Search Engine AI: The Reason Why Quality Content Is Crucial

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This year promises to be a challenging yet interesting one for those in the field of content writing services and search engine optimization (SEO). With the growing significance of Google’s AI ranking platform, called RankBrain, it’s definitely going to be an industry-changing year, particularly for content specialists and SEO professionals.

Want to know more about Google’s RankBrain and how it may affect your SEO and content marketing strategy in the near future?

When search engine giant Google first revealed its decision back in October of 2015 to use an artificial intelligence algorithm for ranking web pages based on search queries, people in the SEO industry didn’t really know what to think of it. Self-learning AI to assist in online searches? Are we really ready for the age-smart AI?

Apparently, we are ready for AI technology. And Google is just one of the industry leaders now taking the charge with its AI platform RankBrain.

So what does this mean for search engine optimization?

RankBrain is actually an AI system capable of analyzing queries that use ambiguous or vague search terms and match them with the closest relevant results the system can find. In the following months since the AI’s deployment, it has become one of the most crucial components to Google’s algorithm, providing the highest quality and most relevant search results.

When it comes to SEO, some experts argue that RankBrain and other smart AI systems will render optimization for search engines obsolete. However, this is not the consensus among SEO specialists, online marketers, and other industry professionals.

Don’t forego your SEO strategy just yet.

Over the years, Google has rolled out a number of algorithm updates to further enhance the ranking process of their search engine. And every time a new version comes out, SEO specialists learn to adjust and adapt to the new system to enhance the optimization process and make it more efficient.

The launch of an artificial intelligence that can learn search patterns and behaviors and rank web pages based on its relevance to the query is somewhat intimidating to an SEO professional. But in no way does this mean the end of search engine optimization.

Still not convinced?

Listen. There’s no doubt that with the advent of Google RankBrain comes a significant change in the SEO landscape. This particular system has forever changed the way we approach search engine optimization, from the techniques we employ to the practices we observe. Why?

In the past, the techniques and methods used by SEO professionals were so varied. To get ahead of the competition, SEO specialists would employ what is now considered as black hat techniques to cheat the system and rank their websites higher in the search results, even though the content has no significance whatsoever with the search query.

So what did Google do?

It slowly upgraded its algorithms and taught the system to detect pages that employ black hat SEO tactics like keyword stuffing, invisible text, and so on. Once these hacks became ineffective, SEO marketers and website content writing services began employing safer and more quality-oriented methods to rank their websites.

The point is with each algorithm update, each system rollout, we as SEO professionals start to become better at what we do and more efficient in coming up with top-notch strategies to rank websites higher in search results.

With the RankBrain update, the SEO process is slowly shifting its focus toward quality content. That’s right. Relevant, high-quality content will rank better in the search engine results page (SERP). Gone were the days where you simply follow a specific formula or some type of hack to cheat the system and expect excellent results. Nowadays, high-quality content is what really counts.

So how do you improve the quality of your content and get a better ranking in the SERP?

Useful Tips for Creating High-Quality Content That Is RankBrain-Friendly

Okay. When it comes to creating quality content, one of the most common advices you probably hear is something that goes a lot like this: “Create a well-written content that is relevant and compelling to your target audience. It should offer something new and useful to your readers . . .”

Even though that is indeed the rule of thumb when creating quality content, it is by far not the only thing you can do to make your content AI-friendly.

1. Adhere closely to Google’s SEO guidelines.

Instead of trying to find ways to cheat the system and fail, why not focus on creating content that actually adheres to the SEO guidelines put forth by Google? These guides exist not just to make the ranking process easier for Google’s algorithms. They are there to make sure that users find the information they want as efficiently as possible.

As a website owner or a SEO professional, you are not just making an effort to get a higher ranking on search results; you are essentially providing better quality content that your target audience can trust. That is the kind of mindset you should be leaning towards, and not the kind that expects to get on top as quickly as possible.

2. Be concise when writing your content.

One of the most crucial elements in well-written, top quality content is its ability to provide information in a brief yet comprehensive manner. That is what being concise is all about, delivering your message in as few words as possible, but wide-ranging. No fluff.

So why is having concise content important when dealing with Google’s RankBrain?

You see, one of the biggest challenges faced by some of the top search engines in the industry, such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing, is a better understanding of the context surrounding a specific content in order to provide better quality and relevant results.

And that is the primary task of RankBrain, learning and understanding context so it can quickly detect relevant content on a page and present it in the search engine results page or SERP. This means that if you want RankBrain to detect your web pages quickly and determine its relevance, you should consider writing more concise and better quality content.

And when you’re in the market for SEO content writing services, you better make sure that they put an emphasis on creating top-notch content before you hire them.

3. Study and learn to better understand your target audience.

Analyzing your viewership, your followers, or your target market is the key to a successful SEO marketing campaign. Not only will this be a crucial element in an SEO strategy driven by smart AI ranking, it will also enable you to provide better quality and engaging content that will truly address the needs of your audience.

If you know your target audience well, you’re familiar with their purchase patterns and search behaviors; you can create content that is specifically tailored to their preferences and needs. So take the time to do some research and get to know your followers. This will help you stay on top of search trends and other newer strategies that may be crucial to your content marketing campaign.

4. Stay away from black hat SEO techniques and SEO companies that utilize them.

No matter how tempting a SEO company’s offer is or high quickly they seem to elevate a website to the top of search result rankings, it’s always best to do your research on the various techniques the said company employs. If there’s trickery involved, or some kind of black hat tactic, it’s best to look for another more reputable SEO service provider.

Stop believing that there’s a shortcut to getting to the top of the search engine results page. It does not exist. The only way to climb the top of the SERP is to do it organically. Keyword stuffing, buying backlinks, link swapping, invisible texts, all these SEO strategies might have worked briefly in the past, but they are no longer viable techniques in today’s more sophisticated search algorithms.

5. Don’t forget about web design and website optimization.

It’s not just the content that you need to worry about when dealing with Google’s RankBrain AI. You also have to be mindful of how your website is designed and whether or not it’s optimized for different platforms.

For starters:

Websites that rank higher in the search results feature top-quality web design, in addition to having high-quality content. These websites and each of their pages are responsive and optimized well for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

In other words, your website should be able to adapt well to the various changes that are already here and those that are still to come. Talk to your web development team about what can be done to enhance the quality of your current website.