Whether you run a business or if you are into content marketing, you should now be familiar with many AI content generating tools, right? AI-generated content or machine-generated content, refers to text produced by software rather than human authors. This content is generated automatically with minimal human intervention, primarily through automated processes.
Earlier in 2022, Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, announced that AI-generated content was considered spam and was against their guidelines. This meant that, rather than helping their SEO efforts, AI-generated content would harm businesses’ marketing efforts.
However, many businesses are using AI-generated content instead of professional content writing services.
AI Usage Statistics
An AI Survey report from Authority Hacker reports that
- 75.7% of marketers are now using AI tools for work. This shows just how fast AI has been adopted in the industry
- 69% of marketers are using ChatGPT, largely due to OpenAI making it widely available for free to everyone.
- 85.1% of marketers are using AI for article writing
- Now only 30.1% of Marketers think AI will negatively impact search traffic in 5 years
Google has the capability to identify AI-generated content through a range of techniques, employing methods that involve natural language processing (NLP) algorithms. These algorithms scrutinize the text to detect patterns and syntax commonly associated with machine-generated writing, effectively flagging content generated by artificial intelligence systems.
We are all quite confused whether Google will penalize AI-generated content or whether this content will affect our SEO efforts. AI content and content writing software, when not used right, can have negative effects on SEO.
Google isn’t against AI-generated content. But—
it penalizes poor content. It is quite clear that Google does not penalize AI content.
Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated content, says so –
Google’s foremost concern regarding content is not the technique employed for content creation but rather the content’s quality. Recent algorithm updates primarily focus on addressing low-quality content and websites that engage in spammy practices.
Hope you’ve read our blog on the October 2023 Spam Update.
Although Google initially stated that helpful content had to be “written by people,” they subsequently removed that statement from their documentation. For many, this removal silently suggested that AI-generated content might not be a concern.
The recent Helpful Content update aims to encourage content that is meticulously tailored to meet specific audience needs. It emphasizes the importance of content that showcases expertise and is published on websites with a clear, overarching focus. Furthermore, this update seeks to promote content that effectively satisfies user search intent and aligns with their queries. It underscores the significance of adhering to Google’s webmaster guidelines, including the principles of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T). This collective focus on content quality and relevance is intended to enhance the overall user experience and promote credible, valuable information across the web.
Proper Prompt Engineering Matters
Proper prompt engineering is the cornerstone of generating high-quality and contextually relevant AI-generated content. By crafting well-structured and precise prompts, you can guide AI models to produce content that aligns with your objectives and maintains ethical and factual standards. Effective prompts ensure that the AI understands the specific context, tone, and style required for a given task, ultimately leading to content that resonates with the target audience. It empowers you to harness the capabilities of AI while maintaining control over the output, safeguarding against biases, and ensuring that the content produced is informative, engaging, and purposeful. In a landscape where AI plays an increasingly prominent role in content creation, proper prompt is the essential thing to ensure that AI-generated content remains a valuable and responsible tool for various applications, from writing to data analysis and beyond.
Why Not Combine AI Output and Human Editing for Unique, Informative Content?
Creating high-quality AI content that meets Google’s guidelines, will not affect your SEO.
Search Engine Land recommends artificial intelligence optimization (AIO) writers to use the C.R.A.F.T editing framework for creating exceptional content.
The steps in the C.R.A.F.T. writing involves avoiding fluff, reviewing the draft, optimizing for SEO, adding visuals, fact-checking, and trusting the content. This editing framework will help polish your content, improving its quality and making it more human-like.
Best Practices for Using AI Effectively
- Write for humans and focus on quality
- Never rely completely on AI content output
- Deliver value through relevant content
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Use AI tools ethically
- Ensure to edit and add a human touch
- Focus on AI research prompts
- Always add something new to the content
- Create a draft, then edit and make it unique
- Improve the AI content with more human thoughts
- Use plagiarism detector tools
The Human Element in SEO
While AI plays a crucial role in SEO, it’s essential to remember that the human element remains indispensable. SEO strategies should be devised, monitored, and adapted by humans who understand the goals and values of a business. AI content, although capable of producing high-quality material, lacks the creativity and strategic vision of a human content creator.
AI can certainly go hand-in-hand with SEO, but it’s the collaboration of human expertise and AI tools that produces the most effective results. The future of SEO is undoubtedly intertwined with AI, as the technology continues to evolve and provide increasingly sophisticated solutions to the complex challenges of digital marketing and online visibility. Embracing AI in your SEO strategy can give you a competitive edge and help your content rise to the top of the search results. However, it’s essential to balance this with the creativity, strategy, and human touch that only human content creators can provide.
