Use Data Or Be Used By Data!

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The March 18 issue of Seotistics is here for you!

It's no secret that the SEO industry is undergoing radical changes.

Data & AI are playing a pivotal role and I am here to explain to you what you can do to future-proof yourself.

There's a lot of buzz out there and simple coding won't save you!

P.S. I am pre-launching my Analytics for SEO course this week, stay tuned!

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Python

You should already know Python, the #1 language in the world by popularity.

I'd be amazed at the opposite considering it's easy to use and is everywhere in the data industry.

Python found fertile ground in the SEO world because it covers our needs:

• Web scraping
• Data analysis
• Automation
• Good for prototyping

A big part of my work involves using Python to extract insights from SEO data.

While the language has many flaws, it's quite good for the average professional.

Some examples of how I use it:

You shouldn't use Python for all of your processes... but it's perfect for prototyping.

I will remind you again what are the best Python libraries in the next future but the best Tech SEO library is definitely advertools.

I have to say that Python is a great companion but is often misused for trivial tasks.

I show most of the cool stuff you can do in my Analytics for SEO ebook, after years of testing.

The R Interlude

R is my favorite choice when I can and is better suited for DataViz and reporting.

It's not very popular in SEO for several reasons, the first being that Python has more support for text analysis and AI.

If you are like me, you will still learn it because it's super easy to create stunning visualizations like the ones below:

If you want to do serious Statistics, R will often be your choice.

In SEO, we rarely need any advanced Statistics but you may have heard of CausalImpact for testing.

You also have a library for that in Python... that's not the point.

R is a language made by statisticians that is more adapt for analyzing data at 360 degrees.

For web apps, R Shiny is one of the most solid choices out there!

SQL (& BigQuery)

After Google announced the Bulk Export option, many SEOs decided to explore this world.

SQL is a powerful language to query databases and the #1 priority for data professionals.

It's true, many clients you will work with won't have SEO data in a database...

but they should!

GSC stores up to 16 months of data so you'd better hurry up and start saving it!

The best candidate in many cases is BigQuery, a data warehousing solution offered by Google Cloud.

Needless to say, you get much more data and it feels like a compulsory choice.

You may not learn BigQuery but you need it for big SEO projects.

AI & ChatGPT

AI is everywhere now and social media are flooded with terrible advice on how to use it.

This is a controversial topic because many people actually think you can get away with simple prompts.

In reality, AI solutions can add massive business value in the right hands.

The thing is, the good use cases in SEO aren't often mentioned.

ChatGPT itself is good for personal productivity but is quite limited for a company.

So you should rely on APIs and build your software.

My favorite tasks for using AI are:

• Tag pages
• Structuring unstructured data

Text generation works until it doesn't and not because of Google updates...

but because the quality is bad, even with complex systems.

You can use AI for drafts and briefs but a real content professional will always notice the difference in the output.

P.S. Concepts such as embeddings, vector databases and other magic ideas will be covered in the next issue!

Search Generative Experience (SGE)

Google may eventually "steal" more traffic from content websites thanks to AI.

The SGE is a potential feature of Google Search that will summarize the answers to some queries.

The idea looks great on paper but the first beta tests showed the results aren't that great.

There is no confirmation that Google will actually deploy SGE.

AI is still a new technology so I am amazed to see what will happen in the future.

Such solutions will force us to adopt new metrics and consider new paradigms.

So far, my only guess is that we will get another option to select the search type in GSC, like we do with News and Discover.

It's hard to track this kind of results but let's see.

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

RAG is a super important concept in AI that helps you get a better output.

What if AI could retrieve facts based on a data source, like your blog posts?

That's possible!

This process is called RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) and it's invaluable for AI solutions.

Most of the SEO basic stuff you see does NOT rely on RAG.

This means that the output you get is much worse.

Knowledge Graphs

This is a concept you must know if you practice SEO because Google has its own Knowledge Graph since 2012.

A graph is a data structure with nodes connected by edges, like in the picture below:

A knowledge graph adds an organizing principle, they are also able to derive new information.

Why do I bring up this topic again?

Because with LLMs you can convert unstructured data (like text) into beautiful graphs more easily.

That's a great way to summarize websites, including yours.

Many big companies are already implementing graphs for their business, but rarely for SEO.

The other important detail is that they can be used to improve the context you pass to LLMs. Yes, the same RAG we mentioned before!

This isn't a trivial change but something worth looking into!

Imagine providing all of your articles to a LLM...

But in a graph format!

The Effects On The SEO Industry

AI has created a lot of needless buzz in our industry and conferences are already full of related talks.

The new trends don't alter how SEO and Marketing work:

• Have a USP and content that gets attention
• Get acknowledged and do Digital PR
• Be sure your website can be crawled

Many people are noticing how many expensive tools can be easily replaced with smaller solutions with the same features.

This doesn't mean SEO tools will disappear.

At the same time, I can make some predictions:

• Content providers will need to level up
• SEOs who don't upskill... won't have a bright future
• Agencies will have to offer new services or upskill

Changes are never radical but gradual.

As you can see, there is no downside in learning IT or Data skills in 2024.

The New Challenges Of Companies/Agencies

New technology also means new challenges.

As SEO becomes more and more specialized, companies and agencies alike are facing trouble.

I've seen it all:

• Companies not storing data at all
• Wrong tracking
• Agencies using Excel to analyze huge websites
• Lack of data literacy

That's also another reason why I am launching my Analytics for SEO course...

There isn't enough good content on the topic because Web Analytics is focused on other channels or tools.

Learning coding is not enough to create value in a company...

you also need to know what to analyze and why.

What You Can Do

We've talked about risks so far but there are plenty of opportunities out there!

You don't need to master ALL the topics I showed you... but some knowledge wouldn't hurt.

You can just listen to what my readers learned from Seotistics if you want more and different opinions.

Anyway, these are my recommendations:

• Content SEOs can explore more channels and branding
• Technical SEOs can dig deeper into IT or Data
• Big companies can start integrating their SEO data with other marketing data
• Agencies can explore new SEO services (get closer to IT consulting)

The last Google updates have shown that new content websites can't compete.

This is why I recommend you adopt an omnichannel approach and consider social media and email marketing too.

While it looks easy, building a brand is a true deed.

👥 Join Our Community

Want to discuss the impact of Data & AI in SEO?

Then join our Discord server!

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🔎 Analytics For SEO Ebook (v7)

If you want to learn about Analytics for SEO and get the best resource out there, this is for you.

It will teach you or your employees to:

👉 Prepare audits that make sense and are actionable 🔥

👉 Avoid common pitfalls that cost you money 💸

👉 Create analyses that add value and money💯

👉 Move the needle faster with efficient SEO systems ⏳

This comes with periodical updates to keep the content fresh.

Unlock Powerful Insights Now!

📚 Recommended Reads - Peak Content 🗻

Some resources to dig deeper into the topics we covered today:

• ​The Definitive SEO Analytics Stack [+ Workflows]​
• ​Implementing Advanced Retrieval RAG Strategies With Neo4j​
• ​Data Literacy in Practice​
• ​Andrea d'Agostino's Medium (LLM and Data Science)
• ​Brand Familiarity by Giulia Panozzo
• ​Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap for Content Generation​

📞 One-Hour Call

If you have doubts about SEO or Analytics, you can book a call with me.

Have doubts about your content website or with your data?

Look no further, I can help you:

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❗️ Feedback and Recommendations

If you have ideas/recommendations for the next issues of Seotistics, you can simply reply to this email.

Marco Giordano
​SEO Specialist & Data Analyst

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Bernerstrasse Süd 169, Zurich, Switzerland
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