaluate customer data via its loyalty card/mobile app program. This process allows the coffee giant to optimize the user experience and tailor messaging.
Challenges of AI in Content Marketing
AI in content marketing isn’t perfect. Three key challenges include:
- Privacy: AI can be a double-edged sword. Why? It works by leaning on volumes of data that may or may not be collected/provided ethically. This situation forces businesses to deal with privacy issues.
- Plagiarism: While AI can reword sources, how and where it collects the sources is debatable. The tool may cross legal boundaries when doing so, which opens up a whole new conversation around compliance.
- Inaccuracies: Tools like ChatGPT can produce results that are, well, just not quite right. Take a look at this AI-generated blog post the Big Leap team tested out on styling fake plants in your living room.
While the content does offer styling tips, it makes indications that the snake plant is, in fact, alive (e.g., “low maintenance and ability to thrive in a variety of lighting conditions,” “consider placing it in a location where it can help improve the quality of the air”).
The main takeaway? AI should be used as one source only. Its answers/data should not be the final product. You are responsible for reviewing and double-checking accuracy before publishing.
Why You Should Hire a Content Marketing Agency
Simply relying on AI to generate content won’t cut it.
Behind a good content marketing campaign lies human thought, intent, and expression—all of which AI currently lacks. Once the human touch is incorporated, we can use AI tools to fine-tune the right areas.
A good content marketing agency will understand how to divide and coordinate this. The agency team will remain vigilant on the AI challenges to ensure your content is produced ethically and remains on Google’s good side.
Many are fearful that AI is here to replace us. The truth is, it is trying its very best to mimic us, and in its current iteration, AI draws from a database of humanity.
–Michael Angel, Content Writer and AI Expert.
AI in PPC
Benefits of AI in PPC
When leveraged correctly, AI can earn your team more time.
PPC benefits via AI include:
- Conducting audience and competitor analysis to understand the style/format of copy that generates clicks and who is worth targeting.
- Efficiently testing out copy variations with different personas.
- Allowing content writers to tailor messages based on collected data before launching full-budget campaigns.
- Gaining more data from campaign results faster.
- Studying metrics with which people alone can’t keep pace.
- Seeking ad/CPC opportunities (it may find keywords or cost-effective ad placements we might not think of).
Challenges of Implementing AI in PPC
Of course, implementing AI into PPC isn’t a one-and-done deal. Injecting your PPC strategy with AI comes with challenges to look out for such as:
- Creating code/scripts to look at campaign data. Businesses may lack the right tools or expertise to make what they need for themselves.
- Using ChatGPT to make writing simple code routines for PPC analytics easier (a person still has to know how to do so to ensure the code is correct).
- Relying on ad platforms to automate campaigns, which often declines PPC performance.
- Knowing the right AI tools to optimize for PPC campaign success.
Why You Should Hire a PPC Agency
As with SEO and content marketing—AI can’t do it all!
Even if you use AI tools to assist, they can produce errors without humans overseeing them. It’s much faster and easier for humans to have insight into client goals and the nuances of strategy.
A trusted PPC agency carries expertise in AI technology. The team can ensure you’re leveraging AI the right way. And more importantly, they know exactly how to implement AI into your existing strategy—something that can take up quite a bit of time on your own.
In this digital age, where things are moving quickly, and new tactics arise continually, it’s worth having a team that can:
- Be a good sounding board.
- Offer suggestions.
- Ensure to build campaigns correctly.
FAQs
What Can ChatGPT Do? What Are Its Limitations?
ChatGPT can:
- Answer user questions succinctly.
- Compose articles/content.
- Summarize research (e.g., reports, web pages, studies).
- Assist in coding and debugging.
- Automate tasks and workflows.
- Translate text into multiple languages.
Its limitations involve:
- Human expression. ChatGPT can’t produce content that emotionally connects on a human level. It doesn’t carry empathy to offer personalized messages.
- Critical thinking. ChatGPT lacks the critical thinking required to solve complex problems and innovate—two areas essential to sharpening your competitive advantage.
- Accurate and up-to-date data: Even if it’s an intelligent machine, ChatGPT can still produce erroneous responses and code and rely on outdated info to gather data.
- Legal and ethical awareness: While ChatGPT generates content, it doesn’t understand copyright infringement or privacy/ethical issues.
- Succinct answers: ChatGPT provides lengthy answers—sometimes longer than necessary. With Google driving people-centered content, this could cause a decline in content quality.
- Bias: Because everything in ChatGPT’s intelligence base is trained, it’s filtered to respond to predetermined rules. Thus, info may lack or offer discriminatory assumptions.
Is ChatGPT Killing SEO and Content Marketing?
No, ChatGPT is not killing SEO and content marketing. Your role still matters.
Machine learning and AI are still in their infancy. So right now, ChatGPT will help you perform your role more efficiently and effectively.
The answer to this question also depends on how you leverage ChatGPT. For instance, if you solely use ChatGPT to generate blog posts, this may backfire later on—your SEO performance may dip, which might just “kill” your online potential.
Why Do I Need an Agency If I Can Use ChatGPT?
Because ChatGPT can’t do everything. It lacks thoughts and feelings. It also can’t offer the unique insights required to fact-check and ensure your messaging aligns with your specific audience and brand.
Partnering with the right digital marketing agency provides access to human digital marketers with expertise, insights, and empathy—all of which are key to a successful campaign.
After all, you’re building content for humans.
Does ChatGPT Plagiarize?
It’s tricky.
ChatGPT might be capable of rewording sources, but the way AI collects information may cross legal boundaries. And when the final product is produced by something rather than someone, what is and isn’t ethical gets complex.
Michael Angel says it best in How AI Will Impact Digital Marketing:
“We’re at the very start of a lengthy philosophical debate over whether AI should have an entirely new set of standards for compliance.”
So, as AI continues to progress, stay tuned for how this debate fleshes out.
How Can I Use ChatGPT in Digital Marketing?
Below are a few examples of using ChatGPT in your digital marketing strategies.
Remember, depending on the nature of your business, you’ll likely need to make adjustments to these. No company is the same as another, and approaches to AI will differ across organizations.
- Collecting data: ChatGPT is quite the multitasker, so it can help your team save time on conducting research and collecting data—though you’ll have to ensure the data is up-to-date and to your standards.
- Making optimizations based on data: You can use the data ChatGPT unveils to make the right tweaks in your strategy. Small changes can produce impactful results.
- Offering content ideas: ChatGPT can help your team get the creative wheels turning with a baseline for topics and headlines.
Will Google Penalize My AI-Generated Content?
It depends on your reason and approach to the content. As stated earlier, Google will penalize AI-generated content created with the intent to manipulate search rankings and take shortcuts.
There are good and bad elements even in the SEO world. We call these the white- versus black-hat strategies. Stay centered on white-hat tactics.
White-hat strategies (good SEO) involve the following:
- Providing real value
- Matching content with user intent
- Weaving in relevant keywords
- Looking out for the user experience
Are There Current Drawbacks or Limitations to A.I.?
There sure are—AI isn’t flawless. While it can help your team save time, it can deliver inaccurate, biased, and out-of-date results.
This imperfection is why human-crafted content is crucial in quality marketing practices. It’s the butter to your SEO bread. Though AI can help put all the right pieces together, human thought is required to truly inject your campaign with value and quality.
Value and quality earn:
- Bottom-line results
- Trust from your target audience
- Authority in your industry
Stay Afloat Amid the AI Tides With Big Leap
Nothing is permanent in the digital marketing world. AI is a prime example of this, and it’s not slowing down. Partnering with a trusted digital marketing agency gives you access to expertise and guidance to stay afloat amid the AI tides.
The Big Leap team has got your back. Let’s talk through your pain points and needs to determine a clear path ahead. Get in touch.
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