Will Artificial Intelligence Content Steal Your Positions in the Search Engines
It’s no secret that the Google search engine is the most effective service in the online world today. From simple cookbook recipes and medical insights to home remedies, Google’s algorithm acts as a gateway to how many people research and obtain information on the web.
As technology has advanced over the years, online entrepreneurs have been looking for new ways to produce, publish, and rank their site’s content in less time while maintaining (preferably lowering) the effort spent working on their site.
Many business owners will outsource content production to a team of freelance writers and professionals, but this can add expenses that hurt your profit margins.
This is where AI-generated content has started to gain popularity, as this technology continues to improve year over year. Global GDP is projected to increase by 26% from 2021 to $15.7 trillion by 2030 due to AI, showing the speed at which this industry is expected to grow.
While using this technology has some benefits, it has yet to reach its full capacity compared to the quality of content produced by real humans. While there are certain advantages to adopting this technology, it is still not up to par with the quality of content created by real humans.
What is AI-generated content, and how does it work?
Natural language generation (NLG), or AI-generated content, has been present since the 1960s. According to Automated Insights, “Natural Language Generation” is a software technique that automatically transforms data into human-friendly text.
This technology has been around for about 30 years, but thanks to machine learning, it has lately advanced to become a far better resource.
Whereas previous generations of AI processors and word scramblers produced outputs that appeared over-computerized, modern models are yielding significantly better results that are closer to what a human would generate, making it much easier for humans to understand.
On the other hand, AI-generated material does not arise out of anywhere. A structured dataset is the most important requirement for the NLG to function. The format of the material must be outlined and then fed as structured data points (or any NLG software) to produce human-ready prose (text comprehensible by the human eye).
AI Isn’t as Good as You Think.
Although the concept of creating hundreds of pages of material for a speciality site appeals to those who are new to AI, the reality is that the results will still require a helping (human) hand.
One of the most significant disadvantages of employing AI to write material is that it frequently fails to produce more than a few paragraphs before requiring more data input from you (the human). This can result in a lack of context within the content, necessitating more revisions to give your results a story and significance.
Another disadvantage of AI content is that short-form outputs will be hit-or-miss in terms of making sense, necessitating manual refining.
To fully utilize the possibilities of AI-generated content, you’ll need to fine-tune the proper message for your brand’s voice, audience, or persona, even if the language is semi-passable.
For those concerned that someone could appear out of nowhere and publish hundreds of AI-generated content pages, we should first discuss what ranking elements Google truly evaluates.
AI Content Limitations and Other Google Ranking Factors
Yes, AI content may be fine-tuned and utilized to create attractive copy, but Google has stated that written content is no longer the sole determinant of where you will rank for a specific search phrase.
The following are a few of the most essential elements that Google considers when ranking your website:
Quality of content
In-depth material that covers a wide range of topics and information within a specialization is typically referred to as “high-ranking content.” Your content must deliver genuine value to the user in order to achieve higher rankings. Your website should have interesting graphic content that complements your written content and retains visitors on your page for longer periods of time.
Focus on value rather than word count since quality content usually wins.
Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. The more backlinks from high-authority domains pointing to your site, the greater your chances of ranking for your target keywords.
While AI content can be created with minimal effort on the writer’s part, any content that is published without being edited will discourage other site owners from linking to it.
Mobile Friendliness
On November 4, 2016, Google announced mobile-first indexing, meaning that a website’s compatibility with mobile devices directly affects its search rankings.
In the past, web designers would build desktop versions of their sites first and then add their mobile counterparts. Today, with mobile usage outpacing desktop usage, websites prioritize mobile versions to provide a better user experience (UX).
Page Speed
Since Google adopted the mobile-first indexing approach, page speed has become more important than ever. Websites with slow page speed will have a harder time ranking in top results since they hurt the overall UX. Google’s goal with these updates is to provide users with search results that include sites with the best UX.
Brand and Domain Power
People who search for your brand directly give a much stronger signal to Google’s algorithm when you have established yourself as an authority in your niche. The more traffic a website gets from branded searches, the more the algorithm will recognize it.
Additionally, social signals from Facebook, Quora, Pinterest, Instagram, and other social sites intertwine with search rankings. This is not to say that a strong online social media presence alone will increase your organic search traffic. Sites that spread their brand power across multiple SEO channels will have a better chance of increasing their search visibility, and this is something that AI content alone cannot provide.
These are just a few of the ranking factors that Google considers when determining a page’s ranking. How will these factors come into play when AI content competes with your business?