AI content is making a major splash, with some of the biggest names in news and media admitting to using it, from Reuters to Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and Forbes. Whether through those publications or your favorite blog, you’ve likely read AI content before (this article is human-produced).

If so, then you understand how AI content often lacks humanization. The model can’t draw on intuition or personal experiences because it isn’t human. However, it’s those very values that people seek when they choose which content to read.

Bearing that in mind, how can you improve your SEO content’s value and authenticity, finessing the AI content rather than writing it from scratch? Let’s explore.

1. Interject Emotion

Are you trying to convey a general feeling with your copy, such as excitement surrounding the announcement of a new product or service, or FOMO if your latest sale hasn’t drawn the revenue figures you were hoping for?

AI still isn’t capable of expressing emotion to the same extent as we people can, so this is a job for you, dear writer (or editor/publisher).

Add descriptions that build on a feeling. Be descriptive, using adjectives that make experiences and emotions feel more lifelike. You can even touch on the five senses if you wish, or at least a few of them.

The goal isn’t to become the next Robert Frost. Instead, you’re trying to connect with your readers in a way AI can’t.

As a caveat, ensure your additions aren’t too fluffy. You’re not adding words for the sake of it, but to insert that human element people crave.

2. Use Anecdotes

AI isn’t like you and me, in that it went out to the park last weekend, or saw that amazing concert, or big movie. It doesn’t have any sort of personal experiences and stories to draw on, but you do.

As appropriate, add anecdotes to underscore a concept or drive a point. If you don’t want your copy to be too story-driven (this is supposed to be SEO content, after all, not story hour), then try metaphors or creative examples to illustrate your point.

3. Convey Your Brand Tone to AI

One of the concerns of using AI-generated SEO content is that it can sound very same-y. Your brand voice is what separates your take on a marketing concept from someone else’s. Without that, the content you publish could have been written by anyone, which makes it considerably less effective from a marketing standpoint.

AI is powered by machine learning. The more you request it to do something, the better it will become at it. Your AI tool of choice might not nail your brand voice the first time, but with repeated instances and examples of it, it will eventually understand it.

4. Cut Back on Formalities

One trait that mostAI writing shares is that it’s typically written formally, almost like an encyclopedia entry. This is undoubtedly in part because AI has no human experiences to draw from.

SEO content can have a more formal tone, but if you want a different kind of voice behind your content, it’s once again worth reiterating that training AI in your brand voice is a great way to get there.

In the meantime, go through the article and scrub all references mentioned in the third person, using second-person language (“you” words) instead. This will help readers feel an emotional connection, as your copy will talk directly to them.

That can also inspire them to take action, like subscribe to your email list or visit your social media page and give you a follow.

5. Improve the Quality of Your Prompts

AI can only achieve what we ask it to. Sure, machine learning makes it capable of anything, but until you give it the prompts, it’s not going to be able to achieve your desired outcomes. A clear reason why prompt engineering has become such a quickly growing educational space.

Don’t only ask an AI tool to write you 1,500 words on white-hat SEO strategies to implement in your next campaign.

Share notes. Post outlines. Recommend a tone.

Here’s an example of what you could input in the AI prompt: “Please write 1,300 words on the differences between white-hat and black-hat SEO. The tone should approachable yet educated, friendly yet an expert. You can incorporate some humor, and please add examples and anecdotes to make the content more relatable.”

Then see what the AI tool does. Again, it’s unfair to expect perfect results the first time around, but as you train AI more regularly to learn your tone, brand, and preferred content style, it will produce content that requires less editing and interjection on your part.

6. Read the Text Out Loud

Your editing workflow for AI content shouldn’t vary from editing an SEO piece written by an in-house staff writer or freelancer. You should still go through the writing with a fine-toothed comb to ensure it has good flow, a marker of excellent writing.

Sometimes, the only way to determine if writing has that flow is to read it aloud. It can be a bit awkward to begin reciting an AI-written article in your office or cubicle in front of others. Fortunately, word-processing tools like Microsoft Word and internet browsers like Google Chrome have features to read text to speech.

You can quickly tell once you hear writing read aloud whether it’s staccato and robotic or has that natural flow that makes it seem human-written. Amend the content as needed until the words flawlessly jump off the page.

7. Share Your Experiences

Right now, Google is prioritizing its E-E-A-T model to determine where and how content ranks. E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

Let’s focus on the first E, experience. This is another weak point of AI models the same way anecdotes are.

While asking AI to translate your experiences based on prompts can sometimes produce publish-worthy copy, it will likely be a collaborative effort between you and your AI tool. You can include informative prompts, then edit the content so your experiences are authentic and exclusively human.

8. Improve the Sentence Structure Variety

Another indicator of AI-produced content is a lack of variety in the sentence structure. The writing can get boring, which may increase your bounce rate and hurt your marketing campaign.

You can engage your readers by varying how the sentences in your SEO content are presented. You don’t have to erase entire sentences, but rather, modify them.

For example, turn a sentence into a question, and change up the sentence length. Some sentences can be quick and to-the-point, while others can be longer.

9. Get into the Habit of Fact-Checking

AI is an amazing tool, but unsurprisingly, it does occasionally produce misinformation. Since incorrect facts can blend in with true ones, with both presented with the same amount of confidence, you must fact-check all AI content before it goes live.

A quick Google search for any stats and data will reveal whether the information is truthful or fabricated. Fix any mistruths.

10. Use the Right Tools

You can also humanize AI content by using reliable AI SEO tools. The most reputable tools can take care of all elements of SEO through the power of AI, from researching keywords to ideating content, generating articles (including meta descriptions), and automating SEO reports.

Wrapping Up

AI is here to stay, especially in areas like SEO content production. However, the technology is imperfect, with its ability to capture the human element lacking. That’s why the intersection of humanization and AI content is so important.

You can reduce time spent producing content by letting AI do it, then polish it up and insert the human element after. Once AI uses its machine-learning capabilities to achieve your brand voice, you may find your time on edits lessens dramatically!