The digital marketing space moves fast. New platforms, formats, and tactics appear every quarter. Yet, amid all the noise, one truth remains: a strong SEO content strategy built on evergreen, intent-driven content will consistently outperform fleeting trends.
To illustrate this, we asked two industry leaders to share their most successful tactics from the past year. Their answers point to a common theme. SEO isn’t just alive and well; it’s the backbone of a sustainable content strategy for SEO. In this article, we’ll share their thoughts and tips on creating an effective plan of your own.
What Is an SEO Content Strategy?
Before diving in, let’s clarify the basics: What is an SEO content strategy? At its core, it’s a plan for creating and optimizing content that:
Aligns with your audience’s search intent
Uses keyword research to target relevant terms
Builds authority with high-quality, consistent publishing
Stays sustainable by incorporating evergreen topics
Rather than guessing what your audience wants, a content strategy for SEO is data-driven, audience-focused, and designed for long-term performance.
Why SEO-Driven Content Still Wins
When asked what digital marketing technique delivered the best results, Yazz E. van der Zwan, Brand Content Manager for Henkel Corporation, summed it up:
“Organically, SEO driven content has been our most effective technique. By focusing on articles that align with what our audience is actively looking for, we’ve been able to consistently reach and engage users at the right moment.”
This is the essence of an effective SEO content marketing strategy: meeting people where they are, with information they actually need. Rather than chasing clicks through flashy tactics, long-term results come from building a library of valuable content that search engines recognize and audiences trust.
Intent Over Volume: The Hidden Key to SEO Success
A common mistake marketers make is focusing on volume. They publish more content, targeting higher search volume keywords, and hope the numbers will deliver results. But as Yazz explained, the real driver of impact is intent:
“It’s less about how many people we reach (although we want as many as we can get) and more about whether we’re providing the right information to people who find us at the right time. Sometimes that’s hundreds of people, other times hundreds of thousands. The quality of engagement is what matters most. We are aiming to build real and authentic relationships with our audience.”
This shift in mindset is crucial for any SEO and content strategy. High impressions don’t mean much if your audience bounces quickly. Instead, deeper engagement metrics like time on page, scroll depth, or conversions reveal whether your content is truly helping your audience.
Image from Website Builder Expert.
The above data shows the average time spent on a website based on site type and industry, with the overall average being 53 seconds. It’s smart to see how your site stacks up so you can find ways to engage visitors and get them to stick around longer. In turn, this will help reduce your bounce rate.
Evergreen Content: A Reliable Foundation
Trends come and go. What works on one social platform today might be irrelevant tomorrow. Evergreen content is different. It keeps working months or even years after you publish it.
“Data shows that evergreen content remains a driving force for traffic,” said Justin Staples, CMO and founder of JS Interactive
He added that pairing evergreen pieces with other formats helps extend their reach. “On LinkedIn, for example, we’ve worked with partners to repurpose long-form insights into newsletters and short videos. It keeps the content alive in different ways.”
Justin also noted, “We’ve seen strong results using formats like blogs, guides, and resources that continue to bring in visitors long after the launch.”
For him, the reliability of evergreen content mirrors what he sees in local SEO. “Local search is one of the few areas that hasn’t blurred with the rise of LLMs. It is still clear, consistent, and dependable.”
Evergreen blogs, guides, and resources form the backbone of a stable SEO strategy. They do not just attract clicks in the moment. They give you a foundation to build on and refine over time.
SEO Isn’t Static: The Role of Perseverance
Of course, sticking with SEO requires patience. Search results don’t change overnight; staying on top of industry shifts is part of the process. As Justin advised:
“Persevere. Stay abreast of the trends. Stick to traditional practices with good content and SEO. And slowly work your way into shifts that are taking place with LLMs and Answer Engines.”
This highlights another strength of evergreen content: while the space evolves (think AI-driven search or Google’s changing algorithms), high-quality, intent-driven, evergreen content will remain relevant. With perseverance, your SEO content marketing strategy becomes more resilient to these shifts.
How to Create an Evergreen SEO Content Strategy
If you’re ready to stop chasing trends, here’s how to develop a sustainable SEO-driven approach.
1. Start with Audience Intent
Identify what your audience is searching for, not just in terms of keywords, but the problems they need solved. Tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs can help uncover volume and intent.
Image from SeoProfy.
Data shows that 78% of B2B marketing specialists use SEO keyword research tools while working on their content. So, if you haven’t gotten on board yet, now is the time. These specialists see the value in optimizing their content based on what people are searching for.
2. Prioritize Evergreen Topics
Mix trending pieces with timeless content. For example, instead of just writing about the latest algorithm update, create in-depth resources like “How to Build a Small Business SEO Plan” or “Best Practices for Optimizing Blog Posts.” It’s essential to provide value with each piece you publish.
3. Create Long-Form, High-Value Content
As Yazz shared, long-form articles perform exceptionally well:
“Long-form SEO articles have been our most successful format. We measure success not just by impressions or clicks, but by deeper engagement metrics like scroll depth and time on page.”
Longer content allows you to explore topics in-depth, cover multiple related questions, and build authority. Although it may take more time and effort to create, your readers will thank you.
4. Focus on Engagement Metrics
Measure success by how well your content resonates, not just how many clicks it gets. Pay attention to how much time people spend on a page, the comments they leave, and the actions they take afterward.
5. Diversify Content Formats
Blogs are foundational, but don’t ignore complementary formats. Pairing blogs with email marketing and short-form videos can expand reach and drive results. The key is to reach your audience where they’re at.
6. Stay Consistent and Patient
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Building authority and rankings takes time, but perseverance leads to lasting success. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see traffic skyrocket overnight. Just keep putting your best content forward.
Are You Ready to Bring Your SEO Content Strategy to Life?
Chasing the latest marketing trends might bring a quick spike in traffic, but it rarely produces sustainable growth. An evergreen, intent-focused SEO content strategy does. It keeps working in the background, compounding over time, and delivering value long after publication.
As both featured experts made clear, the formula for a winning SEO content strategy isn’t about volume or virality. It’s about understanding your audience’s intent, creating evergreen resources that stand the test of time, and staying the course as the digital marketing world shifts.
The rise of AI-powered search engines and zero-click results is reshaping the online space, forcing marketers and content strategists to rethink how they measure success. You’re not alone if your website traffic is dipping, but your conversions and on-site engagement are increasing. And you’re not doing anything wrong. That’s what you can expect in the era of zero-click search SEO adaptation.
We’ll explore zero-click searches, why they matter, and how to optimize your content for this evolving search environment. We’ll also discuss why traditional metrics like click-through rates (CTR) are becoming less relevant and what marketers should focus on to stay competitive and drive meaningful results.
Zero-Click Searches: Explained
What are zero-click searches? Let’s break it down.
Zero-click searches are queries answered directly on the search engine results page (SERP), so the user doesn’t need to click through to a website. Think of Google’s featured snippets and the AI-generated answers now populating the platform.
These days, a majority of Google searches result in zero clicks. The data above shows that, in 2024, 58.5% of Google searches in the U.S. and 59.7% in Europe did not generate clicks.
In other words, zero-click searches often mean users get their answers instantly, and usually don’t need to go further. It’s convenient for the user, but potentially frustrating for the publisher who invested in that content. Yet here’s the twist: this shift isn’t necessarily bad. It just requires a change in strategy.
The New SEO Strategy: Adaptation Is a Must
Traditional SEO focused heavily on driving clicks. There’s nothing wrong with still wanting to generate traffic. However, with AI-generated summaries and snippets giving users instant answers, we must adopt a new strategy: zero-click search SEO adaptation.
This approach acknowledges that success can’t be measured solely by traffic volume anymore. Instead, it looks at other metrics to determine how your content is performing. This includes:
Time on Page: How much time are they spending on a single page?
Scroll Depth: Are they scrolling to the bottom of the page or stopping halfway?
Conversion Rates: How many people convert by completing a form or purchasing?
On-Site Engagement Metrics: How many people are engaging? How many are returning visitors? How many pages are being viewed per session?
Why would we want to track these metrics? When traffic is low, we want to learn about the behavior of the users visiting your site. Those who click through are often further down the funnel. They’re more informed, curious, and ready to act.
The Reality of Declining Top-of-Funnel Traffic
With AI surfacing top-level queries right on the SERP, fewer users visit your website for basic information. Before you panic, it isn’t all bad news. This means your site may see:
This isn’t a decline, necessarily. You’re reaching people who are further along in their decision-making process. As a result, you may see people exploring your website more or making purchases.
Your Guide to Zero-Click Search SEO Adaptation
How can you adapt your strategy to zero-click search optimization? Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Restructure Your Content Strategy
If most zero-click search results address the top-of-the-funnel questions, you need to invest more in middle and bottom-of-funnel content. The way to pivot is to create content for different search intents.
For example:
Top-level content (e.g., “What is X?”) should still exist but can be shorter, more concise, and optimized for AI or snippet capture.
Middle-funnel content should answer comparative or evaluative questions like, “How does X compare to Y?” or “What features should I look for in X?”
Bottom-funnel content should target purchase-related or decision-making keywords like “Best X for [use case],” “Where to buy X,” or “[Product] reviews.”
It’s also smart to use a pillar-cluster model. Create pillar pages exploring high-level topics, then link to more focused cluster pages with specific keywords and subtopics. This helps AI and search engines understand the depth of your expertise.
Step 2: Focus on Conversion-Ready Users
Remember: not all traffic is created equal. One engaged, ready-to-buy user is worth more than 100 casual browsers. So, you’ll want to use on-page signals to nurture leads.
You can do that by:
Including clear calls-to-action (CTAs) based on visitor intent
Offering downloads, checklists, or calculators to encourage engagement
Embedding videos or interactive content to increase time on page
Rather than focusing on impressions and CTR alone, you should start prioritizing:
Engagement Rate: How many users engage with something on-page?
Dwell Time: How long are they staying?
Lead Conversion Rate: How many take the next step?
These are the accurate indicators of content success in a zero-click world.
Step 3: Make Peace with the AI Layer
AI isn’t going away. It’s becoming the first touchpoint for many users. That means your top-level content isn’t wasted, but it’s being repurposed by AI to answer questions.
That visibility still builds trust, even if you don’t get the click. For example, if your content is used in a featured snippet or quoted in an AI-generated summary, users may recognize your brand and return when ready to engage more deeply.
To optimize for AI, try:
Using clear headers and structured content
Answering questions in the first few lines
Writing with a natural, conversational tone
Providing concise, factual, and trustworthy information
Step 4: Reevaluate Your Keyword Strategy
AI search is increasingly semantic and contextual, meaning it’s not just about matching keywords. It’s about understanding intent and creating your content with that in mind.
Instead of stuffing the page with exact-match keywords repeatedly, try using variations naturally throughout the text so you don’t get penalized. Also, structure content in a way that answers a question, offers an opinion, or presents data. Let’s use this blog post as an example:
Overusing the “zero-click search SEO adaptation” keyword would turn off Google and readers. So, it helps to use similar keywords such as “zero-click search” and “what are zero-click searches.”
This post is also formatted with H2s and H3s, as well as bullet points, offering a better user experience for readers. However, this also helps search engines understand the content.
Remember that while you want to consider the algorithm, it needs to go beyond that. Think like a journalist and focus on creating quality content that offers value and answers questions.
Step 5: Build Deeper Relationships with Content
In a world where top-level leads may never land on your site, make sure the ones who do feel like they belong. Nurturing those relationships is what will secure you long-term customers.
To make them feel welcome and appreciated:
Create gated content for lead capture
Offer newsletters, live chats, or SMS updates
Host webinars or deeper dive content sessions
Leverage first-party data to tailor the experience
Your website should be a destination people want to visit. You want to provide an incredible experience that keeps users returning for more.
Step 6: Educate Stakeholders on the Shift
If you work with clients, executives, or teams that equate SEO success with traffic volume, it’s time to shift the narrative.
Use visuals and reporting to show:
Lower traffic but higher engagement
Shorter journeys from visit to purchase
More qualified leads
This reframe helps align expectations with today’s reality.
Step 7: Leverage Branded and Owned Search Opportunities
As generic search queries become zero-click territory, branded queries and owned assets offer more reliable visibility. To do this, you can:
Encourage users to search for your brand name directly by building trust and reputation through consistent content and social media presence.
Optimize your FAQ pages, product descriptions, and about sections to appear in branded zero-click results.
Owning your brand space in search is more important than ever in a world of AI-driven search.
Step 8: Don’t Neglect Off-Site Channels
Your brand’s digital presence extends beyond your site in a zero-click search environment. Diversify where and how your content lives on the web. Here’s how:
Publish long-form content on platforms like LinkedIn to catch top-funnel attention.
Be a guest on industry podcasts or contribute to niche publications.
Encourage user-generated content and reviews on third-party platforms like Yelp or TrustPilot.
These efforts support your overall visibility and create additional entry points into your brand’s online space, even when users never leave the SERP.
Winning with Zero-Click Search SEO Adaptation
Search is changing, but the goal is still to provide value to your audience.
In the era of AI and zero-click searches, your job is to create content that resonates beyond the click. This means understanding how to optimize for visibility, engagement, and conversions, even if users never make it to your homepage.
Adapt your strategy. Realign your metrics. And lean into deeper, more meaningful content. That’s how you win with zero-click search SEO adaptation.
If you’re ready to adapt your strategy, contact us to schedule a free consultation call.
This may be true for magical baseball fields in Iowa. But to boost your website’s search engine ranking, you need to do more than just build a site and wait.
Search engine ranking, or where your website lands on a search engine results page, is inherently linked to website traffic volume. The higher you rank, the more traffic you tend to see.
Many factors play into how well your site is ranked, including quality of content, page authority, and even URL length. One of the most important, and often overlooked, elements of achieving a desirable ranking is generating high-quality backlinks.
A backlink is created when another website links to yours. Search engines view these links as recommendations or votes of confidence for your site. The more authority a linking site has with a search engine, the more valuable that backlink is to your authority.
Below is a simple diagram depicting types of hyperlinks.
Read on to learn how to generate backlinks to your website like an SEO expert.
Why You Should Generate Backlinks
Because the cool kids are doing it. No, really. Envision a quality backlink as that popular friend at school who will introduce you to the people you want to know. Generating backlinks is a way of networking your website to gain audience and authority. And much like when you network in person, the more people who link to you, the stronger your industry presence becomes.
Rank Higher on Search Engine Results Pages
A recent SEO study conducted by Backlinko found that the “#1 result in Google has an average of 3.8x more backlinks than positions #2-#10.”. Additionally, sites with backlinks from many different domains ranked higher than sites with less diversity in their links. The following chart depicts the correlation between backlinks and ranking.
A high-quality backlink, from a trusted source with a solid web presence, can provide a steady stream of new traffic for your site. Even “no follow” links, or those that don’t directly count toward search engine ranking, can ultimately benefit your website’s SEO by increasing traffic to your site and adding diversity to your backlink portfolio.
Get Indexed by Web Crawlers Faster
Search engines use website crawlers (also known as spiders) to gather and parse internet content. These search engine bots scan a website’s pages and index its information. Then, when you perform an internet search, an algorithm is applied to this index and the websites with relevant content appear on the search engine results page (SERP).
Given that there are billions of web pages, the spiders start with a list of known sites and look for hyperlinks to add to the crawl list. More popular and authoritative sites tend to get crawled first.
Getting a backlink from a quality source can put you on the fast track to getting noticed on SERPs.
Increase Authority and Brand Awareness
Think back to the school metaphor. If a friend you trust and admire introduces you to a new person, you might immediately feel more positive toward them given the common ground. Similarly, when someone clicks on your link from a site with authority, it can help improve your authority through association.
Website backlinks from popular companies can also help increase your brand awareness. It’s like distributing your product through a major retailer versus selling it at a local market. The more people who see your name, the more potential customers you have.
4 Website Backlink Strategies That Will Boost Your Ranking
An experienced backlink generator knows that link building can yield bountiful results, but they also know it can be a long and arduous process.
Luckily, there are many ways for you to successfully generate quality backlinks and rank higher on search engines. A little bit of hard work and patience will go a long way in helping you develop a robust backlink portfolio for your website. Here are four industry-proven backlinking methods.
1. Generate Foundational Links on Social Media and Business Review Sites
Aptly named, foundational links are some essential building blocks of an SEO strategy. These types of backlinks are a natural step forward after publishing your website and they’re the first chance for your site to gain traffic and get crawled.
The links that you place on your business’s Facebook page or LinkedIn profile to direct people to your site are two common examples of foundational links. Social media links don’t technically count in page ranking, but they’re still a valuable contribution toward your internet presence, especially when first starting your SEO campaign.
Guest posting for websites in your niche is also a good starting point. In these posts, you can include relevant links to your website that help build your backlink portfolio and boost your domain authority. Bonus — you get the benefit of building professional relationships with your peers.
Internal links, though they’re not technically backlinks, can be considered foundational as well. They are hyperlinks on one part of your website that link to another part of your site. These early internal links can help you begin to rank on SERPs for low-competition keywords in your niche that you highlight with anchor text.
2. Pack Your Pages with High-Quality Content People Want to Share
While this should be a no-brainer, you’d be surprised how many website owners leave their pages devoid of good content. A sparse number of blog posts or a lot of poor-quality posts can equally work against your domain authority. Consistently publishing content that’s of high value to your industry, combined with an effective backlinking strategy, is a surefire way to get noticed.
Start by doing industry research into trending topics and keywords and studying the content of popular competitors to get an idea of the type of well-ranking web pages. Note that content format also affects ranking. For example, “why” posts and infographics tend to get more clicks than listicles and general posts.
Once you’ve compiled your research, write similar (but still unique) posts and share them with others in your niche. Continue writing and marketing your high-quality content. After a while, you’ll acquire enough traffic and backlinks to see a boost in your search engine ranking.
3. Replace Broken Links on Other Sites
Broken link building is a way of advertising yourself while helping someone else. This process involves finding broken hyperlinks on websites within your niche, contacting the website owner, and offering a relevant link to your content as a replacement for the broken link. This is also a great way to build relationships in your industry, as people are generally grateful for the free link audit.
To start, you can find in-depth tutorials online for broken link building. There are even internet browser plug-ins you can install that will instantly find and highlight all the broken links on a webpage, allowing you even more time to perfect your link-building tactics.
4. Build Relationships with Industry Peers and Influencers
If you’re following steps 1-3, then you’re already well on your way to building meaningful relationships in your industry. Yet there are always more ways to connect.
Becoming a source for reporters and bloggers is a solid means of brand exposure. One of those random quotes from industry professionals in articles and blog posts could be your random quote!
Websites like Connectively Us (formerly HARO) and Help a B2B Writer allow writers to connect to subject matter experts to source quotes for their content. Just register as a source and look out for writer requests in your industry. Then, send them a finely crafted answer and watch your authority and audience grow.
Providing subject matter expertise on forums like Reddit and question-and-answer sites like Quora is another way to drive traffic to your website. Additionally, leaving thoughtful comments on others’ web pages can help you promote your business without using direct marketing.
Avoid Unethical Link-Building Practices
Generating backlinks is hard work and it can be tempting to seek a shortcut. Fair warning, the road to low link authority is paved with black hat link-building.
Black hat link-building is when website owners employ unethical strategies to manipulate algorithms and rank higher on search engine results pages. Using such tactics, it goes against Google Search (and other engines’) guidelines to generate backlinks.
While it’s not illegal, black hat link-building does you no favors and only decreases your ranking potential. It can even lead to your site being permanently de-indexed.
Search engines notice and penalize you for using these unethical backlink generator tactics:
Purchasing Spam Links on Link Farms: Websites that only exist to hyperlink to other websites are called link farms. The owners of these sites mass-post different types of content and sell links to other websites in those fields. A common example of this can be found on expired domains.
Joining and Utilizing Private Blog Networks: While networking with peers in your industry via professional groups can prove beneficial, avoiding shady Private Blogging Networks (PBNs) is essential to ethical link building. Unethical PBNs can be connected to link farms and are just another means for a website owner to profit from selling thousands of poor-quality hyperlinks.
Leaving Spam Comments on Blog Posts: Unethical link builders use dubious techniques to spam hundreds of comments linking to their site on blog posts. Quite often these comments have almost nothing to do with the blog post subject. This is an especially foolish method because comment links are usually “no follow” and pull no weight in your search engine ranking. So, in the end, you just look like a spammy slob for nothing.
Hiding Links on Your Posts: Save your magic tricks for the talent show. Hiding links by using the same font color as your background or putting them behind images is a tactic that stuffs keywords where they don’t naturally fit. It’s a bad linking practice and will ultimately hurt your search engine ranking.
Watch Your Website Backlinks Work for You
Hopefully, this quick guide has helped you understand why backlinks are important to your website and how to effectively begin a backlink campaign.
It can take a while, but with focus and perseverance, you will start to see your domain authority grow.
If you need help creating pages that people want to link to, reach out and let our subject-matter experts at Express Writers create specialized, in-depth SEO content for your website.
The rise of AI content creation has introduced both opportunities and challenges for writers, marketers, and businesses. On the one hand, AI tools promise efficiency. Conversely, they blur the line between human creativity and machine-generated text. This is where AI content detectors come into play. These tools help identify AI-written content so you can ensure originality in everything you publish.
However, it’s important to note that these tools aren’t foolproof. Even human-written content can sometimes fail detection if it lacks quality. In this article, we’ll explore the best AI content detectors, how they work, and practical steps to ensure your content stands out while passing detection tests.
How an AI Content Detector Works
An AI content detector uses advanced algorithms to analyze text patterns and sentence structure to determine whether the content is AI-generated or written by a human.
They will flag various issues, including:
Repetitive Language: AI often overuses specific phrases or structures.
Overused Clichés: A clear sign of lower-quality or AI-generated writing.
Unnatural Tone: AI-written text sometimes lacks the rhythm and flow of human writing.
These tools aren’t perfect, though. Poorly written human content can mistakenly be flagged as AI-generated, especially when stuffed with keywords or riddled with generic phrasing. This highlights the need for higher writing standards so your content can stand out above the rest.
The Best AI Content Detectors for You to Try
Grammarly AI detection tool
Ready to give these tools a try? Here are some of the best AI content detectors.
1. Grammarly’s AI Writing Tool
Grammarly is a popular tool among writers as it’s a must for improving grammar and style, but did you know there’s an AI detector, too? Grammarly will scan your text for AI in real time and tell you the percentage of your content it thinks is AI-written. By breaking your text into smaller sections, it’ll highlight content typically written by tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and more. However, a paid Grammarly subscription is required to see which areas are likely AI.
2. Copyleaks
Copyleaks is an award-winning AI detector that has been studying human writing for nearly 10 years. With almost a decade of experience collecting and analyzing data, it’s a great one to check out. It features an easy-to-use interface and can provide detailed reports that explain why specific text has been identified as AI. This feature makes it easy to rewrite content, but you need to subscribe to use it.
3. Originality.ai
For a tool that does it all, Originality.ai is sure to be your friend. Not only is it an AI content detector, but it also serves as a plagiarism and fact checker. It’s said to have a high accuracy rate and can support multiple languages if you’re not creating content in English. It does require a subscription, so you’ll need to be prepared to sign up if you want to take advantage of its features.
4. ZeroGPT
ZeroGPT was designed to detect AI-written content, specifically from platforms like ChatGPT. Copy and paste or upload a document to get your results. ZeroGPT will scan up to 15,000 characters for free. Should any of your content come back as an AI red flag, it’ll highlight problematic sentences so you can efficiently rewrite them. Should you want to use its premium features, a subscription is required.
QuillBot AI detection tool.
5. QuillBot
Once your text is uploaded, QuillBot will share the percentage of your content that’s AI-generated, AI-generated and AI-refined, human-written and AI-refined, and human-written. Any text that could be AI is highlighted to make it easy to see where you can improve. QuillBot also includes paraphrasing and grammar tools to quickly refine content before publishing.
Non-Software Methods for Identifying AI Content
As mentioned, these tools aren’t 100% reliable. Luckily, there are manual ways to spot potentially AI-generated text. Here’s what to look for when editing your content:
Inconsistent Tone: Does the writing shift back and forth between being overly professional and casual? This change in tone can indicate AI wrote the text.
Unusual Phrasing: Sometimes, AI creates odd sentence structures that can leave your content choppy.
Generic Examples: If examples lack specifics, it could be a tell-tale sign of AI.
Repetitive Patterns: AI can often repeat sentence structure, words, or ideas.
These methods, paired with an AI content detector tool, will deliver the best results so that Google and its readers don’t perceive your content as AI-generated.
Why Human-Written Content Can Fail AI Detectors
Ironically, human writers can fall into patterns that make their work appear AI-generated even when it’s not. And when you’ve spent hours bringing your content to life, there’s nothing more frustrating. This happens because you’ve likely fallen victim to some of the most common writing culprits.
The first mistake is keyword stuffing. If you’re overloading text with targeted terms, you risk disrupting the natural flow of your work. It becomes choppy and disjointed because it’s written more for a search engine than your human reader.
Using generic phrasing, such as vague or repetitive language, mirrors AI tendencies and can put your content at risk of being flagged. Even content that lacks depth can read like a hastily generated response from an AI tool.
The takeaway? Good writing isn’t just about avoiding AI detection. It’s about meeting higher standards of originality and engagement to rank well in search results and appeal to your readers.
5 Best Practices for Avoiding AI Detection Issues
Are you worried about your human-written content failing an AI-written content detector? You aren’t alone. Here are some best practices you can implement to avoid any issues moving forward.
1. Write for Humans First
The internet is saturated, and the pressure to stand out online is greater than ever. Everyone wants their content to land at the top of Google’s search results. Unfortunately, many are taking the wrong route to get there.
Writing solely for Google or relying entirely on AI-generated content isn’t going to deliver the results you want. Instead, the best thing you can do is write with your human reader in mind. Focus on storytelling and cultivating a genuine connection that will keep people returning. Google is much more inclined to rank high-quality, valuable content over something that’s just been thrown together.
2. Avoid Overusing Keywords
Even though we’ve come a long way since the days of keyword stuffing, some writers still fall victim to this scary tactic. Because AI-generated content often overuses specific phrases, it can make it seem like you didn’t write your content if you’re overusing keywords.
While you want to incorporate focus and secondary keywords in your content so Google can rank it properly, do so wisely. Keywords should always be worked in naturally. It won’t flow if forced or overdone and could read like AI. If you feel like you’ve overdone it, you’re probably right. Swap out a few overused keywords or phrases for something synonymous.
3. Use Unique Examples
Incorporating real-world examples into your content is a great way to enhance understanding and make your work more relatable to its readers. If you want to avoid flagging your content by an AI content detector tool, you can make those examples more specific to your niche. This is because AI often struggles to produce hyper-specific details. So, get those creative juices flowing and develop a clear, detailed example that AI would have difficulty dreaming up.
4. Polish Your Content
Even the best writers need some help preparing their content for publication. This is where tools like Grammarly and Hemingway come in handy. Each of these tools provides suggestions for refining your writing without compromising authenticity. Take their suggestions into consideration and tweak your content accordingly. It also helps to pay attention to tips to strengthen your writing.
Watch for anything that might be detected as AI as you go through the editing phase — for instance, overusing the same words or phrases, choppy writing, or an unnatural tone. Even though you may be eager to hit publish on your next piece, you don’t want to skimp on editing.
5. Test Before Publishing
Once your content is complete, run it through an AI content detector tool to see how it stacks up. This will give you peace of mind so you can publish your work confidently without worrying that someone will think it’s AI. Because these tools will highlight exact sentences or paragraphs that could potentially be AI, making any necessary changes should be relatively easy.
The Importance of Hiring Experienced Human Writers
While AI can be helpful, it can’t replace the creativity and strategic insight of experienced human writers. This is especially true for brands that aim to establish themselves as authorities in their field or connect with their audience on a deeper level.
Hiring low-cost or inexperienced writers can be as risky as using AI alone. These writers may churn out content that’s just as mediocre. After all, you get what you pay for. Instead, it’s better to protect your brand by investing in professional writers who can bring the following:
Nuanced Storytelling: Crafting messages that resonate with specific audiences.
Creative Originality: Avoiding patterns and clichés.
Brand Consistency: Aligning tone and voice across platforms.
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AI has come a long way since it first debuted. From being nothing more than a bag of bolts to running a vast majority of our everyday lives, it seems unlikely that it will be taking a backseat to the future of technology. With some feeling reminiscent of the turn of the century when the internet put messengers out of jobs, it is understandable that there is an ever-growing pressure to “join in on the future.”
Embracing AI is inevitable, but this article provides expert-backed insight on why you should update your e-commerce content marketing strategy with human-optimized listings.
The Importance of Keeping E-Commerce Listings Updated
E-commerce content demands shift with algorithm changes, trends, and customer expectations. Staying on top of these changes might seem daunting, but those willing to go the distance may benefit from a positive impact on key performance metrics on e-commerce platforms. Below are a few reasons why you should ensure your content is regularly updated.
Changes in Algorithms
Search algorithms are king for generating traffic for your e-commerce website. We might not know exactly what’s behind the complex analysis performed by these algorithms, but a great rule of thumb is to remember that algorithms prioritize content designed for humans.
The term “designed for humans” requires in-depth dissecting as it offers the most insight on how to tailor content to suit the various steps in your customer’s purchasing journey.
To ensure your content remains visible to your customers, you should ensure it reads well and adequately satisfies the search query that directed them to your platform in the first place.
Changes in Consumer Behaviors
You might already know this, but companies are spending a fortune on data collection on their consumers. This is all in an attempt to understand and utilize consumer behaviors in e-commerce. Buyers’ needs and expectations change rapidly, often outpacing how fast businesses can adapt.
Regularly updating your listings with relevant, engaging, and high-quality content is the best way to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit from new market opportunities.
Competitive Advantage
If you’re selling on an e-commerce platform, you’re no stranger to competition and know the importance of standing out from the crowd. Creating content that not only aligns with your brand values but also reflects your commitment to quality is just another step to ensuring you outshine your competitors and retain the lion’s share of traffic generated from a search query.
The Limitations of AI in E-Commerce Content Creation: Where Human Content Shines
On a recent project for a client, we got to see just how important the “human touch” is when creating e-commerce content. Loctite is an industry leader in the construction industry, with its niche centering around adhesives such as world-leading specialty glues.
The company approached us to revamp their e-commerce listings and essentially “breathe new life” into them, as they were outdated, generic, and irrelevant to their consumers. Their content strategy involved drafting content from AI, which resulted in content that sounded and read okay but did not provide value to the customer.
Using this real-world scenario, below is an analysis of where the disparities between AI content creation and human content creation become clear.
Differentiating Similar Products
As mentioned earlier, Loctite deals with a wide range of products that sometimes overlap in utility, chemical, and structural formulas or physical properties. Their line of super glues, for example, consists of gel super glues, liquid super glues, and specialty super glues.
In its first AI draft, the language model showed an obvious struggle in creating unique selling points to match the sometimes subtle differences between the super glues. However, from the human perspective, a writer can efficiently review the product, identify the unique selling point, and create content around how this product would directly benefit the customer.
Unique Selling Points: Maintaining Relevance
Where AI could correctly identify unique selling points, it often struggled to highlight how they may be relevant to the customer, overlooked better selling points, or prioritized selling points that might not be of particular interest to the customer. An excellent example of this is AI doing a deep dive into how advanced Loctite’s formulas are in a manner that borders on a chemistry lecture.
Ideally, the human writer could point out how the advanced formula can benefit DIYers and professionals who prioritize an extra strong bond with added flexibility.
Keyword Optimization
It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of keywords in e-commerce content marketing. Recently, AI language models have gained the capability of incorporating keywords throughout the length of the content. However, its efficiency at doing this can be likened to slapping a band-aid onto a gaping wound (it’s not exactly useless, but it wouldn’t go so far as to save your life).
In e-commerce content marketing, keywords must be incorporated to sound natural to the customer.
This not only avoids a salesy tone but also lets algorithms know that your content is of high quality, allowing you to rank higher.
Brand Style and Unique Voice
Loctite’s super glues are known as record holders in the Guinness Book of World Records. However, an AI’s ability to remember that Loctite’s super glues can lift cars is not as good as a human writer’s. Similarly, AI struggles to get the full picture when capturing your brand’s unique style and voice.
Additionally, if you have adopted unique writing styles or voice techniques for your brand, AI will fall short of embodying these in your content strategy for e-commerce.
Improving Customer Connection
We are still a long way off from realizing Alex Proyas’ I, Robot dream of empathetic AIs. Current-day Sonny is incapable of understanding the customer journey, and its automated content doesn’t mirror the everyday frustrations your customers seek solutions to.
However, a human writer can envision themselves using your products (if they haven’t used them already), which poses the obvious advantage of creating content that connects with your customers.
The Art of Product Description
Crafting product descriptions requires a multifaceted approach. From the infographics to the captions and, finally, to the product descriptions, your approach must be dynamic to ensure you deliver high-quality and relevant content. AI might not be the best partner for this job.
A human writer can assess unique selling points, keywords, and other facets of your e-commerce content strategy to ensure you get perfect content every time. AI is undeniably an integral part of the future and is bound to impact various pillars of content marketing for e-commerce. However, some aspects of your content strategy are better off in human hands.
Improve Your Customer Product Interest
When navigating the topsy-turvy world of e-commerce, give yourself a head start and ensure maximum reach and visibility on platforms such as Amazon and other e-commerce websites by sourcing high-quality, relevant, and engaging content.
Express Writers focuses on high-value content, conversion-driven strategies, and specialized niches to ensure we deliver high-value content. Our expertise, personalization, and strategic thinking are bound to guarantee you the top spot in the e-commerce industry.
