How to Use AI for Technical SEO, Straight from HubSpot's Tech SEO Team

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the use of AI in technical SEO, covering various use cases and the overall value proposition of AI for SEO practitioners.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Improving Internal Linking Architecture

1. How can AI be used to enhance a website's internal linking structure?

• AI can be used to identify linked and unlinked keywords within content, which is helpful for improving internal linking.
• AI can also be integrated with tools like Screaming Frog to automate tasks like writing and optimizing alt text for images, creating anchor text, and structuring data.
• AI can help classify content into themes, which can provide insights into page intent and correlations between content types and performance.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners who have a mix of on-page and technical SEO responsibilities.

[02] Generating Schema Tags

1. How can AI be used to generate schema tags?

• There are AI-powered schema markup generators available online, such as Jasper.ai and OpenAI's ChatGPT, that can be used to create schema tags.
• However, the output from these tools should be validated to ensure accuracy and functionality.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners who are not comfortable with coding, as well as those who want to save time on schema tag generation.

[03] Log File Analysis

1. How can AI be used for log file analysis in technical SEO?

• AI can be used to analyze log files (without sensitive user data) to recognize behavior patterns, such as Googlebot getting stuck or crawling many URLs with no interest.
• Tools like the Data Analysis GPT in ChatGPT can be used to add AI-powered insights to log file analysis.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners who want to quickly recognize behavior patterns in their log files.

[04] Getting a Second Opinion on Code

1. How can AI be used to get a second opinion on code in technical SEO?

• AI can be used to provide an opinion on a block of code, which can be helpful in detecting issues that a manual review may not identify.
• However, the human SEO practitioner must have the skills and knowledge to recognize whether the AI is providing accurate feedback.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners with a competent understanding of code, but who would like a second opinion.

[05] Communicating Technical Ideas to Decision-Makers

1. How can AI be used to improve communication of technical SEO ideas?

• AI-powered tools like Grammarly can be used to simplify and clarify technical SEO concepts, making them more digestible for non-technical stakeholders.
• Features like "Increase the impact of your text" and "Clarity" can help identify areas where additional explanation or simplification is needed.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners who need to communicate technical ideas, including the business benefits of implementation, to non-technical decision-makers.

[06] Tracking Headers During Audits

1. How can AI be used to track headers during technical SEO audits?

• AI can be used to store the HTTP response of each URL during a Screaming Frog crawl, and then answer questions about the headers.
• This helps SEO practitioners keep track of headers more efficiently during audits.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners working with a combination of a separate mobile site, multiple language and geo versions, and a progressive web app.

[07] Deploying Schema at Scale

1. How can AI be used to deploy schema at scale?

• For websites with hundreds of content types and millions of URLs, AI can be used to generate schema templates in bulk.
• The process involves feeding the AI data about the site, such as Screaming Frog data with identified and manually verified page types, and then having the AI provide the first pass of schema tag suggestions.
• The SEO practitioner then verifies, validates, and refines the AI-generated suggestions before implementation.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners working on websites with large quantities of content types and URLs.

[08] Visualizing Google Search Console (GSC) Data

1. How can AI be used to visualize Google Search Console data?

• AI, specifically ChatGPT, can be used to visualize GSC data, such as identifying pages that experienced traffic drops or gains during a specific time period.
• The process involves exporting Screaming Frog data into a spreadsheet, mapping it with clicks and impressions, and then uploading the data to ChatGPT to generate visualizations.

2. Who would benefit most from this use case? SEO practitioners looking for an alternative to traditional data visualization tools like Tables or Looker Studio.