Machine Learning & Its Impact on SEO: An Interview With Eric Enge

At Pubcon 2016 in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to speak with Eric Enge, CEO and Founder of Stone Temple Consulting, about machine learning and its impact on SEO.

If hearing the phrase “machine learning” has you worried, because it’s about to become one more thing to think about in SEO, please watch the video below. Eric Enge explains how machine learning will impact SEO and digital marketing. You can also listen to the interview in podcast form here.

Here are some key takeaways from the video:

• Machine learning hasn’t developed to the point where it can fundamentally disrupt SEO or digital marketing. It’s not about to turn the world of SEO upside down anytime soon.
• Enge describes the concept of machine learning as using data to solve complex problems that the human mind isn’t capable of solving on its own. While it’s evolving rapidly, machine learning is still a long way off from being sophisticated enough to impact ranking signals.
• Machine learning is already being used by Google in some ways. For example, the Google News section serves related articles using machine learning.
• Google’s overall intent with machine learning is to serve better content to users. Satisfied searchers equal more revenue for Google, so you can trust the company will always be looking for new ways to improve.
• Focusing on creating valuable content and providing the best user experience has always been a way to stay in Google’s good graces no matter how the algorithms have evolved.

Please visit SEJ’s YouTube page for more video interviews. For more information about visual storytelling, please see the following resources:

• How Machine Learning Impacts SEO
• How Machine Learning is Changing #SEO
• How Machine Learning is Changing Search