Can I use AI to write my SEO copy?

AI Overviews, Core algorithm updates; there’s a LOT going on in the world of SEO right now. Consistently though, what we know is this: high quality and useful content is top priority.



The problem, though, is that oftentimes resource is tight when it comes to copywriting. Or you might not even have any copywriting resource to begin with. This is where generative AI, such as Chat GPT, may come in handy. It seems so easy, right? You give the AI tool the topic, the keywords, and various other prompts, and it returns a very readable article within seconds.

Is AI copy bad or good for SEO?

AI-written copy isn’t bad for SEO per se, but it isn’t necessarily good for it either. While it may save you some time, there are some serious considerations before you hit ‘publish’.

Google itself says that high quality content will be rewarded, regardless of it’s origin [1]. While that means that AI content won’t specifically be penalised, we also know that Google is increasingly pushing user-generated content to the forefront – as demonstrated by it’s recent partnership with Reddit. Why? Because it knows that searchers value the insights and opinions of their peers. AI, as great as it is, cannot create UGC.

Following on from this, it is unlikely that AI will be able to demonstrate all of it’s E-E-A-T metrics, which are central to it’s determination of helpfulness of content. 

What are E-E-A-T metrics?

E-E-A-T is a framework that represents: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google takes these factors into account when determining whether or not your content is helpful.

1. Experience – does the writer have experience in the real world with the product/service/topic? This will be especially prevalent in language that is used.
2. Expertise – does the writer have the expertise to be writing about the topic in the first place? What in their history & qualifications can be demonstrated to prove that?
3. Authoritativeness – what makes the writer an authoritative voice on the matter? Are they cited anywhere externally?
4. Trustworthiness – how can this content be trusted – have relevant sources been cited? Has the content been reviewed for factual accuracy?

How can I practically demonstrate E-E-A-T metrics?

The best way that you can demonstrate these factors to Google is by doing the following:

Create author pages for the individuals who are writing copy. On these pages include relevant links to external qualifications, resources, e.g. thought leadership, universities. Link to these author pages from relevant articles, and similarly ensure that the author page links to the content they have written on-site.

• Ensure that references are included on-page, as a clickable link where possible
• Include date published and date modified dates on-page
• Use structured data to mark up key elements such as author, date published/modified, to further help search engine understanding.

When it comes to experience specifically, the only way that this can truly be demonstrated is by having a human write the copy – an LLM like Chat GPT won’t be able to communicate it’s own experience on a topic.

So can I use AI at all to write copy for SEO?

AI is a fantastic time-saver when it comes to writing copy. But nothing will top the human touch. It makes for a great time-saver when it comes to doing initial research/ideation, and getting the foundations of a piece in place, but it won’t be able to demonstrate all E-E-A-T metrics.



Personally, I would still recommend to my clients that a copywriter is used, or at least that a copywriter/someone internally reviews and edits all copy as needed before it goes live on a website.

References

[1] https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/02/google-search-and-ai-content

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