When Google announced informative content updates, many in the SEO industry expected AI-generated content to take a major hit.
I was hoping that this perhaps drastic update, comparable to the 2011 Panda algorithm update, would wipe out AI-generated content. Still, no major effects have been recorded.
Shortly thereafter, Google released the October 2022 spam update. At that time, websites with AI content were affected, but less dramatically.
what happened? Let’s take a few steps back.
Another vicious panda attack?
Back in 2011, content farms were a serious problem. Many companies like Demand Media made their fortunes by churning out low-quality articles.
They created thin content stuffed with all sorts of keyword variations they got from keyword research tools, generating similar articles for each slightly different version of a popular search query.
Low-paid and often outsourced workers from abroad wrote on topics they didn’t know, often creating gibberish.
Panda was a major algorithm update that affected even legitimate blogs. How do I know? My own popular his SEO blog was also penalized. We lost most of the major top 10 rankings with phrases like: [url seo], [image seo] Also [advanced seo] Since then I have not been able to recover them.
Google felt more and more the need to deal with content farms. Especially since his then-defunct search engine rival, Blekko, touted itself as a content-free alternative to Google for his farm.
Welcome to the future (of search)
We live in 2023 and we still don’t have proper flying cars or jetpacks. What we have is a breakthrough in automation, especially in manufacturing and service industries.
On the web, it’s even more obvious. Automation helps us with our daily repetitive tasks and more.
Our work has changed a lot in the last few years. Boring and boring jobs are being replaced by creative industries. Many make a living by being professional skateboarders and gamers, and he makes money as a content creator and influencer.
When it comes to SEO, many tasks can be automated, with varying results. His overall focus in modern SEO is on people-to-people engagement. Think audience building and outreach.
my content creator bias
For me, the rise of AI has made me more and more anxious in recent years. My fears stem not from an imaginary Terminator-like apocalypse (although it might still happen), but from the potential impact of AI on my own work.
Will AI content soon replace real writers like me? Hasn’t happened so far. However, we know that some bloggers use AI content tools to create their own content.
To say that AI may replace writers is like saying that typewriters and computers will replace writers. Can the tool replace the person using it? Maybe for simple tasks. But is writing a simple task?
In a way, I’m already using AI just writing this article. Google Docs offers suggestions for correcting my grammar – not as much as Grammarly (which was invasive for me), but more than Microsoft Word has offered in the past.
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About automation in SEO
In SEO, there are many ways to automate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow using various tools.
Keyword research
No one can collectively evaluate the data for proper keyword research. Even if you don’t use AI or traditional keyword research tools, at least use Google to “manually” check those keywords, but Google uses advanced algorithms, AI, and all kinds of automation to find keywords. Access the database.
In fact, unethical or questionable keyword research is automated. This includes unauthorized crawling of a large number of Google search results and heavy load on the server.
However, this is only relevant for large-scale technical SEO. Most mere mortals rely on popular keyword research tools that may already include AI input.
Website audit
Get a fully automated website audit from many SEO tools. While they don’t match the expertise of an SEO consultant, they can be very helpful and often offered for free.
Tools like Semrush, WooRank, and HubSpot offer website audits that inform your SEO strategy. Don’t hesitate to use them whenever they are useful.
The only drawback is that some tools crawl the entire website by requesting and parsing hundreds or thousands of pages at once or in rapid succession, which can put a lot of load on the website. There is I’m not aware of any AI tools being used to audit websites for issues, but it makes sense for this use case.
Link checking (both internal and external)
Checking internal or external links from sites that link to you or from sites that you link to has been a staple of SEO tools since long before AI was sophisticated enough to assist with SEO tasks. It’s the classic way to do it. Internal links can break a website’s authority or divert it to an orphaned page or less important resource.
A well-optimized website has a structure in which overall authority flows freely. AI tools can easily find and track links in ways beyond “push button” or “cron job” type checks. As always, it’s important not to overload other websites.
Check ranking
Checking rankings is similar to checking links, but with a twist. Google’s search results must be crawled using automated tools that violate our terms of service. If you use Rank Checker from your local computer, your IP may be blocked by Google.
So this is very risky and only if you have nothing to lose or use advanced technology to balance the use of Google resources or obfuscate your tracks to hide the source of your load. , should be used as an option.
We know that some SEO tool providers access large server farms to trick Google into believing that legitimate human users are accessing their services. AI can help alleviate the problem by offloading or better hiding activity.
What about automated content?
Automating content creation is not an ideal use case. AI tools don’t have the direct experience Google needs and readers expect. They just rewrite existing knowledge using “their” words.
In the past, many spammers have tried to spin articles and rewrite them with synonyms in an attempt to trick you into believing that Google has a content-rich site. Google has long excluded this from the SERPs.
A new generation of content automation tools powered by AI
Many AI content tools are proliferating in the market. They have well-designed websites and some even cite SEO experts who recommend them.
When I searched for AI content on the web, I found many services that provide it. Some of these tools are
Contents of certification
Proof Content touts itself with the slogan ‘data-driven content for brands that have something to say’, claiming AI content is ‘automated’, ‘coordinated’ and ‘rapid’ .
They use a “human editor” so the content is not 100% automated. One of the resulting examples highlights its success with “127% increase in SEO traffic.”
flame
Frase puts even more emphasis on speed, even as it promises to improve quality: “better content, faster”.
It also declares that “AI can be used to create SEO content quickly,” adding that “it has never been easier to transition from keywords to SEO-optimized articles,” adding that SEO-driven marketers clearly speaking to
growth bar
GrowthBar AI Content Generator is even called growthbarseo.com in its domain name, so there is no doubt that it is made for creating SEO content. It also says so in its value proposition. “Create the SEO Google Loves with AI”. It also includes a keyword research tool and a Chrome extension.
There is no ambiguity when it comes to creating content for SEO purposes, which is the most important use case for these tools.
What do the cited experts say?
Brandan Hufford says on the Frase page:
- “I’ve spent a lot of time comparing tools to get the most out of what I write, but Frase feels like a cheat code for content marketing.”
Kevin Indig is quoted on the same page.
- “Frase feels like an exciting next-gen content tool, not only for SEOs, but also for writers. In my opinion, it’s more important to creating successful content.”
Thomas Melching recommends using a GrowthBar as follows:
- “Create SEO-friendly content in one click, use AI to generate meta descriptions and do keyword research. GrowthBar is innovative and has a free trial.”
Mark Sandusky praises GrowthBar saying:
- “GrowthBar has helped me enter new SEO categories and write content faster. I use Content Generator almost every day.”
Could they all be wrong? It also doesn’t seem afraid that the project will be penalized for spam or thin content, as it doesn’t hide its use of AI content tools.
So is AI content helpful or spam?
Can you clearly determine whether AI content is helpful or spam? Well, you can’t. it depends.
In my opinion, AI content is both useful and spam.
Motivation and effort to invest in it are a few factors to consider. If you don’t put in any effort and let the AI do 100% of the work, you run the risk of being driven by low-level content farm impulses.
It really depends on quality over quantity.
One thing’s for sure: churning out mass-produced, low-quality content makes not all content great. It doesn’t matter if you use AI or use inexperienced writers to disproportionately bloat your website. the result is the same.
When it comes to content creation, less is more. As long as you don’t flood it, normal publishing is fine.
WordLift has a detailed overview of how “generative AI” works for SEO content purposes and other purposes.
Currently, it works well for most simple content-related tasks (in green), such as:
- Generating FAQs.
- Description of item.
- wrap up.
- Introduction.
human intervention
The key to making AI work in content creation is doubling quality.
Enforce quality control and involve real human editors in editorial content. Don’t let the AI write and decide for itself. People must take the lead.
This is also the feedback we get from SEOs using AI in their content creation. Their content is not fully automated and there are quality checks to ensure they comply with our standards.
John Mueller of Google Search Advocate makes it clear that AI content “still” violates Google’s April 2022 Webmaster Guidelines.
Using AI Ethically in SEO
The question of whether AI content is useful or spammy essentially comes down to the ethics behind it. What is the purpose of the automated process?
Do you want to flood Google with potentially useless content just to make money from advertising and affiliate income?
Paraphrasing the basics that AI can automatically grab from the web, your contributions are akin to poetry, going from the simple task of making sure they are the kind that unsentient AI can’t replicate. Bingo!
Can you fully automate your creativity?
Only truly intelligent AI can actually create like humans. Otherwise you’re just combining “facts” from elsewhere.
Many science fiction works have dealt with the possibility of fully functioning artificial intelligence. Most of them are terrifying dystopian visions. Some are not.
There is a movie that sits somewhere between the two extremes, I, Robot, starring Will Smith. Based on the novel by his esteemed science fiction author Isaac Asimov, the film captures both the true nature of humanity and true artificial intelligence pretty well. Asimov tries to answer this question. (The novel can be read for free at his Archive.org.)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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About the author
Tadeusz Szewczyk, also known as Tad Chef, has been a professional blogger and SEO since 2004. He is based in Berlin, Germany, but since 2006 he has been searching his blog, his social media and a global audience. In 2007 he launched his own blog. SEO 2.0 – Many other marketing since then also published on his blog. In recent years, he has also contributed to many of his clients’ social media accounts. You can connect with Tad on LinkedIn, his Twitter, or visit his website to read his blog on Social SEO.
