The Value of a Human Connection in an Increasingly AI World: Local Link Building that Lasts

With the advent and increasing popularity of artificial intelligence (or AI), we can’t forget that human connections in SEO and link building are still vital.

Using AI as a tool to help with tasks and data collection can be beneficial, but consumers still say that connecting with another person when making purchases or business decisions holds more value than simply interacting with a computer.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is “the field of developing computers and robots that are capable of behaving in ways that both mimic and go beyond human capabilities. AI-enabled programs can analyze and contextualize data to provide information or automatically trigger actions without human interference.”

AI is a multifaceted technology that has become a major player in the SEO world. It encompasses a variety of tools that programmers and software developers use to collect and analyze massive quantities of data, problem-solve, and recognize patterns.

Maintaining the “Human Aspect” of SEO & Local Link Building

Do People Still Value Human Interactions Over AI?

The short answer is - YES!

According to research collected by Qualtrics, and published in MarketingCharts, end users prefer to deal with a person when making decisions or asking questions across most fields.

The careful consideration and personal touch that comes with maintaining the “human element” is especially important for local SEO and link building. It is vital to be intentional about link building efforts. One bad link or too many irrelevant links built just for the sake of having links, can put you in “Google jail.”

I always make sure to encourage clients and businesses to carefully manage their growth of backlinks; focusing on quality over quantity. I’ll touch on this more in a moment, but first I want to review what a good backlink looks like at the hyper-local level.

What Makes a Good Link?

Relevance, relevance, relevance!

Making sure the backlinks you build are relevant to your client makes a world of difference - and keeps search engines happy.

When building links, there are three relevance categories to consider:

1. Topical Relevance - topic-related links
2. Location Relevance - location-based links (zip code, city, state, etc.)
3. Audience Relevance - meaningful links for specific audiences

At the hyper-local level, one of the best link building strategies is to connect businesses with nonprofits, organizations, and even events in their own communities. In my time working in Local SEO, I’ve found that contacting each organization individually and having real conversations with them provides a deeper level of connection and longer-lasting links.

Going beyond just a link and an increase in local online visibility, this method also helps to foster grassroots-connections in the communities, which can be a true game-changer for local businesses.

Does DA Matter?

While there is much debate about whether or not Domain Authority is a good indicator of a healthy link, I’ve found it doesn’t play much of a role for local links. The weight of the links being location-based usually overshadows a website's DA score.

If you’d like to dive a bit deeper into this topic, you can read this article on DA at the local level.

The Effects of AI on Link Building

Problems with “Quantity” Over “Quality” Link Building

You’ve probably noticed the drastic increase in companies using AI for a variety of tasks - from drafting articles to answering customer questions.

In the link building world, this opens the door for AI programs that can build massive quantities of links very quickly. While potentially cost-effective, websites using this strategy will suffer in the long run.

This type of link building directly violates Google’s link spam policies and can result in penalties or even blacklisting. Add into that the increased risk of linking to low quality, untrustworthy sites and collecting irrelevant links, using AI in this way is not an advisable strategy.

The Age-Old Battle of “Humans vs. Machines” is Still Raging

AI and AI-based tools are being released at a faster rate than they can be quality-checked and improved; and they are being far too heavily relied on, making many in the tech world feel uneasy at its implementation.

The demand for cheap - and especially easy - solutions to problems is out-pacing the development, viability, and functionality of these tools.

Even though this is not a new problem for technologies and products as they are built, when companies replace the human element of a job, too much can be left behind.

AI technologies have been found to hinder us in other areas as well, such as:

• Damaging ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of misinformation;
• Ignoring the concept of Intellectual Property (like AI-generated images, which are mostly an amalgamation of existing artwork that has been posted on the internet);
• Being easily manipulated based on the person the AI program is interacting with at the time (according to OpenAI’s own investigations into ChatGPT);
• And manipulating users in return, leading to serious ethical concerns (as seen in this Forbes article from 2023).

Finding a Happy Middle Ground

Using AI for brainstorming, drafting emails or posts, and compiling data are all excellent uses of these programs. However, it’s important to roll out the use and release of AI programs in the workplace with caution - and to remember to fact-check and review all information gathered through the use of AI.

Artificial intelligence is a tool, not an employee.

This idea is summed up perfectly in this article from Business Wire:

“[The] data confirms that, while enterprises who don’t take advantage of AI are leaving opportunities and revenue on the table, it’s important to implement the technology strategically. The goal is not to replace agents but rather, empower and inform them with tools and data insights to improve customer service interactions."

Keeping the human element by personally interacting with clients and businesses will set you apart in this increasingly AI world; increasing client retention and fostering stronger, lasting relationships for the future.