Should You Use Generative AI to Write Your Website Copy?

There’s no denying that generative AI has the power to make our lives easier. It can automate repetitive or time-consuming tasks, offer inspiration and generate fresh ideas. 

 

Generative AI can also be used to enhance existing content. Simply copy and paste some text into ChatGPT and ask the tool to make it more engaging or include specific SEO keywords, and hey presto! You have an upgraded piece of copy in seconds. 

 

However, AI tools do have some disadvantages for content creation: 

Generative AI gives you a great starting point for content. But it’s doubtful that it’ll be good enough to publish right off the bat. Compare these examples of an About page – one’s written by AI and the other by a copywriter. The AI version is pretty generic, but the copywriter’s version jumps off the page. 

 

When it comes to your website, you want your copy to be unique and valuable for visitors. It should ‘sing’ with the benefits of your offering and truly connect with the people reading it by addressing the pain points your business can solve. 

Many generative AI tools are built on large language models (LLMs); algorithms that use enormous datasets and deep learning techniques to generate text in a human-like way. If the data used is biased or inaccurate, then any content generated will be affected. ChatGPT, for instance, relies on data limited to before 2021. If you’re using AI-generated copy to represent your business online, go through it with a fine tooth comb to check it’s entirely accurate. 

Generative AI provides content based on the prompts or questions you input into the tool. It doesn’t understand your target audience’s interests, demographics or search intent. Whereas a professional copywriter will take time to understand your business objectives and your target audience – what they need or want – and then help you create SEO-optimised copy that resonates. 

Not all AI-generated content is bad for SEO – in fact, AI can help your SEO efforts if it’s used to make your copy more readable, accessible and helpful for web visitors. However, if you use AI to generate content that’s stuffed with keywords, lacks quality or is ‘stitched’ together by combining content from other websites, you’ll see your search engine rankings negatively affected. 

 

Also, bear in mind that many other people may be using the same prompts or questions as you to generate AI content. If you just copy and paste whatever the tool churns out, you could end up publishing duplicate content without realising. (Search engines frown on this too). 

Generative AI is extremely powerful, and it’s fascinating to think about its future potential. For now, tools like ChatGPT can save you lots of time in coming up with ideas for your web copy and are ideal for creating outline text or draft content – or for improving your existing content. 

 

Remember, though, that generative AI has limitations. It can’t replace human thought, it doesn’t know your business inside-out, and it can’t anticipate what your target audience is looking for. It can also create inaccurate or uncompelling content that doesn’t properly convey your offering and how your business adds value to customers. 

 

Only a well-designed website, with unique, carefully crafted copy, will help build a strong online presence, communicate crucial information to visitors and boost your chances of conversions.