Benefits of Using AI Tools For Local SEO
Artificial Intelligence in local SEO is like having a digital magnifying glass, bringing the hidden needs and trends of your local customers into sharp focus.
Imagine a tool that sifts through mountains of search data to unearth the precise keywords your neighbours are using. That’s AI for you, a game-changer in understanding and connecting with your community.
However, AI’s understanding of local nuances can sometimes be like a tourist trying to blend in as a local – sticks out like a sore thumb.
AI might grasp the broad strokes but often misses the local idioms, the community-specific references, or the subtle cultural nuances that give your suburb its unique flavor.
Personalisation: Where AI Really Dazzles
The magic of AI-driven personalisation is akin to walking into your favourite local café where the barista shouts, “the usual?!” across the floor.
AI, with its vast data analysis capabilities, can tailor your website experience to each visitor, offering them the digital equivalent of their ‘usual’, thereby enhancing user engagement and loyalty.
Yet, there’s also a fine line here. Too much personalisation can start to feel a bit intrusive, like someone listening in on your conversations.
This is where it’s crucial to strike a balance where personalisation enhances the user experience but without compromising their comfort and privacy.
Content Is Still (Kind of) King
Your content is your voice in the digital world, a voice that tells your unique story – and this is where AI can be an invaluable ally. The smart use of AI in storytelling can provide us with:
- Insights on trending local topics
- Optimisation opportunities in your existing content for search engines
- Suggesting new content ideas
- Can provide User Experience (UX) improvements for your website
It’s like having a tireless assistant who’s always tuned into the local Sydney news!
However, the heart of your content is irreplaceably human. Let me say that again, your content is written by a human, for a human.
AI can guide and suggest, but it can’t replicate the genuine connection you forge through your personal stories, the passion you share for your community, or the distinct tone and style that mark your brand.
AI Can Provide Your Business With A Competitive Edge
Having Artificial Intelligence in a competitive analysis is like having a savvy business strategist available 24/7.
It can keep an eye on what your local competitors are doing, analyzing their SEO strategies, their content, their social media presence. This invaluable intel can guide you in fine-tuning your approach, helping you carve out special unique selling proposition (USP) over your direct competitors, in your local market.
But it’s essential to remember that your path to success is uniquely yours. While AI can provide valuable insights, it is YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR BUSINESS STRENGTHS and your deep connection with your customer base that truly make the difference.
AI Tools Can Help Predict Trends
The ability of AI to predict trends is similar to having a glimpse into the future.
By analysing local search data, AI can help you anticipate emerging customer needs, adapt your offerings, and stay one step ahead in the ever-evolving market landscape.
However, keep in mind that these predictions are not set in stone.
As you know, the market can be fickle, and consumer preferences change. The key is to use AI’s trend predictions as a guide while remaining agile and responsive to how the real world evolves over time.
Automating Business Processes With AI Tools
The repetitive tasks of your business, while crucial, can be time-consuming and tedious.
This is where AI comes in as your efficient assistant, taking over routine tasks so you can focus your time and energy on growing your business.
For example, we would use AI tools to provide us insights around website audits, keyword tracking, and report generation – to save us time, and to provide our clients with better value. It’s like having an extra pair of hands, freeing you up to focus on the aspects of your business that require your personal touch.
Again, AI isn’t perfect; even the most advanced AI! We practice “Ethical AI” whereby we’re transparent when we use it and we always perform regular QA checks of any client work where an AI tool is used. This is so we can 100% ensure the quality of our work for you.
Practical Uses of AI in Technical SEO
In a world where Chat GPT has aged like a fine wine (it has been publicly available for over 12 months now!) it has become very handy in resolving more specific, technical SEO tasks for us.
Most Website Traffic Comes From Mobile
In today’s world, having a mobile-optimised website is a dead-set non-negotiable. Google officially flicked the switch for mobile-first indexing (finally!) in October 2023. The fortunate thing is, AI chatbots like ChatGPT are fantastic at resolving coding issues.
ChatGPT can ensure that your site is responsive, loads quickly on mobile devices, and aligns with mobile user behaviour with the right prompts.We’ve added HTML code into the chatbot and it provides us with context and suggestions to fix it – and in this case, a website has since been completely responsive!
Having a responsive website is like ensuring your digital storefront is as welcoming and accessible as your physical one.
But beyond the technical aspects, it’s the user experience that truly matters. Your mobile site should not only be functional but also reflect the essence of your brand, offering an intuitive and engaging experience to your visitors – and AI can help speed this process up by providing critical suggestions to improve UX.
Using AI To Identify User Intent
This again is rather technical. Understanding the intent behind each Google query is so important for us as a digital agency to provide you with the best results.
User intent in a nutshell is the identification of what an online user (searching in Google) wanted to find when they typed their search terms into a search engine. It’s like trying to get into the mind of the “Googler” through just a keyword. Fascinating, huh?!
We generally split user intent into 4 categories:
- Informational
- Navigational
- Commercial
- Transactional
The evolution of AI in understanding user intent offers deeper insights into what your customers are really looking for.
By analysing search patterns and behaviour, AI can help tailor your content and offerings to meet these needs more effectively and much more efficiently than an SEO expert manually going through and filtering each search term into a category of intent.
However, the true understanding of your customers goes beyond data and algorithms. It comes from your interactions with them, your responsiveness to their feedback, and your ability to balance AI insights with genuine customer engagement.
Ethical AI & Associated Risks For Your Local Business
When we talk about Ethical AI in marketing, AI tools are used thoughtfully, respecting the individuality and privacy of each customer.
It’s about ensuring that the AI-driven market insights for personalised marketing or consumer behaviour analysis are gathered and used with absolute respect for privacy and consent.
As you’re aware, this approach resonates deeply with local business values where service is personal and heartfelt.
Here at Leadlly, we practice Ethical AI across all of our services. We value you and your privacy.
We think it’s a powerful message in an era where digital privacy and online trust is a growing concern. Just look at the Optus & Medibank cybersecurity breaches!
In a community where word-of-mouth is as potent as any online review, adopting Ethical AI practices becomes a narrative that local businesses can proudly share.
When applied properly, we’ve found that it’s a story that tells a business owner that Leadlly is a business not only thriving through innovative technology but also leading with ethical responsibility.
We would hope that this commitment from us can transform you, our clients, into advocates, who not only return for the services we provide the community but also champion the business’s ethical stance in your community.
Conclusion: AI Can Be Your Digital Sidekick
Embracing AI in local SEO is like gaining a powerful ally. It can offer fascinating insights, efficiency, and a seriously competitive edge. In saying this, it’s your vision, your passion, and your unique understanding of your customer base that truly drives your business forward.
AI is a tool to enhance what you do best, not a replacement for the human connection that is at the heart of every successful local business.
Contact Leadlly Digital To Grow Your Business Online!
AI is here to stay.
It’s the digital agencies that utilise and leverage AI that will do best.
The agencies that solely rely upon AI tools for digital, or those that don’t use it at all – both of these in my opinion are mistakes. We’re passionate about SEO, and even more passionate about growing local small businesses in Sydney.
Reach out to us via our contact us page and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
