Within the last year alone, we’ve seen a huge boom in interest in using artificial intelligence (AI) to write blog posts. The appeal of it is obvious—AI generates content quickly and easily, which is a major time-saver for busy bloggers. But there are a few definite drawbacks to this seemingly golden solution. AI-generated content is often…
…unoriginal.
AI writing tools are trained on large datasets of text, which means they often generate content that’s already been published somewhere else. Aside from being redundant, it can also lead to plagiarism issues, which can negatively impact your site’s search rankings.
…low-quality.
Most AI writing tools are new—so new, they’re still under development, and they are not always able to generate high-quality content. This can be caused by low-quality training data, the complexity of the prompt it’s been tasked with, and the limitations of the AI algorithm.
…irrelevant to your target audience.
AI writing tools can only generate content based on information they have been trained on and they don’t know how to tailor content to different audiences. This inflexibility means they struggle to come up with content that is relevant to your specific audience.
…not optimized for SEO.
AI writing tools do not have the same understanding of SEO as human writers. It’s possible to train them on this in the future, but for now, it means that they may not be able to generate content that is optimized for search engines. On top of that, search engine algorithms are constantly changing—AI tools have a hard time keeping up.
…flagged as spam.
If you use AI to write blog posts, there is a risk that your content will be flagged as spam by search engines. AI-generated content is often be repetitive, unoriginal, and not customized to your specific brand or website, and search engines can spot those issues.
…damaging to your brand reputation.
If your blog posts are full of AI-generated content that is low-quality, unoriginal, or irrelevant, it can damage your brand reputation. Because AI tools are associated with saving time and money, if your content looks and reads AI-generated, it may suggest that your brand is unprofessional or inexpert.
Giving Your AI-Generated Content a Human Touch
Don’t worry—you can still use AI tools to make your workflow more effective. What’s the trick? Revision. Editing AI-generated content is the most efficient way to make it more SEO-friendly, and once you’ve got the process down, it’s often faster than generating content yourself. These tips should get you started:
- Spelling and grammar check. English is a complex language, and AI can struggle with some of its odd patterns and rules. That’s why it’s important to proofread content carefully before publishing it.
- Edit for your target audience. Read the content through and make sure it’s something your target audience would actually be interested in reading—and something you conceivably would have written yourself.
- Apply SEO practices. This includes using the right keywords, the right headings, and the right formatting. AI tools often forget this step.
- Get creative. Don’t just publish the AI-generated content as-is. Add your own thoughts, ideas, and anecdotes to make it unique and engaging. People want to feel like a person is talking to them, not a computer.
- Use in moderation. Don’t rely on AI-generated content as the sole source of content on your site. Instead, use it to supplement your own content or to generate ideas for new content.
- Be transparent. Let your readers know that some of your content was generated or supplemented by AI. This will help build trust and credibility with your audience. You can even frame it as your brand keeping up with cutting edge trends.
- Monitor performance. Keep an eye on your search rankings and engagement metrics to see how your AI-generated content is performing. If you see any negative trends, you may need to adjust your approach.
General tips for writing SEO-friendly blog posts
By following these tips, you can write SEO-friendly blog posts that will help you attract more visitors to your site and improve your search rankings:
- Use keywords throughout your content, but don’t overdo it.
- Write for your target audience first, not for search engines.
- Large blocks of text can strain the eyes, so use images and videos to break up your text and make your content more visually
- Optimize your titles and meta descriptions for search engines.
- Promote your blog posts on social media and other channels like email marketing.
Final Thoughts
Critical thinking, nuance, and flexibility are things that AI tools haven’t learned how to replicate. Unfortunately, for writers looking to use these tools, those skills are crucial in producing quality content that readers will engage with and remember.
AI tools are just that—tools. You should use them to help with content creation, but they shouldn’t be entirely responsible for it. As tempting as automated writing sounds, AI tools just can’t replace the human element of writing. That includes blog posts. So if you really want to invest in improving your site’s search rankings, it’s best to write your own blog posts or hire a professional writer to do it for you.
