Before we dive into the world of AI, let’s get one thing straight: I’m coming at this from the point of view as the owner of a digital marketing agency. I’m not here to debate whether Skynet will be humanity’s downfall or if computer-generated ‘art’ qualifies as true art – but for the record, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if we can survive Trump I’m sure we can survive Skynet.
So, the big question is, should we embrace AI with open arms or hide in a darkened cupboard pretending the world isn’t evolving? In my view, it all boils down to your knowledge, experience, and, frankly, your ability to adapt.
Cards on the table – at Squidgy we’re welcoming and actively using AI. But that’s a pretty broad statement, and if politicians are anything to go by, I’d better add some more context to this pretty quickly.
Here’s the bottom line: AI has been getting a bad rap in our industry for supposedly taking people’s jobs. I can’t speak for large agencies or freelancers, but within our digital agency, I’m absolutely not replacing anyone with computer code.
We practice what we preach; unlike big agencies, we offer more bang for your buck. Sure, we’re a business, and we need to turn a profit, but our hourly and daily rates are reasonable. With us, you’re not footing the bill for shareholders, investors, or high-level executives. We’re a small, independent agency that delivers outstanding results without breaking the bank. In short, you get more value with us.
From my conversations with other digital agency owners over the past year, a fair few have observed a plateau or even a dip in their growth trajectory. On the other hand, Squidgy (pardon the proud moment) has experienced an upswing, not just in client numbers but also in our team size. We’re rapidly becoming synonymous with ‘bang for your buck’, and that’s truly the highlight for us.
So, when tools like the increasingly popular AI tool ChatGPT come our way, I don’t see it as an opportunity to cut costs and pocket the savings. Instead, I see it as a way to maximise our investments and resources.
Let me illustrate with an example. Crawling tools like the well-established Screaming Frog or the effervescent Sitebulb (whose release notes are worth a read even if you’re not tech-savvy) play a vital role in the world of SEO. They scour each page or URL of a website, pinpointing issues that might hinder its organic visibility. Without these tools, it would mean manual labour, checking each page individually and jotting down problems. That’s hardly the best use of a client’s budget. So, we use tools that get us 80% of the way there and then, as thinking humans, we analyse the data, add context, and create a clear and actionable technical audit that improves a website’s organic visibility.
Why not do the same for other tasks?
We can and should.
If you’re spending your client’s budget on something that can be partially automated, you’re not serving them to the best of your ability.
I want to make it clear that I’m not advocating for a complete reliance on AI, but rather its integration into the world of digital marketing.
Here are some examples of how we use AI:
Internal Linking Opportunity Identification: AI helps us spot opportunities for improving internal website links, enhancing user experience and SEO.
Meta Data Creation/Optimisation: AI streamlines the process of crafting and optimising meta data for better search engine visibility.
Keyword Research: AI-powered tools assist us in discovering and selecting the most effective keywords to target.
Ad Copy Creation/Inspiration: AI helps generate compelling ad copy ideas that resonate with audiences.
Topic Clustering: AI can organise and cluster content topics for improved content strategy.
What AI doesn’t do is produce 100% of the output. It empowers us to work faster and with less effort to deliver meaningful results.
We often say that we’re not a data-driven agency, which might seem old-fashioned today, but we prefer to call ourselves a data-informed agency. We take data and infuse it with context. It might sound similar, but there’s a crucial difference. Many digital marketers make business decisions solely based on raw data, without considering context. Take, for instance, the global phenomenon of COVID. Without context, many industries appeared to have either an exceptional or terrible year. We apply the same principle to AI; you have to take the generated output, shape it, nurture it, and refine it.
ChatGPT is just one of many AI tools in our arsenal. We’re witnessing AI integration in our project management tool, ClickUp, and it’s successfully rolled out in Loom and even within LinkedIn. Change like this doesn’t happen at this scale for no reason.
AI should be viewed as a tool, not a magic solution. Just like a cement mixer speeds up a tradesperson’s work, AI accelerates our work pace and capacity
However, it’s essential to acknowledge that while this represents my perspective and the approach we’re actively pursuing at Squidgy, there are unfortunately agency owners or high-level decision-makers who view this as an opportunity to not replace team members as they move on or, worse, to pile on more client work, thinking that teams can handle triple the workload.
Words by: Andy Robson
Agency Founder & Director
Andy founded SQUIDGY and has spent the best part of two decades working in search. Over that time he's seen the industry reinvent itself more than once, sat through every "SEO is dead" prediction going, and learned to tell the lasting shifts from the noise. He writes from experience rather than theory, drawing on years spent in Search Console, technical audits and the unglamorous detail of what actually makes sites rank.
