A big topic in the world of SEO and Copywriting is how AI content will impact organic search results. If you’re generating content through the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, or one of the many other LLMs out there, you’ve probably asked yourself the same question. While Google’s algorithm is perpetually updating and evolving, there are a few things we can clarify.
We’ll take a look at what we know (with updates from the search engine giant themselves) and give you some tips for smart use of AI and what needs to be top of your list when you’re planning your content strategy.
What Google Actually Says About AI-Generated Content
A common theory that’s circulated for a long time now is that Google will actively penalise your website if it’s full of AI content. Now, we have a definitive answer.
Here’s the short version: AI content isn’t going to put your website into the digital equivalent of the cone of shame, but it won’t give you organic growth either.
The long version is that you can use AI to generate elements of your on-site content, but the emphasis is less on volume and more on usefulness. Essentially, you need to be putting out new information, adding helpful content that answers questions (or solves people’s problems) rather than posting bulk blogs that have been written a hundred times over already.
More ≠ Better When It Comes to Content
With the ability to crank out a ton of on-page content with a few simple prompts, there can be a temptation to throw a whole lot of blogs and FAQs at the wall and see what sticks. The reality is, thoughtful, well-written content with keyword research, relevant FAQs and unique perspectives or information reign supreme. Having just one blog or guide with 1500 words that your ecommerce customers will find helpful, can give you better credit with Google than five blogs that don’t add anything new to the conversation.
Having too much content without sharing new information can impact your authoritativeness in the industry and doesn’t add any real value. It looks like you’re ticking the content box, not trying to add value. AI, while a powerful tool for aggregating information, can’t come up with original ideas like a human can. Prompting AI with a brief you’ve come up with and providing sources from your own informational arsenal, or humanising something AI has written for you is a much better approach to take.
Google’s Ranking Factors Still Prioritise Usefulness
If you strip it back, Google’s core objective hasn’t changed: it wants to show users the most helpful and relevant results and answer the question easily. With the addition of AI overviews, AI search SEO is just as important as that #1 spot in the SERP. How do you get your site’s content sourced in the AI overview? You make it useful, unique, problem-solving and display your expertise in the industry you’re commentating on.
Not sure exactly what that looks like? Allow us to explain a little more.
The Role of EEAT in Evaluating Content Quality
You may have heard of EEAT before, but we’ll give you a refresher anyway. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are the four pillars of what Google loves when it comes to SEO copywriting. They’re great indicators of whether a blog post, landing page, or category page is going to be useful to people searching for specific terms. These aren’t factors you can fake – each one offers something a little different and unique to your content:
- Experience is where you can show first-hand knowledge or experience. A simple example would be a blog about the benefits of a certain product written by someone who’s actually used it and can describe how it works, what they like about it, and who it would be especially useful for.
- Expertise operates on a similar vein, but requires a little more relevant knowledge. That could be investment tips written by someone who’s worked in banking, or a mechanic letting you know how to change your own oil.
- Authoritativeness adds another layer, with content that’s recognised as a trusted source. It’s a little like when you see a peer reviewed article – but in a copywriting sense, it could be websites with plenty of backlinking pointing towards their content.
- Trustworthiness is content that offers transparent information with a high degree of accuracy. This can include adding sources or further reading, or more generic things on your website like having a privacy policy, or case studies with detailed data.
What Google Really Wants: Helpful, People-First Content
While you do need to appeal to the algorithm in terms of crawlability, indexing, meta text, schema and internal linking, the human perspective is important, too. For those of you wanting to humanise your AI content, or are writing from scratch and need some pointers, we can help. When it comes to writing content, our dedicated team incorporate these key elements into each and every piece:
- Write like you’re having a conversation. If it sounds robotic, doesn’t flow right, or has weird sentence structure and an overly formal tone, it’s not going to sound super human. Essentially, you want to aim for the kind of format you’d use in a letter to a friend.
- Have your facts straight! Keep things straightforward by doing your best to explain complex concepts in simple terms. If you can achieve that, you’re on the right track. This also helps Google see you as a more authoritative voice.
- Don’t get too wordy with it. Ever seen a sentence that’s the length of a paragraph? Try mixing things up. Some short, some long (and no more than around 30 words) are ideal. Clarity is a key focus here.
- Along a similar track as sentence length, keep your grammar and terminology simple where possible. Being direct and removing the fluff or industry-only terms can help.
- Add your own personal touch. Like we mentioned earlier, experience and expertise are important and that’s why your own knowledge of your product or service is so important. Sprinkle in a little bit of informal language or colloquialisms while you’re at it – it helps you connect with the reader (and them with you).
The Future of Content Creation Isn’t AI vs Human (You Can Have Both)
To wrap up the whole debate: it’s not a matter of picking a side, rather, a combination of AI and human intervention is the way to go. Use ChatGPT to come up with some new blog ideas and add your own unique twist, personal experiences, and relevant data to them. Or, come up with prompts to feed into ChatGPT and add in a bit of your own information with data and some relevant insights.
Audit Your Existing Content for EEAT and Relevance
If you’re in a position where your content has been on your website for a while (no matter whether it’s all-human, AI only or a mix of the two) it’s good to refresh it periodically. Go back and have a look and see if there are new, more relevant search terms, or perhaps new questions your prospective clients or customers are asking. Focusing on helpful, intentional and well-written content is always the way to go – no matter how you’re writing.
If you’re busy enough as is (and we know that almost every business owner is) and don’t have the time – consider handing off some SEO and copywriting to a team. At Reform Digital, we have a dedicated team of Australian SEOs and Copywriters who know all the ins and outs of ranking and making sure your content is ticking all Google’s (and your customers) boxes. Ready to transform your content? Let us help you out – contact us any time for a free discovery call, we’d love to help.
