AI tools and technology are infiltrating every part of a marketer’s job—from data analysis and coding to content creation. When used correctly, these tools help marketers streamline processes, increase accuracy, and supercharge productivity. For the most part, AI helps marketers work faster and smarter. However, as useful as these tools are, it’s important to integrate AI with care, particularly when it comes to traditionally creative tasks like generating content and images.

Marketers must be careful not to get carried away and churn out AI-generated content en masse, or they could face consequences. In this article, we’ll explore the risks of failing to optimise AI-generated content and provide advice on how to ensure your AI content meets your audience’s needs and Google’s quality standards.

The AI Content Revolution

Rewind to late 2022, when ChatGPT was first released to the public. Marketers thought they had struck gold! This free tool could generate unique content on any topic at the snap of a finger, saving them heaps of time and money on content creation. In 2023, ChatGPT was the talking point within the marketing sector (and, indeed, much of the commercial world). As more people experimented with ChatGPT and the growing number of other AI tools being released, the internet saw an influx of AI-generated content.
Now, while AI content can be well-written and informative, it does have its limitations. Once you’ve generated and read a certain amount of AI-generated content, you begin to notice patterns in the way it words things, the occasional error, and a distinct lack of human emotion or experience. But, this isn’t an article about AI’s limitations, so we’ll save those for another day.
If we put aside the quality and creativity of the writing, marketers really began to run into trouble when Google responded to the flood of AI-generated content by rolling out several core updates to help maintain the quality of its search engine results pages (SERPs).

Google’s take on AI-generated content

Google’s quest has always been to deliver high-quality, reliable, relevant, and people-first content to its users. Since its inception, Google has been employing sophisticated algorithms to weed out low-quality, spammy content and reward original, high-quality content. The advent of AI-spun content spurred Google to sharpen its algorithms even further to help sort the wheat from the chaff.
Google issued guidance about AI-generated content and rolled out several core updates, including the recent March 2024 update, which focuses on how Google is tightening the reins on spammy, low-effort content. Content now needs to demonstrate E-E-A-T (expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) to climb the SERP ladder.
The message from Google is clear. It won’t punish you simply for using AI to help generate content. However, if you are publishing low-quality, unoriginal content at scale to boost your search ranking (AI-generated or not), brace for a nosedive in visibility.

Tips for optimising AI-generated content

If you’re keen to keep using AI as your content creation sidekick, you’ll need to learn how to optimise your content effectively. Without proper optimisation, you risk saving time and money but gaining little to no value from the effort – or worse, facing negative repercussions. Here’s how to ensure your AI-generated content works for you, not against you.

Fact-check everything – Always double-check your AI’s homework. Errors and misinformation could leave your business red-faced or worse.

Inject human insight – Sprinkle the content with personal anecdotes, opinions, or perspectives to increase its originality and make it relatable.

Provide clarity – Strip out the jargon. Your content should be clear, concise, and enjoyable to read.

Make it engaging – AI content can sometimes be unoriginal and formulaic. Get creative and add some storytelling, humour, or personality to keep your reader’s attention.

SEO – Use SEO techniques to help your content rank better in SERPs. Add relevant keywords, use optimised headings and subheadings, and include relevant internal links.

Enhance user experience – Make your content a pleasure to peruse. Break it down, jazz it up with visuals, and ensure it flows smoothly.

Beyond Google

Remember, it’s not just Google’s algorithms you need to impress. Your audience must find value and connection in your content too. Every piece of content you share is a reflection of your brand and plays an important role in shaping how your audience perceives it. While AI tools are great at many things, they often miss the mark when it comes to truly capturing a brand’s essence. That’s why it’s important to edit AI-generated content to ensure it sounds like you so you can maintain a cohesive brand voice – which is so important for fostering brand loyalty.

Unleashing AI-generated content into the wild without fact-checking also carries a huge reputational risk. Inaccuracies, misinterpretations, or even a slip of inappropriate language could erode trust among your audience.

And let’s talk about creativity and originality—areas where unedited AI content is often lacking. While human writers tend to pepper their writing with personality, unique perspectives, and real-life experiences, unoptimised AI content can feel stale, formulaic, and impersonal. That’s why it’s vital to inject some creativity and humanity into your AI-generated content. Doing so will help you meet search engine standards and truly engage and add value for your readers, too.

The bottom line

AI has undoubtedly revolutionised the way that marketers work. While it may be tempting to spew out masses of AI-generated content – remember that just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should. To effectively harness the power of AI, marketers should approach it as a tool for their creative processes, not a one-stop shop for content production. By optimising AI-generated content for accuracy, clarity, engagement, SEO, and user experience, marketers can ensure their content meets Google’s standards and resonates with their audience. Remember, while AI is a powerful tool, it’s the human touch that transforms good content into great content.