AI is used a lot these days as it speeds up processes and takes away the learning curve of performing specific tasks. One of the ways AI is being used is to generate website content. But Is AI bad for a website?
AI-generated content can harm your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) if you don’t edit or fact-check it. Google penalizes content written to rise in the search engine rankings without considering its value. The content can also be misleading or inaccurate. However, when used properly, AI can benefit you.
In this article, I’ll explain the downsides of filling your website with AI-generated content. I will also give you some tips on how to use it properly and avoid AI’s pitfalls.
What Is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a method of improving organic website traffic. When your website content is SEO friendly or SEO optimized, it stands a better chance of ranking highly in people’s searches. The result is more leads and sales as more people see your content.
So surely, AI-generated content should be automatically optimized for high rankings? Let’s closely examine AI-generated content, its risks, and whether you should use it.
What Is AI-Generated Content?
AI-generated content is created by artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT and Jasper AI. You simply type in a prompt instructing the app to scan the internet for information. It will then convert it to text in a matter of seconds. AI allows you to create lots of content in a fraction of the time of a human. This sounds like great news for businesses, but there are risks:
1. You Run The Risk Of Plagiarism
AI content generators rely on machine learning. They scan data created by humans to create new content based on your prompt. It doesn’t create new data…yet.
This means that all the data comes from the same place. It is only a matter of time before the generators begin making the same patterns, creating plagiarism. Plagiarism is a problem for websites, as it goes against search engine guidelines. The result is lower rankings or your content not being indexed at all.
2. AI Content Doesn't Comply With EAT
Google checks content based on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT). These qualities let Google know if your content is authentic, trustworthy and if the author is a true expert.
AI is not an expert, authoritative, or always trustworthy. Therefore, AI-generated content is often ranked low, reducing the number of people who see it.
3. No Emotional or Human Traits
AI generators try to mimic human-like wording but often fall short. It will use fluffy words and phrases that would have you running for the door if a person were to speak to you like that. On the other hand, AI-generated content can sound robotic and repeat phrases throughout an article.
AI looks at things objectively, which is fine for comparing products as it comes up with some good advantages and disadvantages. However, not all of the pros and cons are accurate in my experience.
Human writers can express emotions and share opinions and experiences. For example, when I write about snowboarding in the backcountry, I can share things that happened and how my friends and I felt.
4. The Information Isn't Always Accurate
I have experimented with a few articles using AI. For example, in one article, I had to talk about the highest and lowest points of several ski resorts in the French Alps. I thought I’d use AI to give me some quick facts, but the altitudes and names of the peaks were all wrong.
Luckily, my knowledge and experience of these ski resorts allowed me to intercept the mistakes before I sent the article to my customer. I learned a very valuable lesson that day.
5. AI Is Not Creative
As I mentioned earlier, AI gets its information from existing data. The content is pretty unique, as there are millions of combinations of words and phrases, but there’s still nothing new.
If we all use AI to generate website content, all our websites will become the same. There would be no reason for Google to rank your website above someone else’s or for someone to click on yours over another.
What Do You Need To Do For High Google Rankings?
Search engines love consistent websites. Therefore, you must post frequently and ensure your content is relevant to your niche.
How often you post content depends on your niche, content type, and website goals. Your content needs to make sense to your targeted audience. For example, this website is to help people who want to attract people to their website by either following my advice or hiring me to write for them.
AI can help you by helping you create content quickly and cheaply. You can climb the search engine rankings if you use the content correctly. This is especially true if you pay for your AI generator, as it can utilize trending keywords. Finding suitable keywords to target is laborious, so AI can save you a lot of time.
How To Use AI-Generated Content for SEO
I’ve experimented with AI-generated content to see if it would make my life easier or better for my clients. However, I ended up rewriting everything ChatGPT had given me. But here are a few tips if you decide to use AI generators for your website content:
1. Use AI For Keyword Research
Using AI for keyword research will allow you to create content people are searching for with low competition. This means you can focus on people within your niche using good SEO practices.
2. Use AI To Give You A Starting Point
Rather than using ChatGPT to write a blog for you, get it to create an outline for you or your writers to follow. A list of subheadings and AI-generated suggestions can speed up the writing process without the above mentioned issues.
3. Edit And Proofread All AI-generated Content
If you use AI to create your website content, check everything before posting it. Carefully read it to pick up on grammatical errors, inaccuracies, and false information. Unfortunately, in some cases, this can take as much time as writing the blog from scratch. Therefore, you may want to hire someone to edit it for you or a writer to do a proper job in the first place.
Final Thoughts On Is AI Bad For A Website?
I believe AI generators can be a good tool for content creation. Still, it would be best to not rely on them to create content from start to finish.
If you post AI-generated content without checking and editing it, you’re website will suffer at the hands of the Google gods. The nature of AI-generated content will result in search engine penalties.
However, using AI as a tool and not a cheap employee, you can make it work for you. But you have to use it in the right way.
I understand how hard creating great, frequent, consistent website content is. Whether you want someone to edit your AI content or write quality articles from scratch, I’m here to help. Please check out my Fiverr profile, email me, or message me through Instagram.