Recollect the days that are bygone when you would input a couple of key phrases into a search engine and just hope for the best? You'd be considering yourself lucky if the internet served up your exact phrases on a website so you could find what you were truly hunting for. Well, folks, those days are steadily disappearing into the rearview mirror! Search technology has undergone a massive transformation, and it's now more intelligent than ever. But what does that mean for you as a potential fresh face in the digital marketing arena?
Picture a party. You used to invite people just because you knew them, because you had a few common interests. Now, you understand your friends and their families so well that you can practically read their minds. You know what they like, what they don’t like, what they definitely would not want at the event. You can even predict with a fair amount of certainty several things they might enjoy and several things they might not, and right now is a good time to toss around a few ideas for the perfect party. This is what's happening in search with the evolution of language models!
From Simple Keywords to Sophisticated Sentences
There was a time when search engines were fueled by uncomplicated keywords. You would shoot off a handful of keywords, and like a basic flare, they would light up the search engine and hopefully guide you to some useful information. The results would match your words with the exact phrases they were looking for. But what if, like many people, you didn't have the exact phrase search engines wanted? You might type in "best pizza place" and hope for the best. Would you get mixed results that actually were pretty good? Yes.
Using keywords was like navigating with a travel map: you could arrive at your destination, but often it required missed turns and backtracking to get there. It was, in other words, not very efficient.
Today, search engines are akin to expert tour guides. They grasp the nuances and complexities of our language. Enter the language models—advanced AI systems that are ever more capable of understanding the context, meaning, and even the intention behind our searches.
Consider these models as being aware of more than just the fact that you want pizza. They understand that you might be looking for something entirely different, perhaps even organic or gluten-free. They ascertain all those subtle hints you might drop while speaking naturally.
Current search engines forgo the use of those inflexible keywords and instead rely on language models "tuned to pick up on the patterns and, more importantly, the human nuances that make up our conversations and writing."
These models are so advanced, they could almost be considered artificial intelligences, given how much they know about us.
The engine is now more intelligent. It is not just looking at your words but at what you really mean and why. It understands you are asking for a way to accomplish something, in this case, an ambiguous social media accomplishment.
So, what's happening here? Clearly, it's an engine reading your intent with greater accuracy.
The engine is now more intelligent. It is not just looking at your words but at what you really mean and why. It understands you are asking for a way to accomplish something, in this case, an ambiguous social media accomplishment.
So what are the implications for marketers or anyone moving from tried-and-true SEO to this new world? Well, it's the same new world of opportunities! With language models, creating content that's naturally written, addressing potential user queries in an organic way, is key. So, think less about awkwardly squeezing in your keywords and more about the conversational flow.
Marketers like you who are venturing into this new territory can use this as a quick checklist:
Make sure the content you create is conversational in nature.
Write like you speak so that you're mirroring a natural back-and-forth that people have when they hold a conversation.
Answer questions—in a way that's as straightforward as possible—that you imagine your audience might literally ask.
Even better, consider the broader context of their queries:
What could their search say about their current state of mind or need?
We are in an exciting time when technology fully accepts the way we communicate. As we move from strictly keyword-based searches to explore in a more language-oriented way, it's time to fully embrace the change! For you all starting out or coming from SEO-heavy backgrounds, think about making a leap into content creation with a heavy focus on natural language.
Prepared to investigate this fresh terrain? Begin by considering the inquiries your audience could be making at this moment. Bathe their curiosity in the effervescence of your content. Speak their language. And remember: Your next enormous escapade in the digital marketing sphere begins with a dialogue.
