When I talk about SEO with business owners, I often use a simple analogy: think of search rankings as prime real estate. That #1 spot on Google for your target keyword? That’s your Boardwalk or Park Place – a premium position that can drive 20-50% of all clicks for that search term. And just like real estate, once you own that position, you’ll hold it for a significant period, potentially indefinitely with the right strategy.
After running a digital marketing agency for six years, I saw firsthand how SEO was both immensely valuable and frustratingly inefficient. The process was manual, tedious, and often unpredictable. That’s what led us to develop FancyAI – an attempt to leverage artificial intelligence to solve the fundamental challenges of SEO, as I discussed at length on our recent podcast.
Breaking Down the SEO Problem
Google’s RankBrain algorithm considers over 200 different factors when deciding how to rank websites. Traditionally, SEO professionals have attempted to reverse-engineer this algorithm through manual analysis, spreadsheets, and educated guesswork. But even with premium tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs, the process remains labor-intensive and limited by human capacity to process complex data relationships.
The question we asked was simple: Can we automate SEO and make it more scalable, affordable, measurable, and ultimately more effective?
Our approach was to break down SEO to its cellular level and build it back up with AI. When generative AI emerged, we were fortunate to be among the first companies to integrate it into our SEO methodology, allowing us to create a truly transformative approach.
Practical AI: Beyond the Buzzwords
While AI has become a popular buzzword, at FancyAI we focus on what we call “practical AI” – using artificial intelligence to solve real business problems with measurable outcomes. For SEO, this means:
- Strategy Development: Creating strategies 1000x more complex than any human could develop with traditional tools, in a fraction of the time and cost
- Content Creation: Generating content that performs as well as human-written material
- Technical SEO Automation: Identifying and resolving technical issues that impact rankings
- Backlink Building: Developing effective, automated approaches to building quality backlinks
The results speak for themselves – we’ve helped customers displace Fortune 100 and Fortune 1000 companies in Google search rankings within months, not years.
The Three Most Common SEO Problems
In our work with hundreds of websites, we consistently see three technical issues that severely impact rankings:
1. Missing Permanent Redirects
One of the most common and easily fixable issues we encounter is websites that change or remove page URLs without setting up permanent redirects. This is particularly prevalent with e-commerce sites that regularly update product pages. When you remove a page without redirecting, you lose all the SEO value from external links pointing to that URL. Setting up 301 redirects is a simple fix that can yield significant ranking improvements.
2. Canonical URL Problems
This issue is especially common with Shopify sites. When a product appears in multiple collections, Shopify creates different URLs for each instance. Without proper canonical tags indicating the primary URL, Google gets confused about which version to index and rank. Properly implemented canonical tags tell search engines which version of a page should be considered the “original,” solving duplicate content issues and consolidating ranking power.
3. Broken External Links and Images
Across our platform, we’ve found over a million broken links and images. These technical issues not only create a poor user experience but also signal to Google that your site may not be well-maintained, potentially impacting your rankings.
Strategic Approach: The Pathway to Digital Real Estate Domination
Rather than immediately targeting the most competitive keywords (the Boardwalks of SEO), we take a strategic approach based on data-driven modeling. Our AI systems analyze:
- Which search terms will drive meaningful revenue
- How quickly we can rank for each term
- What the competitive landscape looks like
- How to build momentum with progressive keyword targeting
We create a roadmap that starts with attainable, valuable targets and builds toward more competitive terms over time. This ensures businesses see meaningful results within months rather than waiting years for ROI.
The Evolving Search Landscape
While Google remains dominant, the search landscape is evolving rapidly. Recent data shows that younger generations are increasingly using platforms like TikTok and Instagram for product search and shopping. According to our research, a substantial portion of Gen Z users begin their product discovery journey on these platforms rather than traditional search engines.
Simultaneously, AI-powered search is gaining traction. ChatGPT’s search functionality already accounts for approximately 4% of the search market – impressive growth for a relatively new entrant. We expect this trend to accelerate significantly over the next 3-4 years.
For businesses, this means SEO strategy must evolve beyond Google-centric thinking to embrace a multi-platform approach that considers where your specific audience is searching.
The Future of SEO is Automated, Measurable, and Revenue-Driven
The old approach to SEO – manually targeting keywords, waiting months or years to see results, and struggling to connect SEO activities to revenue – is becoming obsolete.
At FancyAI, we’re building a future where:
- SEO strategy is fully data-driven and algorithmically optimized
- Results are measurable and directly tied to revenue
- Implementation is largely automated
- Businesses see meaningful ROI within months, not years
This isn’t just about ranking higher – it’s about transforming how businesses approach digital visibility, customer acquisition, and ultimately revenue growth.
Final Thoughts
As search behavior continues to evolve and AI becomes more sophisticated, the businesses that embrace these technologies will gain significant competitive advantages. The digital real estate game is changing, and the companies that adapt fastest will secure the most valuable properties.
For business owners and marketers, my advice is simple: Don’t chase vanity metrics or immediately target the most competitive keywords. Instead, build a strategic pathway that delivers measurable revenue growth through a progressive, data-driven SEO strategy.
The future of SEO isn’t about guesswork or manual optimization – it’s about leveraging AI to make more intelligent decisions, automate implementation, and connect search visibility directly to business growth.
About the Author: Jacob Ralph is the co-founder of FancyAI, an AI-powered SEO automation platform helping companies improve their online visibility. FancyAI focuses on making it easier for businesses to connect with their target audience through automated, intelligent online strategies.
