In recent weeks, Google team members took to the search engine’s “Search Off the Record” podcast to experiment with Google’s new artificial intelligence (AI) tool Gemini in content creation. Gemini launched in December 2023, and the chatbot rivals ChatGPT in that it can deliver custom content based on prompts, as well as provide photos and links to videos.
During the podcast, the Google team found that when asking Gemini to create some SEO-focused social media posts, the tool delivered inaccurate, outdated information. Like Gemini states on the bottom of its website:
“Gemini may display inaccurate info, including about people, so double-check its responses.”
This experiment by Google team members illustrates that content marketers can’t simply use AI tools for content generation and expect stellar results. After all, Google’s main priorities for determining search results are a focus on high-quality and helpful content. The search engine is constantly updating its algorithms to penalize spammy, low-quality content, with a recent March 2024 post announcing key changes to improve search quality for users.
Despite the risks when using AI for copy-and-paste content, there are also some benefits AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT can offer marketers. The following are some do’s and don’ts to consider when using AI for content marketing.
Do #1: Do Use AI to Generate Content Marketing Ideas
When you’re experiencing writer’s block, AI can help you generate dozens of blog topic ideas in mere seconds. Simply write a prompt like, “blog ideas for vegan food,” and Gemini will quickly deliver:
- Headline ideas
- Blog content tips
- Keyword clues for content
AI can be a great tool for brainstorming sessions. You can use a single search to help you populate an entire year’s worth of content calendar headlines, then work on fleshing out the blogs as you go forward.
Do #2: Do Get Outline Ideas From AI
AI can go a step further and write full blog posts for you based on whatever topic you type in. With Gemini, the tool will even create subheads that break up a blog post into digestible bits for readers.
While we discourage you from simply copying and pasting a blog AI “writes” on your own website, you can experiment with AI prompts to get ideas for your own blog subheads that you fill in the details for. Since AI is providing copy based on popular search terms, you can use the tool for inspiration on how to organize your own content and even use subheads verbatim in your own posts.
Do #3: Do Use AI for Keyword Inspiration
Gemini offers a simpler way to do keyword research compared to using the Google search engine. For example, when typing in the prompt, “What are the top keywords related to AI and SEO” into Google, top results show YouTube videos, before leading into sponsored results for blog posts, then “People also ask” questions, then more web articles, then discussions and forums. It’s a lot for a content marketer to sift through, when all you want to do is find some strong keywords to use in a blog post.
Gemini, conversely, presents a more elegant response to the same “What are the top keywords related to AI and SEO” prompt. The tool segments keywords into several categories, such as:
- General AI and SEO: AI SEO, artificial intelligence SEO, SEO and AI, role of AI in SEO, AI SEO tools
- Specific AI applications in SEO: AI keyword research, AI content optimization, AI SEO content writing, AI for SEO automation, AI SEO competitor analysis, AI SEO for voice search
- Long-tail keywords: how is AI changing SEO, benefits of using AI in SEO, AI SEO best practices, the future of AI in SEO, free AI SEO tools
For content marketers who have limited budgets and resources to invest in SEO marketing, AI can be a nice free tool that provides keyword ideation in an easy-to-use way. While there are numerous other SEO tools available, Gemini can be a decent option to use, as well as for cross-checking SEO tool suggestions for content marketing keywords.
Don’t #1: Don’t Copy & Paste From AI
Like the Google experts warned on their recent podcast, content marketers should never just copy and paste content from an SEO tool. That’s because:
- Content may be inaccurate.
- You could turn off or mislead your target audience, which could result in lasting negative sentiment for your brand.
- False or low-quality information may be penalized by Google and damage your SEO efforts.
The Google Search Relations team stresses the importance of human fact-checking for all AI-generated content. While AI capabilities are rapidly developing, AI content is still often riddled with errors. Even when the content is “correct”, it may not be effective in reaching human content consumers. Use copy editors and fact checkers to edit all your content before you publish it.
Don’t #2: Don’t Use AI for High-Volume Content
Some content marketers may be tempted to use AI to generate as much content as possible to game the search engine algorithms. But, to reiterate: quality is king when it comes to search results. Straight from Google:
“We’re enhancing Search so you see more useful information, and fewer results that feel made for search engines.”
Google’s algorithms consider a lot of factors when determining top search results to display. Generally, keyword stuffing and lots of short, low-quality posts that don’t result in user engagement are either going to be penalized or rank low, low, low.
Some of the top factors that can help content climb higher in results include:
- User engagement: how many users share a post with others on social media, through email, etc.
- Time spent on page: this factor shows people are actually reading, watching or interacting with content
- Natural keyword integration: keywords in posts need to be naturally integrated, in ways that make sense and enhance readability for content consumers
Plus, duplicate content is more likely to be penalized, as Google aims to “reduce unoriginal content in search results”. When you copy and paste from AI, you may be scraping content that’s already doing well on other sites. When Google detects plagiarized content, that may result in worse SEO performance.
Bottom line: Focus on quality. It’s better to have one single blog post a month that’s likely to help your target audience and be shared, rather than publish 30 copy-and-paste paragraph blogs generated from AI. Always use quality as your guide in content marketing.
Don’t #3: Don’t Forget Your Audience Is Human
In an increasingly technology-reliant world, it’s helpful to remember: your target consumers are still human. AI can be helpful with generating keywords, subheads and content ideas, but these tools can never replace the human touch.
That’s why, with any content you’re using from AI, you should always have a human content marketer optimize it for your audience, which will naturally in turn optimize it for search engines. Edit any AI content with these tips in mind.
- Using buyer personas for your brand, inject personality into content that helps it relate to your target audience.
- Integrating emotional cues, such as humor or excitement, into your content can increase the likelihood that your target audience connects with it. Emotion and personality can also make users more likely to share your content, as well as help you reinforce your brand values and mission in your content.
- Add credible sources to strengthen your content marketing efforts. Using stats and research to back up your claims increases the credibility of your content. High-quality outbound links can also help you improve your SEO efforts.
Remember that with content you publish, the more you can make it resonate with human customers, the better your results will be with search engines. Make sure a human editor optimizes any content you use from AI.
Remember E-E-A-T When Using AI for Content
Google has a helpful acronym for content marketers, called E-E-A-T. E-E-A-T stands for:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
These E-E-A-T principles guide the Google algorithms when determining search results. While content marketing teams can effectively use AI for ideation and inspiration, the best-performing blog posts go a step further and follow E-E-A-T standards for their target audiences. Check out our past blog on E–E-A-T here.
If your brand needs content marketing help to improve your search engine results, the team at 321 Web Marketing can help. Contact us to schedule a free consultation for ideas on how we can improve your search engine rankings.
