How Generative AI is Impacting SEO for Ecommerce

In the ever more crowded world of ecommerce, retailers can’t risk getting lost in the shuffle. A big part of this, as we’ve discussed in the past, relies on an organization’s ability to design and provide unique and dynamic experiences for their customers. But this is only one facet of what must be a multi-tiered brand strategy. After all, no one will be wowed by your incredible website, if they aren’t directed to it to begin with. It’s here where SEO has proven more important than ever—and, thanks to new tools and technologies, more powerful than ever.

As ecommerce businesses wade into the world of AI, more and more conversations around where these innovations can be best applied have cropped up. Are they best for image generation or text creation? Do they have the potential to raise the stakes for personalization efforts? 

Among all these topics, generative AI-backed SEO hasn’t gotten the most flashy headlines. However, based on the predictions of those who have studied search engine optimization’s evolution over the years, it is an area where the impact of AI has the potential to be massive. 

That’s why—if you want to be a front of the pack, top of the heap, tip of the spear name in modern ecommerce—you must be thinking about how AI can transform your SEO strategy now and going forward.

Better SEO with less hassle

One of the biggest appeals of AI tools is their promise of efficiency, and that holds true in the realm of SEO. In fact, the hope for many is that generative AI will not only lessen the burden of manually researching and selecting ideal keywords, but, eventually, eliminate the need to have SEO-focused teams altogether. Whether that ultimate goal will come to pass remains to be seen, as there are a few strategic concerns that we will touch on later. Still, in the here-and-now, AI is already proving to be an incredible ally for SEO specialists looking to up their game without expending extra time and resources.

How?

As with AI-based text and image generators, AI SEO tools are able to scour the web for high-ranking sites and pages and recommend keywords and meta tags based on queries that your teams input. If you already have some keywords in mind, the technology can test their effectiveness or offer additional terms that tend to appear on high-ranking sites alongside the keywords you’ve provided.

Similarly, these tools can look at your existing site and draft pages and provide suggestions based on the content you have on hand. As a result, you can not only structure new pages and assets around what is likely to bring your website to the front of Google, but optimize older pages to ensure they don’t hold you back when it comes to ranking. Furthermore, because of that trademark efficiency, generative AI allows you to build out your SEO framework at scale, without excessive manpower. In fact, one of the most exciting opportunities that these tools offer is the ability to generate large numbers of pages in a short period of time. Whether that’s a bunch of individual pages or multiple versions of a single page, you don’t need to worry about sacrificing time meant for innovation on search engine optimization.

Personalized SEO in no time at all

For ecommerce companies focused on personalization, this last benefit should prove especially appealing. Say you’re a global retailer looking to improve your footprint in a foreign market. It’s unlikely that the search terms that rank in Delaware are the exact same as the terms that rank in Dubai. As such, developing a local SEO strategy will be critical.

In the past, the prospect of pulling together separate SEO keywords and meta tags for each region in which your business operates might have seemed like an exhausting project with an uncertain chance of success. With AI tools, however, it’s not only quicker to create all that meta information, but the accuracy of the terms you use will be much higher, thanks to your tool’s ability to cross-reference your page with high-ranking pages in the region. Imagine if your brand could appear at the top of search results from the first day you plant your feet in a new market. You could build recognition and high-quality traffic from the get-go, rather than waiting to gradually make your mark! That’s an ecommerce dream.

And SEO personalization doesn’t need to stop at a regional level. With AI, you can begin to provide tailored search results for individual customers based on their previous keywords and queries. A truly personal shopping experience is easy to actualize when you have the right tools analyzing and synthesizing user data.

Is there any downside to AI SEO tools?

As with its other applications, there remains a healthy skepticism as to the exact extent to which generative AI should be used for SEO. One key concern experts have raised—which should be familiar to anyone who has dabbled in conversations about AI’s potential—is whether these tools’ approach of culling from existing sources will eventually prove to be more of a stumbling block than an advantage for ecommerce businesses. Importantly, these experts note that if everyone is using tools that provide suggestions based on what’s already out there, then everyone is essentially getting their SEO from the exact same source. As a result, you’ll likely have hundreds, if not thousands, of enterprises using identical keywords and tags. The red-hot SEO advice your business has paid top-dollar for won’t make much of a difference when everyone gets the same advice.

This isn’t incorrect, and it’s why AI is unlikely to become the only player in SEO. But it also doesn’t discredit the effectiveness of generative AI tools used in conjunction with the creativity and expertise of your personnel. After all, thousands of brands are already competing for top real estate on a finite number of keywords. The thing that helps one rank above the others is not simply that they knew which tags to apply, but that when customers navigated to their site, they stayed, browsed, and bought. 

AI-based SEO helps streamline the grunt work of analyzing millions of search terms. In doing so, it frees up your teams to create the incredible site experience that will ultimately set you apart from the competition, and will determine whether Google suggests you first or fiftieth. 

That’s why it’s such an exciting solution.

Take your SEO to the next level with generative AI

There are a myriad of ways to set your ecommerce business apart from the competition, and it's in your best interest to take advantage of as many of them as possible. With the help of an AI-based approach to SEO, you’re better equipped to do so than ever before.

Not only does generative AI simplify the often knotty, mercurial whims of search engines, it ensures that you can devote your resources to other areas where you can rise above the pack. Think of it this way: would you rather expend your energy getting a foot in the door or showing customers what you have to offer?

We thought so.