SEO on STEROIDS: Your AI-Powered SEO Strategy for 2024

If you think Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will be the same in 2024 as in 2023 - think again. SEO in 2024 will be very different from last year, with AI disrupting search as we know it.

But here lies some excellent opportunities for you to rank on top, drive higher traffic than ever - and stay ahead of the competition, who are likely still relying on 2023 search tactics.

(BTW, 2023 SEO tactics are by no means futile, but let's say they are 'slower' in generating results ).

Just so you know, In this article, I'm only talking about strategically developing and churning high-performing content and not touching upon Technical and On-site SEO. These technical areas deserve different articles. If you would like to access the complete SEO Strategy, it can be found in Part Four of my book under "Climbing the Search Engine Rankings."

In this article, I will share two key changes that significantly impact search and a few “new” strategies for 2024 using the power of AI.

Two Key Changes Impacting Search

First of all, ChatGPT was rolled out about a year ago. With ChatGPT, more “SEO” content was being churned last year than ever. All of a sudden, the internet was flooded with new content. Unfortunately, many published pieces were poorly developed AI content, primarily generic and lacking human perspective. The style and language are often ‘off,’ repetitive, and contain many cliches. You can quickly recognize that AI wrote them and there was not much human intervention.

Secondly, Google, following in Microsoft Bing's footsteps with an attempt to make complicated searches faster and easier, launched their Search Generative Experience (SGE). The technology uses AI to generate detailed overviews and answer follow-up questions within the search results. This AI-powered feature, currently accessible in an experimental phase,  reduces the need for users to click through to other websites by providing comprehensive information directly on the search results page. Relevant sources are featured within the AI-generated answers. Please take a look at the image below.

(This is comparable to https://www.perplexity.ai/. A tool I love and use frequently, which offers a harmonious blend of ChatGPT and Google.)

The rise of AI content and Google's SGE feature has left SEO professionals worried about the future, as these advancements could fundamentally shift how SEO is done.

Let’s go back to basics. Simply put, Google is a "matchmaker" between what the searcher wants and the content served to them. It would be best to consider this when building your SEO strategy.

Undoubtedly, AI can be a powerful tool for quickly serving the right SEO content. And there are certainly ways to make your AI content more human. Because Google can identify poor-quality content, you must pay attention to making your AI-generated content more authentic. You can improve any AI-generated content by adding human perspective, advice, guidance, or relevant experiences.

This article outlines two fundamental approaches for building an AI-powered machine that generates impactful SEO content: 1) Via in-depth Keyword research and 2) Using your Industry's or Niche's Topical List.

I have not tested either, but I have started as we speak, and I will share my findings via this newsletter. Also, why not blend both approaches and adjust as we go along?

Here is the first approach ( This route may seem daunting for some. If so, please head to the second approach for a "shortcut" of sorts)

1) Run an In-depth Keyword Research

Keyword research can never be 100% accurate, but you can get very close by activating your Google Ads account (investment can start as small as 1-2$ per month) and giving you access to their keyword planner. The only drawback is that it may take months for you to generate highly accurate and powerful results.

Let’s go into the steps.

Step 1: Build a List of Keyword categories for your business and create a folder for each.

Within each folder, you should have five Excel documents:

Step 2: Document 1: Think of all related keywords and keyword phrases related to the category and input them in the first sheet. The data can be sourced from Google Ads Keyword Planner, from the Google page itself (you type in a keyword in the search bar, Google makes recommendations, and you capture them), Google Search Console, and from the various keyword tools out there such as SEMRush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest.

Step 3: Divide all keywords into positive and negative (=irrelevant) Keywords.

Step 4: In Document 2, add the number of monthly searches dating back six months to a year for all positive keywords. Add a column for competition data and another column for the Cost-per-click (CPC) Information. Note: Do not remove keywords without data. No data simply means that no one has put a bid on them yet. Some of them may present a very unique opportunity for you.

Step 5: In Document 3, list all questions the searcher could ask about your topic and keywords. You can use answerthepublic.com.

Step 6: Run the same process for your positive keywords by adding search volume, competition, and complexity data.

Step 7: In Document 4, build your final list of priority keywords based on your collected data. This list should contain a balance of keywords with the highest search columns and high-intent keywords.

Step 8: Repeat the Process for all the keyword categories.

Step 9: Create SEO Content (Blog Posts) based on your Findings

Now, it is time to optimize for these high-value keywords. Incorporate these chosen keywords into your content strategy, targeting the most effective keywords/ keyword phrases and ensuring a strong focus on search intent.

ChatGPT Prompt for Blog Posts:

Create a post for [Insert primary Keyword]. Add an H1 Heading to include the words: [Main Keyword]. The post should be at least 1000 words long. Ensure the language is simple, clear, concise, SEO friendly, and suitable for [insert target buyer persona]. Include H2 and H3 Headings, but DO NOT title any Heading H2 or H3. NEVER USE the following words anywhere within the post: [input cliches or overused AI terms]. All long tail keywords should be seamlessly integrated into the post and used multiple times. You must include the following longtail keywords within the post precisely as they are written here : [insert your top 5 x long tail keywords]. Throughout the post, sparingly reference the brand [insert brand]. Please don't make this a sales post. The post must be written to be referenced highly in Google web searches and in a style that assumes the audience may need to be made aware of the product or service.

Please look over all content produced by ChatGPT. Once you humanize them, you can post them on your blog page.

Go through this process for every primary keyword, post the SEO content on your blog page, and watch your traffic soar.

Let's look into the second route or a "shortcut", if you will.

2) Build your Topical List

After further research, there is a less complex and quicker route to revamp your SEO strategy. Here are the steps : 

Step 1: Get Your Topical List

You'll need to compile a complete list of topics within your niche to showcase authority. Google rewards comprehensive coverage of critical areas in a niche. When you have content on your website that addresses topical maps, google will see you as an authority in your niche because you thoroughly cover the overall topics. As a result, you will rank highly.

Luckily, you can generate your Topical List with the help of ChatGPT.

Here is the Prompt: Please give me 30 semantically relevant but unique topics under the main category of X, and for each, give me ten variations of the topic that each addresses a different search intent. Make it in table format with the following columns: 1. The unique semantically related topic 2. The different variations on it 3. An intriguing clickbait-style title

OR

Help me develop a topical map for my blog with the best chance of helping me rank for long tail keywords specific to my keyword [insert primary keyword] and give each a clickbait-style title. Provide a list of 50 titles and prioritize transactional intent topics. Next to each title, add the best longtail keyword phrase the title should target. Do not duplicate keyword phrases.

Step 2: Create Outlines

Develop detailed outlines based on the selected topics to guide content creation. This is when you can tweak and revise your content before turning it into an article.

Prompt: Could you create an outline for the article [insert selected title]? Write it as a [industry] expert and write it for [insert buyer persona]

Review and tweak the outline, add extra points, or make replacements. 

Step 3: Turn Outlines into Articles and Pages

Prompt: Transform your outlines into well-structured articles or pages. Write the article in a professional, helpful tone, and insert personal anecdotes if they help illustrate a point. Include H2 and H3s as needed, and expand on key points or add more to hit at least 1000 words.

Optional: Write as [insert name of marketer our business thought leader you admire]. With a specific voice, you make the chatGPT-generated content immediately more human.

Step 4: Layer in Your Unique Perspective

Once you receive the output, replace the "fake stories" with your own- add personal stories, expert opinions, unique experiences, or perspectives to set your content apart. There is so much generic content out there - it is a big mistake just to copy-paste and publish what ChatGPT produces. 

Add your unique perspective, opinions, and advice to infuse a human touch into the content.

Note: You should upgrade to ChatGPT 4 for enhanced capabilities, allowing you to generate even more sophisticated and human-like content.

Finally, how do we address Google's release of SGE?

There are specific ways to be featured in the new ‘Google SGE’ or the current Featured Snippets (Read my previous article on Google snippets here .)

Google SGE is, in essence, the new "featured snippet" in 2024. Being featured in a Google Snippet can enhance your traffic by 26%, so your content's ability to answer questions effectively is crucial. You can follow these steps to increase your chances of being featured using AI - the same applies to both the traditional snippet and the SGE.

In essence, you need to answer questions (questions that people type on search) that are related to your niche concisely, definitively, and succinctly in 150 to 300 words. 

Use this tool, www.answerthepublic.com , to find questions people ask on searches related to your field with their rankings.

You can also Identify Answer Targets by Utilising AI. AI can help you find semantically relevant topics and variations.

Blog posts are optimized for just one primary keyword phrase, but you can include several answer targets in a single blog or article.

These questions and answers can be woven into your content, often in blog posts.

Prompt: Craft precise and concise answers to [insert question] within 150-300 characters. Feel free to add additional information.

Prompt (Option 2 ): Answer this question : [insert question]. And add it as an H1 heading. Include H2 and H3 Headings, but do not title any heading with H2 or H3; (H2) or (H3). NEVER USE the following words in the post: [cliches or overused phrases]. You must include the following long tail keyword within the post precisely as it is written here [insert primary long tail keyword]. Ensure the language used is simple, clear, concise, SEO friendly, and suitable for [ insert buyer persona]

Once you include the answers in your blog posts, for SGE specifically, you'll need to add an eye-catching primary image to your page and ensure your title is intriguing and click-worthy (refer to the above image).

Featured snippets or SGE are quick ways to rank on top, often within a day! I urge you to include this in your SEO strategy.

Additional Quick SEO Tips:

• Using the above strategies, you can also "simply" revamp all your older blog posts and optimize them for 2024 by updating the blogs, adding the primary keywords, and "answer targets."
• To double your chances of ranking top, embed YouTube videos on your pages and optimize titles and content for YouTube searches. (YouTube, after all, is the world's second-largest search engine after Google!)

There you have it! I hope it was helpful to you. Will you try these new strategies in 2024?