In 2024, having an online presence is essential for any business aiming to succeed, and a website remains the cornerstone of that presence. While social media is equally important today, your website will likely generate the majority of your business.
Content plays a crucial role in SEO. No matter how well your site performs or how excellent your product or service is, without quality content, your efforts will fall short. The content you create must be high-quality, engaging, and rich in relevant keywords, while also being as unique as possible to stand out and rank well in search engines.
Does AI Content Help with SEO?
AI-generated content has become increasingly popular for creating web page copy, with tools like ChatGPT and Bard producing thousands of words in seconds. But is this content any good?
At first glance, it seems fine. It reads well enough, and experts say ChatGPT writes at a high school level, which matches the average reading level of most web visitors unless you’re catering to an academic audience. However, since AI pulls information from existing sources across the web, this can lead to potential issues.
If you’re skilled at crafting prompts, AI-generated content can meet your needs. However, if the prompts lack clarity, the output may suffer in quality. Depending on the subject, the content might be repetitive, include contradictory details, or even be incorrect.
Search engines like Google have been cracking down on AI-generated content, favouring more authentic, “human” writing. Even if AI produces high-quality text, it still requires editing before being added to your website.
A major issue is that AI content can easily be duplicated. If two users ask an AI program the same question, they’re likely to receive very similar, if not identical, responses. AI content only becomes truly unique with highly specific prompts, and there’s no guarantee it hasn’t been generated before.
While AI is great for idea generation and quickly gathering information, it falls short when it comes to creating unique, distinctive content.
How to Write Unique Content
So, if AI can’t fully meet your needs, who can? A professional copywriter can craft unique, high-quality content that provides your site visitors with all the information they’re looking for. If the copywriter has SEO expertise or works within an SEO-focused company, their content will be optimised with keywords, key phrases, and strategic backlinks to help drive more traffic and generate leads.
As mentioned earlier, the best content showcases the human side of your business. Your homepage should highlight what makes you stand out—not just your products or services. A well-written “About” page is an excellent opportunity to tell your story, whether through engaging text or a compelling video.
This kind of content will be the most unique because there’s only one version of your story. You might think a copywriter couldn’t write your personal narrative as well as you can, but they can—and with great skill! The best copywriters immerse themselves in your business, using their fresh perspective and a deep understanding of your desired brand image to promote your business effectively to the online world.
How does Unique Content help with SEO?
We’ve already discussed why unique content is valuable, but how exactly does it benefit SEO? Let’s break it down:
- Improved Search Engine Rankings
Search engines like Google prioritise content that is relevant and valuable to users. Unique content is more likely to be seen as valuable, helping it stand out in search results. This can lead to higher rankings, more visibility, and increased traffic for your website. - Avoiding Duplicate Content Penalties
Search engines penalise sites with duplicate content, as it creates a poor user experience and makes it harder to determine which version is most relevant. Unique content helps you avoid these penalties, ensuring your site isn’t negatively affected by duplicate content issues. - Boosting Engagement and User Experience
Unique content is more engaging. When your content is fresh and insightful, it captures the attention of your audience, encourages them to stay on the page longer, and prompts them to explore more of your site. This reduces bounce rates and improves overall user experience, both of which are factors in SEO. - Establishing Authority and Credibility
Consistently producing original, high-quality content can position your site as a trusted authority in your industry or niche. This credibility can lead to more backlinks from reputable websites, further enhancing your SEO and driving organic traffic. - Keyword Relevance
With unique content, you can tailor your pages to specific keywords and topics relevant to your target audience. This helps search engines understand your content’s context, improving your chances of ranking well for those keywords. - Gaining a Competitive Advantage
In competitive industries, everyone is creating content. Unique content sets you apart from your competitors, giving you an edge in search rankings and helping you attract more organic traffic. - Frequent Indexing by Search Engines
Search engines regularly crawl websites for new content. By consistently producing unique content—such as through a blog—you encourage search engines to revisit your site more frequently, resulting in quicker updates in search results. - Increased Social Sharing and Engagement
Unique, compelling content is more likely to be shared across social media and other online platforms. This can increase your site’s visibility, generate organic traffic, and positively impact your SEO.
SEO is essential for staying ahead of your competition, and having the best possible website content gives you that competitive edge. While much of SEO happens behind the scenes, unique content is a visible improvement that benefits both search engines and your visitors.
In summary, unique content helps you build authority, avoid penalties, and offer a better overall user experience, all of which contribute to stronger SEO performance.
