Using AI to generate SEO content is a bad idea. Here's why.
Yes, we all use Chat GPT. It’s the worst-kept secret in the business world. And I know a lot of you are using it to create content from scratch. How? A lot of times, it’s in your intro.
You can spot it, too. Just look for a post that starts something like this: “In the realm of [industry], [subject of blog] stands as a pivotal tool.” Or some variation of that format.
Ever since Chat GPT burst onto the scene, a lot of businesses turned to it to deal with the grunt work of writing. It’s completely understandable, and perfectly fine for many types of writing. But if you’re using AI to create SEO blog content from scratch, you’re making a mistake.
Here, I’ll talk about some of the drawbacks of AI-generated content and discuss how AI can still play a supportive role in the content creation process. I'll also provide actionable insights on how to effectively integrate AI into your content strategy, while avoiding common pitfalls that could harm your brand's authenticity and search engine rankings.
3 Reasons Why You Should Not Rely on AI to Generate Content
So what’s the problem with AI? The content it creates seems decent. And, contrary to popular opinion, Google has no problem with AI-generated content – they just want it to be quality content.
Based on my experience, there are three basic reasons why you should not rely entirely on AI to generate content (beyond the issue of repetitive language in the example above).
1. The Writing is Shallow
AI-generated content often lacks the depth and insight provided by human writers. While AI can efficiently compile information and present it in a coherent format, it struggles to deliver the nuanced understanding and in-depth analysis that comes naturally to human content creators.
That’s a big problem because Google now prioritizes “information gain” in SEO content. It’s not good enough to just follow SEO principles and cough up an article that looks like everything else out there – your content has to ooze authority and expertise.
2. AI May Make Things Up
One of the more problematic aspects of AI content generation is its propensity to fabricate information. AI algorithms, though advanced, do not discern between verified facts and plausible-sounding fabrications. This can lead to inaccuracies in your content, undermining its credibility and potentially damaging your brand's reputation.
It’s also hard to predict when an AI may make something up. One surefire way to get an AI to pull facts out of thin air is to ask it to provide some statistics, but there are other times it may do so when it may be harder to spot.
3. Lack of Personality and Branding
As a human being, you have a distinct personality and voice, and your business has a brand and style. While you can try to feed directives to the AI to reflect that personality and style, it’s usually a pale imitation of the real thing. And we know Google favors your personality shining through, so that’s a major downside.
And even if you can get the content to rank, content that feels generic or impersonal can fail to connect with your target market, diminishing the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
4 Things AI is Good At When It Comes to SEO Content
While AI shouldn't be relied upon to generate entire pieces of content, it can still be a valuable tool in the content creation process. Here are four things I frequently use it for to help me create stellar content.
1. Creating Outlines to Get You Started
AI excels at structuring basic outlines, providing a solid foundation upon which to build your content. I used Chat GPT to generate an outline for this piece! By feeding AI a topic or a set of keywords, you can quickly generate a coherent outline that covers key points and offers a logical flow for your article.
2. Doing Some of the Grunt Work of Writing
AI can handle the tedious process of sitting down and generating hundreds of words of prose at a time in order to express ideas. You’ll still have to go back and edit it to make it suitable for publishing, but it can save you a lot of time in terms of sheer typing and mental exhaustion. This allows you to focus on the aspects that really make your content shine: depth, insight, and a personal touch to the content.
3. Incorporating Expertise into Content
When you ask AI to generate content, it’s just pulling from knowledge already on the internet. But when you feed it in-depth information – such as your own expertise, or perhaps a whitepaper you wrote a couple years ago – it can organize that information into an SEO-optimized format. I love using AI to take great content that’s already out there (but not getting eyeballs) and turning it into Google gold.
4. Beefing Up Thin Content with Hypotheticals and Examples
Another thing I love about AI is how good it is at explaining difficult concepts or illustrating points with hypotheticals and examples. If you feel like a section just lacks the depth or engagement you would like, ask the AI to provide an example of the concept in action.
8 Steps to Create an SEO Blog Post from Scratch With AI
OK, so how do we take this knowledge about what AI can or can’t do and use it to help us create a blog post from scratch that will do well in Google? This 8-step plan gives you a basic idea of how I like to do it – feel free to adapt it to your own processes.
1. Decide on the Keyword and Topic
Begin by identifying the keyword or phrase you want to target, along with the overall topic of your blog. This initial step is crucial as it sets the direction for your content and ensures that your efforts are aligned with your SEO goals.
2. Generate an Outline with AI
Take your focus keyword and ask Chat GPT to generate an initial outline for your article. This can include suggested headings, subheadings, and key points to cover. Remember, this outline serves as a starting point and will need human refinement.
3. Research the SERP for Additional Insights
Conduct a thorough search engine results page (SERP) analysis for your targeted keyword. This research helps you understand what content is currently ranking and identify any additional sections or topics your competitors might be covering. Incorporate these insights into your outline to ensure comprehensiveness and relevance.
Consider having Chat GPT do this by copying and pasting articles at the top of search results for that keyword to help guide the AI. Say something like, “Here’s a good example of an article on this topic; please modify this outline to cover some of the same topics while offering some additional info.”
4. Generate Content Section by Section
With your enhanced outline in hand, use AI to draft each section of the content individually, rather than attempting to create the entire piece in one go. This piecemeal approach allows for more focused and detailed content generation, giving you better control over the quality and relevance of each section.
5. Infuse Your Expertise
Now, take the AI-generated draft and start infusing it with your unique expertise. Incorporate insights from your whitepapers, case studies, and other proprietary resources. This step not only adds depth and authority to your content but also ensures it aligns with your business’s branding and voice.
6. Edit for Voice and Add Additional Information
Once the AI has assisted in drafting the basic content, it’s time to thoroughly edit it. This involves adjusting the language to match your brand's voice, adding any additional information, insights, or statistics that can enhance the content's value, and ensuring overall coherence and readability.
7. Choose Images and Graphics
Visual elements play a big role in enhancing the appeal and understanding of your content. Select or create images and graphics that complement your text, making it more engaging and accessible to your audience.
8. Final Review and Publish
Conduct a final review of your content, ensuring it meets your quality standards and SEO objectives. Once satisfied, proceed to publish it on your platform, completing the process of creating AI-assisted, human-enhanced SEO content.
We’ll Create a 3-Month SEO Strategy for You for Free – Just Provide Your Website and Email
This method sounds easy – and, make no mistake, it’s certainly faster than doing everything yourself. But it’s still a lot of work. You’ve got to do keyword research, guide the outline creation process, generate the content, carefully edit it, and so on. But we can help you, and we’ll do it for free.
Submit your email and website using our Free Report form, and we’ll craft a free 3-month content strategy for you, delivered within 24 hours. This strategy will outline:
Your website’s reputation in Google
Target keywords that align with your business goals
Blog post ideas that can elevate your search engine rankings and generate leads
Why do we offer this? Because I’ve found that businesses often appreciate the strategy so much, they want assistance in executing it. My services are available at a fraction of the cost of typical SEO agencies. I handle everything from keyword research and interviewing SMEs, to content creation, publishing, and analytics reporting.
If you prefer just the free report, that's perfectly fine. There's no obligation to proceed further. So why wait? Request our free report today and take the first step towards transforming your SEO strategy.