Artificial Intelligence - A platform for next generation websites

Well, I’m going to have to stop you right there. I’ve had that dream, too, but that’s not the type of A.I (Artificial Intelligence) I’m referring to. I’m talking about machine learning.

What is machine learning?

What’s that?! I hear you ask. Machine learning is a type of A.I. that allows a computer to learn about the user, and it’s the platform that’ll take your website to the next level in 2017. Let me explain why, by use of a familiar scenario…

You visit your favourite eCommerce site, and you immediately see a barrage of products, of which, 70% of them are of no interest to you. This is where machine learning can immediately improve the user experience of this website.

The website can be set up to learn about the individual user. For example, the website will know that Bob visits the Fishing Gear and Photography categories more than any other, hence the homepage is now a selection board of cameras, lures and everything that Bob has ever wanted.

Websites target you specifically

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Using machine learning, a website can be set up to learn the gender, age and even the demographic group of the individual user.

With this information, a simple website becomes a powerful, marketing tool that can deliver the content people want, straight to them.

Combine machine learning with inbound marketing

When you bring machine learning and inbound marketing together, we will see far more sophisticated and intelligent marketing automation. The whole inbound marketing process will essentially be run by an AI.

AI will make use of big data and even in its most basic form will allow marketing professionals to automate processes, identify patterns in their customer’s buying behavior (and the overall customer journey) and also bring to light problems a human may miss.

Machine learning will take market segmentation to the next level. Soon AIs' will assist marketing in developing highly personalised customer interactions and automation process to a level not possible before.

Even the co-founder of HubSpot Brian Halligan stressed the importance of machine learning and AI in the future of inbound marketing at Inbound 2016. Halligan recognised that 2017 would be the “year of the bot” and he further added:

In five years, you will do a lot less navigating through apps and more just asking questions and chatting back and forth with bots… the next thing you know, we like it and it’s easier and more efficient than waiting for the sales rep to call you back.

The future of inbound and online marketing is one powered by bots, AI and machine learning. HubSpot believes this so strongly that they have even developed their own marketing chatbot called GrowthBot.

And in a world where content is king, artificial intelligence provides the platform for next generation ecommerce and online marketing websites.