It’s the start of a new year and I always like to talk about some of the hot topics that have caught my attention, and which I think are going to be important during the course of the year.

In the past, there’s usually three or four topics that I notice people are talking about, but this year there’s only one topic that seems to matter and it’s AI!

Start experimenting with AI

I’ve already written a post about AI, so rather than repeating what I’ve said, I thought I’d focus on why we should start experimenting with AI and not just talking about it.

One opinion I keep hearing is that with more AI generated content being produced (some of which might not always be great quality). Producing high quality, trustworthy content that feels human and not robotic is what really matters.

I think AI should be used as a great assistant, one that can help expand our own human thoughts and ideas. Helping with productivity and workflows is another obvious area where AI can help us. Saving time and energy and allowing for more strategic priorities is definitely one advantage.

But one great piece of advice I read was about how we should all set aside some time each week to learn about AI. It could be 30 minutes or 2 hours, but learning something every week and then applying AI tools to our jobs is how we’ll begin to discover how AI can help us.

Pay attention to changes in how people search online

More people are using social media as a search engine and for businesses, you need to know whether your customers or a particular demographic are more likely to be using social media for search or Google.

YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google. Generation Z are more likely to use Instagram or TikTok for search rather than Google.

I’ve read that topics relating to experiences such as travel, holidays or latest trends are searched more for on social media. But topics relating to medical or financial matters still tend to be searched for on Google.

They’ll be a need to figure out where your target audience is searching and then tailor your content strategy accordingly. Creating content specifically for social media platforms or adapting content for different channels is something to consider and pay attention to.

The rise of zero clicks

I remember first hearing about zero clicks back in 2018 when I listened to Rand Fishkin, founder of Moz give a keynote speech at Brighton SEO.

If you’re not familiar with the term zero clicks, it’s when a user performs a search but doesn’t click on a link that takes them outside of Google.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and how this will push organic search results further down the SERPs; zero clicks is another thing that poses a challenge for SEOs.

If zero clicks continue to increase, it means a drop-off in traffic to websites, but this isn’t necessarily bad news for marketers. If users can find out the answer to a query just on the SERPs page, there might not be a business case for creating that content.

For example, someone searching ‘how to floss teeth’ can get the answer on the SERPs, they don’t need to click through to the website of a dental practice.

I think this all means building SEO and marketing strategies that meet the needs of users and adapt to Google’s updates. Providing in-depth knowledge and expertise on a topic that answers an informational search term is where you’re more likely to get organic traffic and avoid no-click searches.

Video is still important

I wrote about this last year, but it’s still relevant.

In the next few of years, we’re going to see lots more AI generated content. But if the content that’s produced is exactly the same as everything else, if it feels robotic and lacks that human touch, it’s not going to connect as well with your audience.

This is why video is important to content strategies, videos featuring real people have that human quality. It’s important because, Google wants to highlight good quality content created by humans for humans, rather than content produced by generative AI. This brings us onto E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T, stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a factor in content because Google values first-hand or life experience on a topic.

Recording videos is good for demonstrating there’s a real person behind the content. In my last role working for a pet insurance provider, we had lots of video content on Social media providing, health tips and advice on how to take care of cats on dogs.

My colleague who featured in the videos was a qualified Veterinary Surgeon. She has the knowledge, authority and expertise that Google was looking for and in terms of building a brand for the company, we were gaining the trust from our customers and other pet owners.