Using AI to improve your staffing firm’s SEO

AI has been all the rage in recent months, and the buzz isn’t letting up any time soon. In the staffing industry, it’s no wonder why this kind of technology is so popular: AI can help with everything from candidate communication to marketing initiatives, crafting job descriptions, and much more. 

But AI can also help your staffing firm in another way, one that you might not have considered: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). AI can help boost your SEO and drive more (of the right kind of) traffic to your staffing website.

Let’s take a closer look at the ways you can use AI for SEO – as well as some of the pitfalls – and how to best craft a winning SEO strategy through intelligent and responsible use of AI.

Understanding the risks

Before delving into the advantages of AI for SEO, it’s crucial to be aware of potential pitfalls.

• Accuracy concerns: AI isn’t perfect. It can provide factually inaccurate responses, sometimes known as “hallucinating,” which can lead to misinformation. It’s essential to verify AI-generated content for accuracy.
• Timeliness of information: AI models like ChatGPT have data limitations. (Until recently, ChatGPT was only programmed with knowledge up to September of 2021.) Relying solely on such models can result in outdated information.
• Copyright challenges: Content generated by AI cannot be copyrighted. If used directly, you won’t own the content, posing challenges in protecting your intellectual property.

Despite these considerations, the benefits of incorporating AI into your SEO strategy can outweigh the risks – when used judiciously, of course.

Crafting a winning SEO strategy with AI

In the staffing industry, a successful SEO strategy involves a dual focus, whether you use AI for SEO or not:

1. Keyword ranking: Aim to rank high for popular keywords related to your niche(s) or area(s) of specialization, attracting both employers and job seekers.
2. Content relevance: Beyond keywords, create content that addresses the specific questions and priorities of your clients and candidates. AI facilitates the creation of diverse, relevant content, making your website a valuable resource.

Harnessing AI for content creation

When it comes to content creation, AI can be an invaluable tool for staffing firms. A few ways to leverage it in your firm’s day-to-day operations include:

• Ideation at scale: AI shines when it comes to brainstorming and ideation (and it never tires!). Use it to generate creative ideas for blog topics, eBooks, or other long-form content.
• Accelerated content creation: AI can significantly speed up the content creation process, serving as a valuable tool for drafting initial content or refining existing writing.
• Tone Customization: Train AI to mimic your brand’s tone, ensuring consistency across your content and maintaining a personalized touch.

Beyond content creation

To unlock the full potential of AI for SEO, know that it’s about more than creating content. Platforms like MarketMuse, for example, offer comprehensive SEO analysis by providing insights into topics, post-development needs, recommended post length, and more. Integration with AI models like ChatGPT 4.0 enhances capabilities, offering advanced features for a more robust SEO strategy.

A note on Google’s AI content stance:

Google’s approach to AI-generated content has evolved – and it’s not always clear how Google might treat this kind of content. Initially, the indication was that high-quality and relevant AI content wouldn’t be penalized. More recently, it seems that Google might be able to detect content that’s been generated by AI, and that it could negatively impact rankings.

Don’t worry – if you’re doing your due diligence and editing AI output to make it uniquely yours, you won’t have to worry about Google penalizing your content.

Preparing for the future: AI-powered search

As AI tools like Bard and ChatGPT transform the search landscape, the nature of search results themselves is poised to change. AI models are starting to be seen as comparable to search engines – and their output could start to replace traditional search results. 

What does this mean for staffing firms? It’s wise to start thinking long-term about how your website can become an authoritative source for AI Large-Language Models (LLMs). In the future, it may be valuable to get your branded content to appear in AI responses. That way, when people use AI as a search engine, your company’s content will be what the model presents to the user. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Want help incorporating AI into your firm’s SEO strategy?

Embracing AI for SEO in the staffing industry can lead to substantial gains in visibility, relevance, and competitiveness – but it can all be a bit overwhelming. If you’re not an expert in AI or SEO, that’s okay. Haley Marketing is here to help. For more ideas and help getting started with AI, get in touch with our marketing experts.