AI impact on SEO and Google Search - Mad Scientist
07 May
SEO, Ai in marketing

AI impact on SEO and Google Search – What SMEs Need to Know (and How to Adapt)

If you’re an entrepreneur running an SME, you need to know about AI impact on SEO and search engines. Chances are you’ve either dabbled in SEO or hired someone to handle it. After all, showing up in Google’s search results can make or break your online visibility. But here’s the kicker: the world of SEO is changing faster than you can say “ranking factors,” and at the heart of that transformation is artificial intelligence (AI).

Yup, the same technology behind ChatGPT, image generators, and those eerily accurate Netflix recommendations is now reshaping how people search on Google—and how businesses like yours need to think about SEO.

So, what’s actually changing? And more importantly, how can you keep your business ahead of the curve without tearing your hair out?

Grab a coffee, lean back, and let’s unpack the future of SEO in an AI-driven world.

Welcome to the Era of AI Search

Remember when Google was just a simple list of blue links? You typed “best pizza near me,” and you got a ranked list of websites. Easy.

Well, those days are fading.

Google has been on an AI journey for years—think RankBrain, BERT, and MUM—but its latest evolution is game-changing. With Generative AI, Google isn’t just matching keywords; it’s trying to understand intent and context and deliver comprehensive answers right on the search page.

Here’s what’s happening under the hood:

  • AI snapshots: When you search, Google now often shows an AI-generated summary or answer at the top, pulling from multiple sources.
  • Conversational search: Instead of stiff keyword queries, users can type (or speak) in natural language—“What’s the best marketing strategy for a B2B startup in Belgium?”—and get nuanced results.
  • Personalization: Google’s AI tailors results based on your location, search history, and even behavior patterns.

For the average user, this means less clicking around. For businesses? Well… let’s just say it’s time to rethink the SEO playbook.

What AI Search Means for SMEs

Here’s the honest truth: SMEs are both at risk and at an advantage.

Big brands may have bigger budgets, but SMEs can be faster, nimbler, and more creative. If you understand how AI is reshaping SEO, you can punch way above your weight.

Let’s break it down.

1. Less Click Traffic from Search

In the old days, ranking #1 meant a flood of clicks. Now, with AI answers showing up on the search page, many users never click through to websites. According to recent research, over 50% of Google searches end without a click.

For SMEs, this means:

  • Focus less on just “ranking #1” and more on owning the conversation. Be part of the sources Google pulls into its AI snapshots.
  • Optimize for brand visibility even if you don’t get the click—think of search as a branding channel, not just a traffic source.

2. Quality Content Wins (More Than Ever)

AI rewards:

  • Depth over fluff → Forget those thin 300-word blog posts.
  • Expertise and authority → Google’s AI sniffs out who knows their stuff.
  • Helpful, human-focused content → Write for people first, algorithms second.

For SMEs, this is great news. You can’t outspend big players, but you can:

  • Share genuine expertise in your niche.
  • Use storytelling and personality to stand out.
  • Create content that actually solves customer problems.

3. Structured Data and Technical SEO Matter

AI needs clean, structured data to understand your site.

That means:

  • Implement schema markup (especially for products, FAQs, and events).
  • Make sure your site loads fast, is mobile-friendly, and has clean code.
  • Organize your content logically so AI can easily connect the dots.

If you’re not sure where to start, ask your developer or SEO agency about schema and site audits—they’re worth every penny.

The Rise of Conversational SEO

Here’s something that’s often missed in the AI-SEO conversation: the way people search is changing.

We’re moving from keyword-obsessed searches like:

  • “best running shoes Belgium”

to natural language queries like:

  • “What’s the best running shoe for flat feet if I mostly run on trails in Belgium?”

For SMEs, this means:

  • Identify customer questions and build content around them.
  • Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s “People Also Ask” box to uncover long-tail, conversational queries.
  • Consider adding FAQs, how-to guides, and explainer videos to your site.

In short: SEO isn’t just about keywords—it’s about conversations.

Local SEO Gets Smarter

Good news for brick-and-mortar SMEs: local SEO is getting a major upgrade.

AI understands location better, integrates with Google Maps, and surfaces local recommendations. To stay ahead:

  • Optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
  • Encourage authentic customer reviews—AI picks up on sentiment, not just stars.
  • Add local content to your site (e.g., case studies, local partnerships, or event recaps).

E-E-A-T and the Human Touch

Google’s AI relies heavily on the concept of E-E-A-T:

  • Experience
  • Expertise
  • Authoritativeness
  • Trustworthiness

For SMEs, here’s how to play the game:

  • Highlight your credentials (certifications, years in business, media mentions).
  • Show real humans behind your brand—add author bios, team photos, and customer testimonials.
  • Keep your website secure (HTTPS), transparent, and up to date.

In other words: be real, be credible, and be helpful.

How to Future-Proof Your SEO Strategy

Alright, enough theory. Let’s get practical.

Here’s your SME action checklist for the AI-powered search era:

✅ Audit your current content. Is it deep, helpful, and authoritative? If not, refresh or expand it.
✅ Answer real questions. Talk to your sales team, check customer emails, and create content around actual pain points.
✅ Double down on local SEO. Keep your Google Business Profile sharp and ask for reviews.
✅ Invest in technical SEO. Speed, mobile, schema—these are non-negotiable.
✅ Experiment with AI tools. Tools like Jasper, Writesonic, or ChatGPT (yup, me!) can help you brainstorm content faster.
✅ Measure what matters. Track brand mentions, engagement, and conversions—not just rankings.

The Secret Weapon: Agility

Here’s the thing—no one has all the answers yet. Even Google is figuring this out as it goes.

But SMEs have a superpower: you can pivot faster than the big guys.

Try new formats. Test conversational content. Get feedback from customers. Stay curious, stay scrappy.

If you’re willing to evolve, AI doesn’t have to be a threat—it can be your biggest opportunity.

Final Thoughts

AI is rewriting the SEO rulebook, and let’s be honest—it can feel overwhelming.

But for SMEs, this isn’t the end of search marketing. It’s just a new chapter.

By focusing on human-centered content, technical excellence, and agility, you can thrive in this AI-powered world. Sure, the blue links are fading, but your chance to stand out has never been greater.

So next time you see an AI answer at the top of Google, don’t panic. Ask yourself: What’s my unique value—and how can I make sure the world (and Google’s AI) knows about it?

The future of search isn’t robots vs. humans—it’s robots helping humans find the best businesses. And if you play your cards right, one of those businesses could be yours.

Sources

13 Mar
Ai in marketing

Unleashing the Power of Generative AI for Small Business Marketing Success

How AI Will Revolutionize Small Business Marketing in 2023

As a small business owner, you know that marketing is essential to reach new customers and drive sales. However, it can be challenging to create effective marketing campaigns that stand out in a crowded market, especially when you’re working with a limited budget. This is where generative AI comes in.

Generative AI is a technology that uses machine learning algorithms to generate new and unique content, such as images, videos, and text. It has already begun to transform the marketing industry, and experts predict that it will continue to do so in the coming years.

According to a recent report by Abyssale, a creative automation platform, AI is expected to fundamentally change marketing in 2023. The report highlights that AI will enable marketers to create personalized content at scale, automate repetitive tasks, and gain deeper insights into customer behavior.

In another study by AIMultiple, a research company specializing in AI technologies, it was found that generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the way marketers approach content creation. The report states that generative AI can help marketers create high-quality content faster, improve content relevance, and enhance the overall customer experience.

As a small business owner, you might think that AI technology is out of reach. However, the rise of cloud-based AI solutions has made it more accessible and affordable than ever before. Digital marketing agency Trustmary notes that small businesses can benefit from AI technologies like chatbots, predictive analytics, and personalized email marketing.

44% of companies believe that AI will have a significant impact on content creation in the coming years

report by AIMultiple on generative AI

In an article for Forbes Agency Council, marketing expert David Angelo suggests that small business owners should embrace AI for content creation. He highlights that AI-generated content can help small businesses save time and resources while delivering personalized content that resonates with their audience.

Influencer Marketing Hub’s AI Marketing Benchmark Report highlights the growing trend of AI adoption in marketing, noting that AI is already being used for a wide range of applications, from content optimization to lead generation.

In conclusion, generative AI presents an exciting opportunity for small businesses looking to improve their marketing efforts. In the following chapters, we will explore how generative AI works, its benefits, and how you can implement it in your marketing strategy

What Is Generative AI and How Can It Benefit Your Small Business?

ChatGPT vs Bard… & what it means for Google Ads – video by Aaron Young

Now that we’ve established the potential benefits of generative AI for small business marketing, let’s take a closer look at what this technology is and how it works.

Generative AI, also known as creative AI or neural networks, is a type of machine learning algorithm that can generate new data based on patterns and examples in existing data sets. Unlike other machine learning algorithms, which are designed to recognize patterns and classify data, generative AI is designed to create new and original content.

There are several types of generative AI, including:

  1. Text generation: This type of generative AI can be used to generate new articles, blog posts, product descriptions, and more.
  2. Image generation: This type of generative AI can be used to create new images, logos, graphics, and other visual content.
  3. Video generation: This type of generative AI can be used to create new videos, animations, and other visual content.

To create new content, generative AI algorithms are trained on large datasets of existing content. The algorithms analyze the patterns and characteristics of this content and use this information to generate new content that is similar but not identical to the original.

One of the most popular types of generative AI is the generative adversarial network (GAN). GANs consist of two neural networks: a generator network and a discriminator network. The generator network creates new content, while the discriminator network evaluates the quality of the generated content and provides feedback to the generator network to help it improve.

Ai skyrockets revenue in the next decade

Generative AI has already been used in a wide range of applications, from generating realistic images of people and landscapes to creating personalized email marketing campaigns. As the technology continues to improve and become more accessible, it has the potential to revolutionize the way small businesses approach marketing.

The Top 5 Benefits of Generative AI for Small Business Marketing

Now that we understand what generative AI is and how it works, let’s take a closer look at the specific benefits it can offer to small businesses.

  1. Cost-Effective Content Creation: One of the main advantages of generative AI for small business marketing is that it can help businesses create high-quality content at a lower cost. With the ability to generate text, images, and videos automatically, businesses can save time and money on content creation, while still producing engaging and personalized content.
  2. Improved Personalization: Generative AI can also help small businesses deliver more personalized content to their customers. By analyzing customer data and behavior patterns, generative AI algorithms can generate personalized recommendations, product descriptions, and other content that speaks directly to each individual customer.
  3. Faster Content Creation: Another advantage of generative AI is that it can help businesses create content faster. With the ability to generate large volumes of content automatically, businesses can scale their marketing efforts without having to hire additional staff or spend more time on content creation.
  4. Increased Engagement: Generative AI can also help businesses create more engaging content that resonates with their audience. By analyzing data on customer preferences and behavior, generative AI algorithms can generate content that is more likely to capture the attention of potential customers and keep them engaged.
  5. Better SEO: Finally, generative AI can help businesses improve their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. By generating high-quality content that includes relevant keywords and phrases, businesses can improve their search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to their website.

Small Business Case Studies: How Generative AI is Helping Owners Scale Their Marketing Efforts

Now that we understand the benefits of generative AI for small business marketing, let’s take a closer look at some real-life examples of small businesses using this technology to power their marketing efforts.

Meet Sarah, the owner of a small e-commerce business that sells custom-designed t-shirts. Sarah was struggling to keep up with the demand for new designs and product descriptions, which was slowing down her marketing efforts and limiting her sales potential.

That’s when Sarah discovered generative AI. By using a generative AI platform, Sarah was able to automate the process of creating product descriptions and generating new design ideas. The platform analyzed customer data and behavior patterns to generate personalized descriptions and recommendations, which Sarah could then use to create targeted marketing campaigns.

As a result, Sarah was able to scale her marketing efforts and increase sales without having to spend more time and money on content creation. She also saw a significant improvement in customer engagement and retention, thanks to the personalized content generated by the AI platform.

Another example is John, the owner of a small software company that provides data analytics services to businesses. John was struggling to create engaging content for his website and social media channels that would attract new customers and keep them interested in his services.

After implementing generative AI, John was able to generate high-quality blog posts, infographics, and videos automatically, without having to spend hours researching and writing. The AI platform also helped John improve his SEO efforts by generating content with relevant keywords and phrases.

Ai top priority in business strategy 4 of 5 companies

Thanks to generative AI, John was able to increase his online visibility, attract new customers, and establish himself as a thought leader in the data analytics industry.

Finally, let’s look at the case of Maria, the owner of a small coffee shop. Maria was looking for a way to engage with her customers on social media and promote her business online, but she was struggling to come up with new ideas for content.

By using a generative AI platform, Maria was able to automate the process of creating social media posts, videos, and images. The platform analyzed customer data and behavior patterns to generate personalized recommendations, such as posts featuring customers’ favorite drinks or images of the coffee shop’s interior design.

As a result, Maria was able to create a more engaging social media presence and attract new customers to her coffee shop.

Maximizing the Potential of Generative AI: How to Get Started with Automated Marketing

By now, you may be convinced that generative AI can help take your small business marketing efforts to the next level. But how do you actually get started with implementing this technology? Here are some steps to help you get started:

  1. Identify your marketing goals: Before you start using generative AI, you need to be clear on your marketing goals. What do you want to achieve with your marketing efforts? Are you looking to increase sales, improve customer engagement, or boost brand awareness? Once you have a clear goal in mind, you can start using generative AI to help you achieve it.
  2. Choose the right generative AI platform: There are many generative AI platforms available, so it’s important to choose one that’s right for your business needs. Look for a platform that offers features and functionality that align with your marketing goals, such as content creation, customer segmentation, and personalization.
  3. Train your AI model: To use generative AI effectively, you need to train your AI model to understand your business and your customers. This means feeding it data, such as customer behavior patterns and marketing campaign results, and using that data to fine-tune your AI model for optimal performance.
  4. Start small: When starting with generative AI, it’s best to start small and focus on one or two marketing channels at a time. This will help you get a better understanding of how the technology works and how it can benefit your business. Once you’ve gained some experience, you can start scaling up your efforts and using generative AI across multiple marketing channels.
  5. Monitor and adjust: Generative AI is not a set-it-and-forget-it technology. You need to monitor your results regularly and adjust your AI model as needed to ensure optimal performance. Use analytics tools to track your marketing campaigns and customer behavior, and adjust your AI model based on those insights.

With these steps in mind, you can start using generative AI to power your small business marketing efforts and achieve your marketing goals.

Partnering with House of Brands Media to Overcome Common Challenges with Generative AI in Small Business Marketing

As a small business owner, you may be excited about the potential benefits of using generative AI in your marketing strategy but feel unsure about how to get started or how to overcome common challenges. That’s where House of Brands Media comes in. Our team of online marketing experts can help you leverage the power of generative AI to achieve your marketing goals and overcome any challenges along the way.

  1. Lack of Data: If you don’t have access to the data you need to train your AI model, our team can help you gather the data you need or partner with other businesses to access the data you need.
  2. Cost: Our team can help you identify cost-effective AI platforms and develop a strategy that focuses on one or two marketing channels at a time to manage costs effectively. Additionally, we can help you navigate the world of outsourcing to find the best third-party providers to meet your AI needs.
  3. Integration: Integrating generative AI with your existing marketing tools and processes can be challenging, but our team has the expertise needed to ensure a smooth integration. We’ll work closely with your IT team to ensure a seamless transition.
  4. Lack of Expertise: Our team of marketing experts has extensive experience in generative AI and can provide the training and development needed to help your marketing team effectively use this technology. We’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure you achieve success with generative AI.

Partnering with House of Brands Media is the key to unlocking the potential of generative AI in your small business marketing strategy. With our expertise and guidance, you can overcome common challenges and achieve the benefits this technology offers. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve success with generative AI.

Sources

03 Oct
Search Campaigns, Ai in marketing, Google Ads

AI-Powered Campaigns — Companies that don’t know, miss out on an average 20% uplift in conversions

Unlock the Machine Learning Superpower of Google Search Campaigns


Google understands language using algorithms such as RankBrain, Neural Matching, BERT, and MUM for query, content, and ranking purposes. These algorithms have many rules that prioritize various factors that enable Google’s artificial intelligence to determine which pages to serve in response to search queries.

The 3 Keys to Unlocking Google Search Results with AI

Responsive Search Ads, Keyword Match Types, and Smart Bidding Strategies are crucial features of AI-Powered Campaigns. Here’s a brief highlight of what these features entail!

1) Responsive Search Ads

Responsive search ads are a type of ad in which an advertiser can create multiple headlines and descriptions for a search engine ad. The goal is to display different titles and descriptions for each user based on their search history and queries.

2) Keyword Match Types

For Google Ads, there are four keyword match types: broad match, phrase match, exact match, and negative match.

  • A broad keyword match occurs when your ads appear in search results for queries related to your keywords’ meaning but do not contain the exact terms.
  • A phrase match displays your ads in queries that contain the same or more specific forms of your keyword. You can place words before or after your keyword, but not in the middle.
  • An exact match is the inverse of a broad match, and your ads will only appear in queries with the same meaning or intent as your keyword.
  • Negative keywords help you reach the right users by excluding your ads from specific queries. Your ads will appear for relevant terms but not for the exact phrase you typed.

3) Smart Bidding Strategies

Smart Bidding refers to bid strategies that leverage machine learning to optimize conversions or conversion value in each auction in a process called “auction-time bidding.”

Why should you combine Responsive Search Ads, Smart Bidding, and Keyword Match Types?

Many marketers face the challenge of increasing impression share for their Google search campaigns without jeopardizing the relevance of the content for the audience triggered by the search queries.

So, why is Google so focused on the combination of Responsive Search Ads, Smart Bidding, and Keyword Match Types? The combination can help you get your ad in front of as many eyes as possible with little effort. AI Powered Campaigns unlock the golden triangle by giving large amounts of data to optimize and buy the most efficient traffic. However, you should not go through all your Google search campaigns and begin adding or changing existing keywords to broad match, as well as implementing smart bidding strategies across the board.

You can start with an experimental campaign and measure the impact on key metrics like CTR, CPC, conversion rate, and CPA. Once you are confident in the data gathered from the experiment campaign, consider implementing those changes into the original campaign.

AI Powered Campaigns doing: • 300% conversion uplift • -86% uplift in cost per conversion • 450% uplift in conversion value

This already used broad match keywords. We changed the bidding strategy to set up an AI Powered Campaign. Even with a limited experimental budget we can see:

• 300% conversion uplift
• -86% uplift in cost per conversion
• 450% uplift in conversion value

In other words. We have a similar reach, pay less for each conversion and have more conversions with more value per conversion without raising or budgets.

House Of Brands

House of Brands assists entrepreneurs to unlock the potential of their digital marketing campaigns through leveraging the golden triangle consisting of Responsive Search Ads, Smart Bidding, and Keyword Match Types. By utilizing AI in your Google Search ads, you can ensure that your campaigns are successful in 2022 and beyond. House of Brands provides the tools and expertise for success for business owners on both Google and YouTube.