The Impact of AI on SEO: Pros, Cons and Humanization
Published on: Jun 06, 2024
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and the process of optimizing web content including text, images, videos, gifs, etc. to be visible to the right audience is called SEO.
All the content on the internet was entered by humans before the availability of AI tools either by typing, uploading, or streaming live. But now AI tools have revolutionized the world with their easy access and usage. Since the majority of AI tools are available for free, the internet is divided into whether to use AI content to get SEO rankings or they should stick to the traditional way of writing content. In this blog, we will dig more into the matter.
Importance of content in SEO
SEO aims to get visitors and the only thing that can attract and maintain users is quality content. Without the content search engines will never know what a page is about and how to get relevant users. Hence making the content extremely important for a web page and its success.
Search engines rank content based on an algorithm, a set of rules/instructions. It's important to keep up with the changes in those rules. These changes can help you figure out how to make your website rank higher in search engine results.
When it comes to SEO, only really good content matters. Search engines like Google prefer helpful and well-made content because it helps users to get the required results. Search engines use words/phrases known as keywords to match user queries with the content on the internet and then show them results that best match their intent depending on the user's location, demographics, gender, etc. Now, the question arises can an AI language model create content that keeps up with the algorithm of a search engine?
Any content, generated by machines as a result of the human query is known as AI content, which could be blogs, product descriptions, research articles, marketing materials, videos, audio, etc. It may have limitations which can only be overcome through human efforts to make the content work well on search engines.
Pros of AI-generated content
Cost Effectiveness
Creating content with experienced writers costs very high depending on the required technical knowledge, word count, and required format. On the other hand, AI content generators are free or available at cheap rates.
Efficiency and Scalability
An AI tool can generate hundreds of articles in a few minutes compared to a human. An experienced writer needs hours to days to research and write an article molding it into the required format and making it keyword-optimized.
An AI tool can personalize the same content for different formats like a social media post, a blog post, etc. which might seem challenging for a human writer.
Help with writer’s block
When a writer finds it difficult to be creative and with no idea it is called writer’s block. Getting stuck in writer’s block is a common hurdle writers face while creating content. AI content creation tools can generate ideas and outlines for the content helping them get rid of this issue.
Improved SEO
Where there is debate about using AI content for SEO, it is proven that AI-generated content has performed no less than that of humans. AI tools can research, explore, and write hundreds of high-quality articles in a few minutes.
Where there is debate about using AI content for SEO, it is proven that AI-generated content has performed no less than that of humans.
Cons of AI-generated content
Plagiarized and poor-quality content
AI tools fetch data from the same resource and there is quite a chance that it is the same data created earlier. Search engines do not support plagiarism and will flag the copied content.
Other than plagiarism, AI content misses the proper flow of content as it fetches data from random resources making it against the search engine’s content guidelines.
Algorithms devalue content
Search engines like ‘Google’ support content that adds value to the users. Depending on the user interest, and bounce back rate, Google will devalue a web page. AI tools without understanding the complication create content filled with information resulting in users leaving the page.
Lack of creativity
Content can never be engaging if it’s not creative and the reader does not feel an emotional bond with it. Creativity depends on the topic and the way it is explained. AI lacks this emotional touch, hence creating content that is more informative and less interactive.
Human editing is a must
AI tools do not understand adjective meanings of the word and might write two opposite opinions in one piece of writing. They explore and find data from many of the online resources and combine them to keep a final output. This final output still needs human editing to keep the same side of the writer’s opinion.
Lack of new ideas
AI tools use already available data on the internet and create a piece of writing without adding something new and creative.
Meanwhile, trending topics keep on changing. To keep a specific position on the top pages of a search engine, a business must create trending content as soon as possible and relying solely on the AI content creation tool might not work well.
To keep a specific position on the top pages of a search engine, a business must create trending content as soon as possible and relying solely on the AI content creation tool might not work well.
Strategies for Humanizing AI Content
Apart from the disadvantages of AI, about 87% of people are using AI to generate content. According to IBM, 34% of organizations are currently using AI and 42% are analyzing the facts to switch to this new technology. Since it is the need of today’s world, let us find ways to make AI-generated content more like humans and less like machines.
1. AI-generated content uses common phrases or words like "Furthermore," "Additionally" "Moreover," "unravel," unleash," "unveil," "uncover", "Unlock," "In conclusion," and "ultimately", "in summary," etc. Whenever you are using an AI tool, make sure to watch out for these words. Remove them and add a flow to your content as required.
2. Most of the AI tools use passive voice while explaining a solution. As a writer, you must focus that there are no more than two passive voice sentences in one paragraph. Try to develop and maintain the tone of the piece of writing in first-person pronouns. Use words like I, We, and Us. Remember that Search engines better rank content that describes the personal experience or tells a story.
3. Search engines prefer content that is both informative and entertaining. The presented information and facts should be accurate. Never post your AI-generated content online without fact-checking it. Use different resources and make sure you are delivering the right information.
4. There are thousands of tools available online that humanize AI content. It is never recommended to use them, instead, make sure that you edit each of your pieces of writing yourself.
AI tools are great assistance and facilitation and have made our work easy. Though it has some drawbacks, we cannot deny its importance in this new era. These tools provide ideas and outlines for our content and projects. The basic need is to review the content minutely and add the required changes. AI tools with your creativity and imagination can make your content SEO-friendly to rank it higher on search engines. AI is the future, and it is better to equip yourself with it as early as possible.
Author: Ayesha Aslam | Reviewed By: Hifsah Umbreen