Whether you personally view it as a Sci-Fi prediction finally coming to real life or an existential threat to human creativity, the wave of innovative uses people and companies are finding for artificial intelligence (AI) is exciting and staggering all at once.

Perhaps even more overwhelming is the rising conflict inside creative spaces as ethical and legal boundaries take shape. Does the ability of an AI chatbot (writing assistant tool, like ChatGPT) to look at whatever source data it uses to generate strings of writing infringe on originality, and will there be unintended consequences down the road? All great questions that are out of scope for my intended message right now, but they do set the stage for our point today.

AI chatbots are widely popular for rapidly creating content for all sorts of uses, which can definitely save time and money. In the website realm, however, we are noticing some very real obstacles our clients are having when it’s being depended on to write 100% or even large sections of website copy or other online content, like newsletters and blogs. So, before you use AI chatbots for content writing and rely on it to completely create something that you would then use as your own voice and thoughts, understand the risks.

Issue # 1: AI generated content is not “original, helpful, people-first content”

At least for now, AI chatbots don’t have the ability to effectively capture nuance or correctly represent specialized, niche topics. The algorithms only know how to link popular and commonly used words together that it thinks are related to generate a response to something. They are simply offering a rapid mashup of what’s already out there. It can result in text that lacks any substance or sounds generic or clichéd, which your readers will definitely feel.

So, in terms of SEO, that’s a huge drawback. Google is very clear in this case what it sees as trustworthy content that it would consider giving priority to in Search results. “Google Search’s core ranking systems are designed to better ensure people see original, helpful content that leaves them feeling they’ve had a satisfying experience.” And further, creators should “focus first on creating satisfying content, while also utilizing SEO best practices to bring searches additional value.”

When creating original content, it’s best to use what you understand about your ideal client then find a way to add value to them, like solving a pain point or providing education on something trending, so they understand how it impacts them. This demonstrates your expertise, which makes you more trustworthy.

Issue # 2: AI generated content has no SEO strategy for your business

It can take time and a variety of skillfully executed steps to start to rank well in Search results. Credible, value-added content still needs to be optimized and indexed so that Google can consider providing it in relevant Search results.

SEO always involves keyword focus, too. Keywords and keyword questions are basically just the common words people use to search for something specific. For example, someone looking for Italian take-out may search by, “best Italian food” or “Italian food near me”, and Google will likely give results prioritizing restaurants that have good reviews in close geographical proximity to that specific user. This scenario is pretty straightforward for the algorithms, but it can get very nuanced.

Someone with diabetes wanting to find a nutritionist that creates dietary meal plans, or a business professional searching for a sales consultant, both represent broader geographical searches in fields that have a LOT of options. That means Google will need to filter through countless possibilities to reach a final recommendation for those particular users in the Search results.

The keywords and keyword-focused questions emphasized in any form of web copy, along with some technical settings, and the indexation step, all tell Google and other search engines what the purpose is of that page of content. However, writing content for the purpose of overstating keywords is highly detectable, annoying for visitors to read, and penalized by showing up waaaay after the credible, value-added stuff.

Here’s the most important take-away:

AI writing assistant tools do not factor in your ideal client and the kind of questions and topics they specifically bring up. Write to serve a purpose; otherwise, it’s just more spammy noise.

Offering original insights that add value is the best way to differentiate your company. Not just for Google to sort out the copycats, but most importantly for your ideal and existing clients to prefer working with you.

But seriously, there are some other really cool uses for ChatGPT:

• Ask it to only interact with you in your favorite celebrity's persona. Snoop Dog is pretty hilarious!

• Ask it to create a recipe with only the three things you have in your fridge and pantry.

• Ask it to recommend a travel itinerary for your next vacation by including the total amount of days you'll be in a specific city or cities, along with any attractions you want to experience.

• Ask it to play a game with you, like trivia or Dungeons & Dragons.

• Ask it for ideas on how to say something specific in a different way.

You can also ask it to summarize podcasts, documents and rewrite your resume, but we're getting back to that risk zone of inaccuracy and it missing the mark on who the real person is behind it. Just like with content writing, proceed with caution and use it for only when the potential consequences don't outweigh the benefits.

No time to write?

La Mejor Website offers web copy and blog writing services. View our Services page to find out more!

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PS, If you’re interested in a technical but down-to-earth explanation of how AI chatbots work (like ChatGPT and others), I recommend Wired’s article.