By Jon Monk

No matter where you read about Artificial Intelligence (AI) content creation in the media, it is clear that AI is a pretty divisive topic. 

It is interesting how some brands are using AI. While early adopting content writers are using AI as a tool to improve their work or to even help writers block, there are already brands who have decided that AI is good enough to write all of their content for them. 

Indeed the quality of the likes of Google’s Bard or Chat GPT is very high and hard to spot with an untrained eye. 

However, perhaps unknown to these brands, Google has taken a keen interest in penalising companies who have gone all in on AI by lowering these websites in Google search rankings. 

Why? The reason for this is that Google recognises work that isn’t entirely original. I.e. If you instruct ChatGPT to write a 500 word blog post about baby prams that targets the keywords ‘compare prams’ and then publish it as it was given to you, it’s likely there would be other content out there using the same copy or phrases. This content is then flagged by Google as poor content which will harm the website’s SEO. 

Multiply these penalties over dozens of posts on a website and it will sink down search engine rankings and worse still, it potentially put your website below your competitor’s sites. 

For fun, if you ask Bard (Google's AI) to give its ‘thoughts’ over best practices when using AI, this is its response. It’s pretty spot on (although we have changed it slightly for the reasons laid out above). 

Here is the reply Bard have us when we asked it for advice on using AI for copy-writing (feel free to read in a robot voice if you wish). 

There are some potential SEO issues with using AI to write your website's articles, but they can be mitigated by following some best practices.

SEO issues:

• Factual inaccuracies: AI writing tools can sometimes generate content that is factually inaccurate, especially if they are not trained on high-quality data. This can damage your website's credibility and SEO performance.
• Lack of originality: AI writing tools may generate content that is similar to existing content on the web. This is known as duplicate content, and it can be penalized by search engines.
• Keyword stuffing: AI writing tools may be tempted to overuse keywords in order to rank higher in search results. However, this is a black hat SEO tactic that can actually hurt your rankings.

Best practices:

• Fact-check all AI-generated content: Before publishing any AI-generated content, be sure to fact-check it carefully to ensure that it is accurate and up-to-date.
• Edit AI-generated content: AI-generated content is often grammatically correct, but it may not be well-written or engaging. Take the time to edit AI-generated content to ensure that it is clear, concise, and informative.
• Add your own unique perspective: AI writing tools cannot replicate the human experience. Add your own unique perspective and insights to AI-generated content to make it more original and valuable.
• Use AI writing tools sparingly: AI writing tools can be a great way to generate ideas and save time, but they should not be used to replace human writers entirely. The best content is written by humans who can understand the needs of their audience and create content that is both informative and engaging.

Overall, AI writing tools can be a valuable tool for SEO, but they should be used with caution. By following the best practices above, you can minimise the SEO risks associated with AI writing and create high-quality content that will rank well in search results.

This article was brought to your by our very own digital specialist Jon Monk:

Jon Monk is a seasoned digital marketing professional, offering over a decade of industry experience since his start in 2012. His expertise spans across various key areas, including Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), Google Analytics 4 (GA4), and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign management.

Jon's career has seen a significant focus on the events sector, acquiring a deep understanding of the event lifecycle. His proven track record in attracting and converting attendees and exhibitors has been a testament to his skills and knowledge.

In addition to his client-focused work, Jon owns a comparison website, further bolstering his grasp of the online landscape. This direct operational experience allows him to bring an empathetic and practical approach to his client engagements.

View more about how we can help you boost your event websites SEO here, or contact the team at hello@asp.events