Will BARD AI end SEO or kill ChatGPT?

BARD A$$ AI is here!

Google CEO, Sundar Pichai authored a post about BARD AI (the chatGPT rival from Google) on Feb 6, 2022.

Within hours the tremors of the BARD AI bomb could be felt all across the IT world — from Silicon Valley to Bangalore, Budapest, Melbourne, Paris, and London — we were all talking about BARD.

Anyways…

• The concern about will BARD AI kill SEO is so huge that SEO peeps, around the world, may not even get a good sleep tonight!
• Proof being me writing this news piece at 02:27 AM, IST (Indian Standard time). Lol.

I gotta admit, I procrastinated on creating SEO content for 12 years, and when I finally started creating content — AI is mocking me now, YOU’RE LATE.

• To be honest, when ChatGPT was launched, I was using it happily to pump up good content, just like how creative heads in an org use an unpaid intern — sarcasm intended 😀

Why ChatGPT vs Google comparison is stupid?

Back then, when everyone was farting about ChatGPT on social media, I resisted my temptations to do the same.

When everyone was discussing ‘whether ChatGPT is an end to Google?’, I used to shake my head in disbelief that people could be this dumb to even discuss this.

I mean generative AI is all about data scraped from the web (read it as data stolen from the web).

But it is also about understanding the data, data classification, intent mapping…

How can anyone forget that Google is the smartest data pirate, the Jack Sparrow of the content world?

I mean seriously… C’mon, Google is already doing this for almost 3 decades now.

Is BARD AI bad for SEO peeps? Will Bard AI kill/end SEO?

Here’s what I think…

First, I don’t care who wins the BARD AI vs ChatGPT battle.

That’s not my war…

My concerns are, how much damage BARD AI is gonna do to the SEO traffic of websites?

• Will I still be able to earn money by creating SEO content?
• Will Google search engine still send a good volume of traffic to my ad-monetized blogs after they implement BARD AI?
• Or is it like I’ll do all the hard work of creating fresh content & Google AI will just EAT my words for BARD? Pun intended SEO folks 😉

I mean, this is unfair right!

You can’t just steal the world’s content, and slurp all the ad money up your esophagus while the original creator’s stomach crumbles like a vacuumed plastic bottle.

Right?

Exactly!

That’s where I regained my confidence.

Google cannot be greedy with BARD AI.

If Google gets greedy, it can get drowned in the domino effect of its worst failed product fiascos.

In more clear words, ‘NO’.

BARD AI is not an end to SEO.

BARD AI is Google’s reminder to peeps doubting its dominance in AIML.

I’m still in disbelief that people were even having that discussion — ChatGPT putting an end to Google’s search engine dominance. Lol.

And I guess, I wasn’t the only one pissed 😀

Prolly, Sundar was equally irritated…

The post on BARD AI was less about announcing the arrival of ChatGPT rival or its features, and more about telling Microsoft that “Oi, Oi… Daddy is home“.

I felt that was the message because if you read Sundar Pichai’s article on BARD AI (do read it after finishing my post), you would realize that the Google CEO spent a fair number of words underlining the fact that GOOGLE IS THE LEADER IN TECH — be it text, audio, image, or video.

Why can’t Google be greedy with BARD AI? Why Bard AI is not an end to SEO?

To answer both of them together,

• BARD AI vs ChatGPT is not a war that Google can afford to lose.
• Google has a lot of AI projects under its umbrella, but this one is do or die type

In case, if Google loses from ChatGPT which almost amassed 200Mn+ users until now, then it will actually be a threat to Google Search 3-4 years down the line.

Okay, chill…

That’s never gonna happen.

So now, with ChatGPT vs Google discussion out of our way, the only curiosity that remains is why BARD AI is not an end to SEO?

Let’s understand BARD AI & SEO with a dummy sequence of events —

• If Google puts conversational AIs like BARD AI on it’s search landing page.
• People will use the BARD AI conversational interface to get their queries answered.
• This will not mean people are gonna search everything on BARD
• Services & product reviews, purchase intent queries, and news focused websites will still be way ahead of BARD’s capabilities (but how long?)
• Anyway, if BARD goes mainstream on Google search page (for now, they are only showing featured snippet variant of BARD on SERP, and not the chat interface, but who knows what they do in the future), original publishers will get less traffic & hence less income for publishers.
• Less income for publishers means loss of jobs for a lot of people. Many ad platforms like Yahoo ads will make less revenue due to lesser traffic to publisher websites, hence more layoffs from organic ad bidding focused companies.
• Also, SEO companies will no longer need as many SEO talents as earlier and hence more layoffs.
• While the job market carnage happens, money gets amassed in the hands of central players like Google & Bing
• The big tech will attract lawsuits 😀

And no, they can’t bribe them (not in this case) because there will be an outcry all around if serious actions are not taken against the big tech.

Governments may topple if they take it lightly.

There are around 4.9M+ SEO folks around the globe.

Do I need to mention, what can they do as a votebank?

Anyways, that’s a filmy take on the unfolding of events. Lol.

Let’s say, this doesn’t happen.

BARD AI & SEO

I mocked the discussions around ‘will ChatGPT be an end of Google‘, but thanks to those thought provocative elaborate discussions, we all are almost on the same page that “no, chatGPT cannot outsmart Google… not yet!”

And I hope, just like how I was laughing on folks participating in that ChatGPT vs Google discussion, somebody must be laughing on me for being worried about BARD AI on Google’s Search page being a threat to SEO, or any conversational AI for that sake.

I really wish that somebody call me dumb right now, and then explain why/how BARD AI can never be an end to SEO.

Let’s consider what will happen if BARD AI puts an end to SEO?

• Google, the pull medium, will no longer send good traffic to the publishers once BARD is implemented.
• Cost of operating Business increases, as the only feasible digital option left for SMEs & enterprises will be to show ads, or push content to the end user.
• Ads may get cheaper but will always be expensive for the bootstrapped startups, SMEs, and businesses operating on thin-margins.
• So, such businesses will focus on acquiring their own audiences — just like in the good old days.
• Emails & Subscription businesses will thrive.
• Publishers will start gating their content behind the paywalls.
• Publishers will no longer worry about SEO optimization (bye bye, keyword infusion).
• So, even if Google crawlers access gated content, they won’t be able to label the data as well as SEO keywords used to do.
• Content’s intent may not be clearly established by the AI bots. And so, the quality of content from BARD AI & others who would be born by that time would start to be less relevant.

…and Google may actually lose its search dominance!

What if Whatsapp launches a BARD & ChatGPT style AI tool? Will that be a threat to SEO or Google?

Google will face tough challenges if messaging platforms too bring a free version alike BARD AI & ChatGPT.

Let’s say, WhatsApp launches something similar.

That will be a good threat to the Google, and will EAT some of Google’s traffic.

Why should I open Chrome, when a chat thread in Whatsapp solves my queries?

• Similarly, people on Insta, TikTok, will all use their respective platforms more for info content, and Google will lose its market dominance that way.

So basically, there is a saying in Hindi, Jis thaali me khaate, usi me chaed nahi karte (the plate you’re eating in, you shouldn’t do a hole in the same). I guess, SEO is the shield protecting Google from the conversational AI war. Google won’t let user behaviour to shift immediately.

And as they are a force for good, they will prolly figure out a way to keep the SEO wheels in motion, and keep rewarding the authors.

Trust Google, and keep pumping good content.

But also, don’t be blind. The best ships might sink sometimes. Learn swimming asap.

A lot of news will make rounds around BARD AI & SEO — but to survive, ignore the stinky farts 🙂

I hope my content was less stinky 😀

If you liked the post, please do share it with your friends, family, and esp marketers (your little support can go a long way).

Also, let me know your thoughts in the comments — on whether BARD AI is gonna kill SEO industry, or share this with someone who can drop expert view.