Why not create thousands of SEO articles with Generative AI?

Whether search engine optimization (SEO) is a new priority for you, or you’re a search veteran, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have probably prompted the question: What the #@!% is going on?!

We’ve written about AI’s impact on algorithms and the search experience; here we’ll focus on the pros and cons of using Generative AI (GenAI) to create SEO-driven content. After all, why not use large language models (LLMs) to crank out thousands of articles in no time?

While you face little risk of penalty by publishing AI-generated content, it likely will be generic and demonstrate little-to-no experience or trustworthiness.

The evolution of search engines, and where they’re headed

Early search engines provided rudimentary results based on pages that existed in a particular directory. Those engines then factored in how many links a page had across the internet, then added a keyword parameter—and the rest is history. (If you’re interested, Loren Baker at Search Engine Journal wrote a great piece on this history, starting with the year Stanford students Jerry Wang and David Filo launched Yahoo from a campus trailer.)

Google announced in February 2023 that their systems now “aim to reward original, high-quality content that demonstrates qualities of what we call E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness … Our focus on the quality of content, rather than how content is produced, is a useful guide that has helped us deliver reliable, high-quality results to users for years.” This remains the north star for SEO.

So, where is SEO headed? No one truly knows (see our piece on getting comfortable with SEO volatility). But search technology wants to understand what users want: their intent. Companies that figure out how to best address that intent with expert content will win the search game.

Different types of queries

The most effective SEO tactics — and whether or not you should use AI to create content — depend on the type of query you’re targeting. For example: “How many quarts are in a gallon?” This informational query has a simple, empirical answer: four. How exactly could you demonstrate experience or expertise for a query like this? The use of GenAI might make sense here.

Or take this query: “What’s the difference between onions and shallots?” Botany can answer this, but does that get at the intent? Is the user looking for a botanical answer, or are they looking for differences in flavor profile, cost, gardening tips, etc.? In this case, you might use AI to provide the botanical answer, but only you can demonstrate expertise, experience and authority around the latter topics.

Finally, consider this query: “Best dutch oven under $100.” The intent here is transactional, but the specifics are unclear. Does “best” mean longest lasting or highest-quality materials? Is the user OK with spending $99 or do they want to spend as little as possible? Is it a gift, or are they buying for themselves? Does color matter? The list could go on. Many of these require the authority and expertise of a trustworthy human who has used several dutch ovens and can speak from experience. In this case, AI could not satisfy the intent.

So, what’s the verdict?

If you’re targeting a query with an empirical answer, it’s fine to create a piece of content via AI that answers that question and related questions. But that won’t drive your SEO performance. Your performance and rankings will chiefly be driven by custom content that only you could have written based on your experience, expertise and authority, and in your unique voice.

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes: What kind of content would you find most helpful?

The SEO benefit of AI is in the data

At Imprint, we’ve obsessed over SEO and AI’s implications for years. We’ve found the largest benefit in scraping, compiling, cleaning and analyzing search data — not in the creation of content. If you’re looking to prioritize SEO or are planning your next SEO project, we’d love to share what we’ve learned! Reach out to us at imprint@imprintcontent.com or fill out the contact form here to schedule a call.