Original stories eclipse SEO-driven content

The Future. Because chatbots generate search results without the need to click through to an article, they could potentially absorb some of online publishers’ search-driven traffic. If digital media companies want to thrive during the generative AI revolution, they might consider an editorial shift, prioritizing original stories over SEO-driven content.

Don’t go chasing clicks
Lifestyle publishers like Bustle Digital Group (BDG) and Leaf Group are building direct relationships with their audiences, making them less dependent on external referral traffic.

• BDG will spotlight “relatable, humorous, shared experiences [and] advice.” It’ll invest more in original visual content, interviews, profiles, and feature stories, while producing more short-form videos for social media.

• Leaf Group’s home design site Hunker will focus on content that shows writers’ “taste, opinion, expertise, and point of view.”

SEO might be over
Generative AI produces search-based stories faster and cheaper than human beings who are paid to write them. So, companies are moving their resources into content that a chatbot can’t duplicate — like events, newsletters, and personal takes.

This bodes well for creative people who dread writing for SEO.

Still, AI adoption is a relatively new concept. The best strategy might be no strategy until publishers know how AI will impact their site traffic… and their bottom line.