The Pros and Cons of Using AI-Generated Content for SEO

Intro

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the landscape of SEO. More and more businesses are using AI-generated content on their websites.

Numerous AI writing assistants have come up online in the last couple of years. Many of them promise to help you write high-quality website content within a fraction of the time you usually would. But is this a wise decision to use them? How does it affect Google search rankings?

There are both pros and cons to using AI-generated content for SEO as a writer, blogger, online business owner, digital marketer, or social media influencer. In this blog post, we will explore both sides of the argument and help you decide whether or not using AI for content generation is right for your business & Let’s talk about the best AI to help your business thrive in 2024.

(Image source: @BessemerVP’s Twitter)

What is AI-Generated Content?

AI-generated content is created by using natural language processing (NLP) algorithms. These algorithms analyze a given body of text and then produce new content that is similar in style and meaning.

To generate the content, you simply use an AI writing tool. What you do is give it some context by inputting a topic and some keywords. The AI software will then analyze a large corpus of text (such as a database of articles) and generate a new piece of content that meets your specifications.

Here are some common examples of AI content:

• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• Emails
• Product descriptions
• Ad copies
• Landing pages

Most AI tools come with different templates to use depending on the type of content you need. You just need to select the appropriate use case before you start to generate pieces of text with a specific writing assistant software.

How to Generate Content Using AI

As we’ve seen, AI can help you generate all sorts of content for your website. If you want to try it out, there are a few steps you need to follow:

• Choose an AI writing tool to use: There are many different software programs on the market. You need to select one for your needs. Do some research to find one that suits your budget and the amount of content you need.
• Pick a template: You need to select the right template depending on the text you need. If you need a blog post, find that use case in your chosen tool and not one for generating product descriptions or emails.
• Input some context: AI content generator rely on the data you provide them with. That's how they learn to create content for you. You'll need to give the software program some context by typing in a topic and a few keywords so that it can generate content that is relevant to your business.
• Generate the content: The final step is to simply let the AI software produce the content for you. It will take a few minutes (or even seconds) to create a piece of text that meets your specifications.
• Proofread and edit: Once the content is generated, you'll need to go through it and make sure there are no errors. You should also edit the text to make sure it sounds natural and is in line with your brand voice.

Pros of Using AI-Generated Content for SEO

There are several advantages to using AI-generated content on your website or social media pages:

1. Quick and Easy

The biggest advantage of using AI to generate content is that it's quick and easy. You can have a piece of text ready in a portion of the time it would take you to write it yourself.

Most content generators using AI can create a few paragraphs in seconds. You just keep instructing it to produce more and you'll have an entire blog post or copy in several minutes.

2. Cost-Effective

Hiring a professional writer can be quite costly. According to Payscale, the average freelance writer earns around $25 per hour.

To get good content, you would need to part with around $50 hourly anytime you need a new blog post or website copy.

The price to use an AI tool is between $20 to $100 on a monthly basis. If you're on a tight budget, using an AI content generator can help you save money.

3. More Content:

With AI, you can generate more content in a shorter amount of time. This is great if you need to regularly publish new blog posts or social media updates but don't have the time to do it yourself.

Most AI tools have credits that you can use to generate a particular number of words. If you need more, you just need to get more content generation credits or upgrade your membership.

4. Better Quality:

Some people argue that AI-generated content is actually of better quality than human-written content. This is because AI tools can analyze different published texts on the Web and create something new and similar when it comes to style.

Let's say you don't know English that well and have problems writing in it. You could still use a writing assistant to come up with meaningful content to publish on your site.

5. No Writer's Block:

If you've ever suffered from writer's block, you know how frustrating it can be. You just stare at your computer not knowing how you'll write 5,000 words by the end of the day.

In AI content generation, you don't have to worry about not being able to come up with not just content but also ideas for your next blog post. The software does it all for you.

Cons of Using AI-Generated Content for SEO

There are also some disadvantages to using AI-generated content, such as:

1. Not 100% Accurate:

AI tools are not perfect and can make mistakes. They also might not understand the context of what you're trying to say.

So, you'll still need to check the content before hitting publish. You don't want to end up with a post full of grammar mistakes or one that doesn't make sense.

2. Can Sound Robotic:

One of the main problems with AI-generated content is that it can often sound robotic or unnatural. This is because the software doesn't understand the nuances of human language.

It's important to edit the text so that it sounds more natural. You can also try to find a tool that specifically focuses on creating content that sounds like it was written by a human.

3. Not Always SEO-Friendly:

Just because a piece of content is generated by AI doesn't mean it will be optimized for search engines. Most AI-based tools only allow you to add a couple of keywords for context purposes.

And we all know that you need several keywords depending on the type of content you're writing and its length. So, it’s best to do proper research to make sure your content keyword-rich and relevant to your audience. Or, you could use specific AI SEO tools too that can help you optimize your posts, you could also use the best seattle SEO company.

What Does Google Think About AI Content?

According to this article on Search Engine Journal, Google says that AI-generated content is taken to be spam. John Mueller, Google Seach Advocate, said that any content generated using AI belongs to the category of auto-generated content, which is a bad SEO practice. Since it’s against Google's webmaster guidelines, any websites found with spammy content get manual penalties.

Now, Google doesn't mention that it can automatically detect any AI content at the moment. Also, the company hasn’t banned it. In fact, Mueller hints of embracing AI writing more in the future. However, the web spam team can find any low-quality auto-generated articles and take necessary actions.

It’s true to say that even when written using AI, your content can still be valuable to readers. And in that case, the Google search engine will notice your published posts and rank them as long as people find them useful.

This can only happen if you go with a high-quality AI-based content generator, actively monitor the generation process, and improve the text with your words. In case you’re only using AI to generate lots of mediocre content per day and rank quickly, you may never get the good search rankings you’re looking for.

You can use AI content generation on your business website without worries. But it's crucial to make sure that your post doesn't have the following qualities:

• Sounding like it was written by a non-human
• Full of repeated words, sentences, and concepts
• Containing inaccurate or unverifiable data
• Having huge blocks of text without proper headings
• Being an exact copy or having similarities to something else on the Web
• Lacking relevant keywords

In other words, instead of relying 100 percent on any AI-powered writing software, just let it guide you and adjust the content as much as needed.

Tips to Effectively Use AI Content for SEO

You now know the pros and cons of AI content and whether it can rank. You need to follow some guidelines to enable your post to appear on Google and other search engines. You don't want to publish something that will negatively impact your website and affect your business.

Avoid Free and Cheap AI Text Generators

There are a lot of content generation tools out there that claim to help you write better content. But a significant number of them don't live up to their claims. And some can even do more harm than good.

That's why you should avoid free and cheap AI text generators. These usually create low-quality, keyword-stuffed articles that will get you penalized by Google if found.

If you're looking for a quality AI-powered content generator, be prepared to pay a bit more. Many well-established AI writers have free trials that you can use first to test the quality of the generated content before committing to a paid membership.

Choose a Good Topic to Write About

Your content topic is what will determine whether your target audience will read your post or not. So, take some time to think about the type of article you want to write and what will interest your readers. The best AI-based writing tools can also give you topic ideas.

Feel free to use a keyword research tool to help you come up with ideas for your content. These tools allow you to see what people are searching for online and what's trending in your industry.

Check and Improve Your Content Before Publishing

Even if you're using an AI content generator, you'll still need to check the post before you hit the publish button. This is to ensure that your article sounds natural and doesn't contain any errors. So, remove all repetitive texts and add a human touch to your written content. Tools like Grammarly can help you to effectively edit and correct your documents.

(Image source: Grammarly)

You should ensure that any data that appears in your text is real and from a valid source. This can include any statistics, information about companies, and quotes, among others.

It’s best if you also check for plagiarism before you publish your post. Some AI tools come with in-build plag checkers and others can integrate well with other plagiarism-checking software.

Remember, there's a risk that your AI-generated content could be similar to something else on the internet, depending on the text generator you used. And if it is, you may be subject to harsh Google penalties.

Conclusion: Should You Use AI for SEO?

AI can help you save time by automating the content generation process. But it's crucial to use high-quality AI tools and not rely on them too much to avoid getting penalized by Google. Also, be sure to check your content for plagiarism before you publish it.

If you follow all the tips in this article, you'll be able to use AI-generated content to rank on Google and other search engines. So, go ahead and give it a try!