With the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool in 2022, artificial intelligence has changed how we do marketing. In theory, instant content creation with AI frees you up to get creative with your SEO strategy, but it’s not as simple as plugging in a prompt and publishing the results.
AI content creation has come a long way in recent years, and it has huge implications for SEO. But to get the most out of this emerging tech, you’ll need to understand how it works—and how it doesn’t.
What is AI-Generated Content?
AI-generated content is any written or visual content created using a platform that operates with artificial intelligence. That includes software such as ChatGPT, AI Social Content Generator, AI Writing Assistant, and others, which quickly write articles, blog posts, white papers, and more based on user prompts.
These programs use natural language processing to learn how people talk and mimic the tone and flow of real human writing.
The Drawbacks of AI Content Creation
AI content creation may be faster than humans could ever be, but it does have its drawbacks.
For one, you need to know the right prompts to create quality content. Unless you’re giving your AI software specific and detailed instructions, it’s not going to create a high-quality piece. Even with a detailed prompt, you might still end up with a vague article that doesn’t say what you want to say. AI cannot capture the subtleties of human language.
For example, you may use white papers to persuade potential customers in the information-gathering stage to make a purchase. Since you understand your customers better than an AI tool ever could, you know which features to highlight and how to present them to your target audience. You get how your product or service benefits customers and addresses their pain points. AI cannot replicate these psychological cues that move customers through the marketing funnel.
Additionally, AI works by scouring the internet and compiling existing information. That means you run the risk of plagiarizing existing content if you’re only using AI to write for you. Almost 60 percent of AI-written content includes plagiarized information.
AI also doesn’t fact-check before putting out content. If you’re posting AI-generated content on your blog without proofing it, you could be releasing false information to the public.
Is AI Good for SEO?
These drawbacks are important to consider, but that doesn’t mean AI should be excluded from your marketing strategy.
If you’ve Googled anything recently, you’ve probably seen the search engine’s own generative AI in action. This feature includes a paragraph containing a summary of the top search results before showing you relevant websites related to your search.
However, these AI-generated results are still prioritized for relevance based on E-E-A-T guidelines:
- Experience: Does the content creator have real-life experience in the subject matter?
- Expertise: How much of an expert is the content creator?
- Authoritativeness: Are they or their brand considered a reputable authority in the subject?
- Trustworthiness: How much can a reader trust that their information is accurate?
If you’re using AI article creation without heavily editing or fact-checking the final result, your content will likely fail the E-E-A-T test, which pushes your website down the search engine results pages (SERPS). Google prefers high-quality content with a focus on user intent and accurate information.
The SEO industry should only use AI for research and assistance purposes. While tempting, no AI tool can replace the knowledge and direction of an experienced SEO strategist.
How to Use AI Content for SEO 2024
You’ll want to follow a few key best practices to make the most of AI in your SEO and content strategy.
Keep an Eye on Search Data
AI can sift through a mountain of customer data in a couple of minutes. An AI-powered analytics tool will help you get an idea of the keywords that are currently driving traffic to your site. Use this information as a starting point for an SEO strategy that capitalizes on your strengths.
Once you have an idea of where your web traffic is concentrated, work with a professional SEO strategist to strengthen weaker parts of your site and capitalize on popular pages. Human specialists are still critical for connecting keywords to user intent and keeping your content useful and relevant.
Generate Outlines
Even if you’re only using human writers, you can use AI to generate an outline.
These outlines help organize your thoughts and improve your blog posts and other content. Starting the writing process with an outline also speeds up your research so you can spend more time polishing your article.
However, it’s important to note that no AI tool can replace a human’s ability to craft compelling outlines that match your objectives, SEO targets, and brand voice. While many modern AI models can help with crafting a basic outline, you still need competent writers and SEO professionals to make sure the content is the right fit for you.
Edit Your Pieces
AI-powered tools such as Grammarly will assess your writing and suggest improvement. Before you publish a post or send an article out for publication, have the AI editor give it a first pass. Correct the comments and create a more interesting and engaging piece.
Once you’ve perfected your piece, have a human editor look it over to ensure accuracy and legibility. Motoza’s writing team does an extensive manual review of all content we publish, even using these new third-party proofreading tools.
AI-Generated Content is Here, but it’s Not Ready
AI content creation is improving, but it’s not perfect. At this moment, generative AI is no match for the human ability to connect emotionally with people reading and viewing your content. However, it can still be a valuable tool to create high-quality content people want to click on.
We’ll see what the future has in store for the marketing industry. Maybe one day, AI will replace us all. For the time being, keep using human strategists for your marketing needs. Ask your content creators and marketers how they use AI today to help with your campaigns.
As fans of technology, AI fascinates us, and its ability to craft content and do research is amazing. However, the human component at Motoza continues to be a core component of our long-standing success. Contact us today to see how we can help with your digital marketing needs.
