Tag: ai

It can’t be denied that AI tools have revolutionised the content creation process, offering businesses the ability to create high-quality content faster than ever before. 

However, AI is also a controversial topic in the marketing industry, particularly regarding content writing. Google has recently rolled out a series of core updates that aim to filter out heavily AI-generated content from search results, and so we need to be very careful in how we approach AI to avoid being penalised by Google’s algorithm. 

Let’s look at how to maximise the benefits of AI for content writing while staying compliant with search engine requirements.

The Google landscape – key updates concerning AI

August 2023 | core update

This update is designed to improve the quality of search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful, which is the basis for subsequent updates as seen below. This particular update takes into account the feedback Google received from creators over the previous months, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content.

September 2023 | Helpful Content update

Promotes more original, helpful content written by people, for people, rather than content made primarily for search engine traffic. Takes into account sitewide factors, such as a lot of unhelpful, thin or duplicated content. 

March 2024 | core update

A larger core update than usual. It focuses on the helpfuless of content and aims to show less content that feels like it was made to attract clicks and more content that people find useful. Includes three new spam policies, cracking down on AI-generated content and parasite SEO.

August 2024 | core update

Designed to improve the quality of search results by connecting people with a range of high-quality sites, including smalller sites that are creating useful content. 

Understanding Google’s core updates and AI content

Google’s algorithms focus on promoting content that provides real value, resonates with readers, and demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (referred to as E-E-A-T). The recent updates have introduced a stronger focus on detecting low-quality, purely AI-generated content that lacks these qualities. Google has clarified, however, that its goal isn’t to penalise AI-driven content in general but rather to penalise content that feels robotic, generic, or fails to meet its quality standards. You need to be creating people-first content, rather than throwing something together for the sake of hitting certain keywords.

So, how can you use AI to write content that aligns with Google’s standards?

1. Use AI for research and idea generation

One of the best uses of AI is for speeding up the research phase. Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and others can quickly summarise articles, list statistics, and generate topic ideas. By using AI in the planning phase, you can compile key insights and data points, ensuring that your content is informative and up-to-date. When AI helps you identify relevant trends, facts, and subtopics, you’ll end up with a solid foundation to create unique and valuable content that meets Google’s E-E-A-T criteria.

Example: use AI to gather multiple viewpoints on a topic and ensure coverage of the latest industry news and trends.

2. Humanise and refine AI-generated drafts

If you’re using AI to draft content, you must ensure that you are thoroughly editing and adding touches to every piece before publishing. AI can efficiently produce a rough draft, but it’s up to you (or a writer) to revise it into something original and engaging. Adding personal anecdotes, real-world examples, or expert insights transforms generic AI content into a relatable, high-quality article that resonates with readers. The addition of these examples and anecdotes will also ensure you demonstrate the experience and expertise Google is looking for. 

Best practices:

Rewrite in your brand’s voice: use AI drafts as a starting point, then add brand-specific tone, style, and vocabulary.

Incorporate expert quotes or original insights: add opinions, industry expert quotes, or personal insights that AI cannot generate on its own.

Avoid excessive AI phrasing: rewrite sections that sound robotic, overly formal, or repetitive.

3. Use AI to analyse performance and fine-tune SEO

AI-powered content analytics can be instrumental in improving your SEO strategy and tailoring your content for Google’s evolving standards. Tools like Clearscope, MarketMuse, and SurferSEO help identify keywords, suggest topic clusters, and analyse readability scores. Use these insights to ensure your content covers all essential angles, remains relevant to search intent, and is optimised for readability and engagement.

Example: use AI to discover what people are searching for and why, then adapt content to match intent.

4. Experiment with AI in supporting roles

AI doesn’t just help with content creation—it can enhance visuals, distribution, and even user interaction. Tools like Midjourney for imagery or Copy.ai for social media posts allow you to produce engaging visual and supporting content that boosts the appeal and visibility of each piece. Consider using AI for crafting captions, generating infographics, or creating outlines for other multimedia content, while retaining human oversight and quality control.

Example: use AI-generated elements like infographics to add value but maintain originality with human-curated details.

5. Ensure compliance and ethics

A major part of Google’s E-E-A-T is trustworthiness. Make sure your AI-assisted content is factual, avoids bias, and respects privacy. Additionally, transparency about AI’s role in content creation (when relevant) can foster user trust. As you edit, keep ethical standards in mind: confirm facts, give credit to sources, and avoid AI-generated filler or fluff that doesn’t add value. It’s also important to bear in mind the subject matter of your content. AI can’t approach certain topics with the sensitivity or tact required – there are certain subjects that only a human writer can tackle. 

Best practices:

Fact-check rigorously: don’t assume all AI-suggested facts are correct; always verify.

Credit sources: cite credible sources for statistics, studies, and expert quotes.

Consider subject matter: don’t use AI to write about highly sensitive topics

Collaboration over automation

AI content writing tools are here to stay, but to ensure you’re making the most of them while aligning with Google’s evolving standards, focus on collaboration between AI and human writers. AI will not replace human content writers, but writers can boost efficiency by using AI tools to help with data, idea generations and speed. 

Need to improve your website content but wary of AI? Our SEO experts can equip you with the right AI tools to boost content quality and organic performance – fill out this form to get started.

AI is transforming how businesses create content, from blog posts and product descriptions to ad copy and email campaigns. If used wisely, AI tools can save time, boost productivity, and help you to create better content.

But they also come with limitations that marketers should be aware of to ensure quality, authenticity, and effectiveness.

In this guide, we’ll explore how AI can speed up content creation, the benefits and drawbacks, and when it’s appropriate to use AI-generated content.

How AI speeds up content writing

Faster drafting

AI can generate entire drafts of blog posts, articles, or social media posts in minutes. These drafts provide a structured foundation to build on, cutting down on the brainstorming and planning phase.

Quick edits and summaries

AI can automatically edit and proofread content, catching grammatical errors and improving readability. For long-form content, AI tools can summarise key points, making it easier to extract insights or create digestible snippets for different platforms.

Optimising for search engines

AI tools can quickly suggest keyword-rich headings, meta descriptions, and content outlines optimised for search engines. By analysing keyword data, AI can help ensure your content aligns with SEO goals, giving it a higher chance of ranking well.

Content personalisation

AI can generate personalised messages and content for different segments of your audience. Based on data, it can tweak the tone, style, and wording to appeal to specific buyer personas or customer journeys.

Enhanced content ideation

When you’re stuck on what to write, AI tools can suggest topics based on trending themes, industry keywords, or even customer behavior insights. This helps overcome creative blocks and ensures your content remains relevant to your audience.

What to be wary of when using AI for content writing

Lack of originality

AI tools rely heavily on the data they’re trained on, which means they often generate generic content or reuse common phrases found online. This can lead to repetitive, unoriginal copy that fails to stand out. Competition is stiff in the world of ecommerce, and we’re bombarded with a sea of content all day, every day. It’s harder to stand out from the crowd, and AI-generated content is just going to blend into the background. You need to ensure that every piece of content you produce offers something original or useful. 

Contextual errors

While AI excels in grammar and structure, it struggles with understanding nuanced context, tone, or cultural relevance. Content generated without human oversight may contain factual errors, misinterpretations, or inappropriate tone, especially regarding sensitive topics.

Over-reliance on templates

Many AI copywriting tools work by using predefined templates, which can result in formulaic and robotic writing. If overused, this can make your brand voice feel impersonal or disconnected from your target audience.

SEO misfires

Although AI can optimise content for SEO, it may prioritise keywords in a way that sacrifices natural flow or readability. The balance between human-friendly and search engine-friendly content may be lost, leading to keyword stuffing or awkward phrasing.

Google’s ranking systems aim to reward original, high-quality content that demonstrates qualities referred to as E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Search engines now prioritise human-first content, which means the copy has been created with human readers in mind, not purely for ranking purposes. This is why AI-generated content can cause problems and damage your site’s organic visibility— there is no replacement for lived experience and human expertise.

Plagiarism concerns

AI-generated content is not immune to plagiarism. Since these tools scrape the internet for data, there’s a risk that some content will be too close to its original source, raising ethical and legal concerns.

AI content creation: ideal usage cases

Bulk content creation

If you’re managing multiple campaigns or websites and need to scale content production, AI tools can help generate large volumes of content, such as product descriptions, meta titles, or meta descriptions. Typesmith is a great tool for creating this type of content in bulk, without having to sacrifice quality. Developed by SEO experts, it can take into account your brand’s tone of voice to generate hundreds of unique, high-quality product descriptions within minutes.

Generating simple or data-driven content

For content types that are formulaic or heavily data-driven, such as financial reports, sports scores, or weather updates, AI can efficiently produce accurate and concise content.

Brainstorming and outlining

AI can be highly effective at generating content ideas, outlines, or first drafts. You can then refine and personalise the content to ensure it aligns with your brand voice and messaging.

Multilingual content

AI-powered translation tools allow you to create multilingual versions of your content with relative ease, expanding your reach to global markets. However, human review is still necessary for nuance and cultural adaptation.

When you shouldn’t rely on AI

Brand voice and creative copy

AI struggles to capture the essence of a unique brand voice or the emotional depth required for creative writing. For catchy slogans, campaign copy, or any content that needs to evoke strong emotions, human creativity is still essential.

Sensitive or complex topics

AI may lack the understanding needed to handle sensitive topics such as mental health, diversity, or legal issues. In these cases, the human experience ia needed to craft thoughtful, empathetic, and accurate content.

High-stakes content

For content like thought leadership articles, white papers, or any material that positions your brand as an expert in a field, AI will not provide the deep insight or originality needed to maintain credibility and demonstrate the level of expertise that Google is looking for.

Engagement and storytelling

Good storytelling requires emotional intelligence, character development, and a clear narrative arc—skills that AI hasn’t mastered. If your content needs to build a strong connection with your audience, human input is indispensable.

AI as a co-writer, not a replacement

Think of AI as a helpful assistant rather than a complete substitute for human writers. It can help speed up the creation process but shouldn’t replace the critical thinking and creativity humans bring.

No matter how advanced the AI tool, human review is essential. Always read through the generated content to correct any errors, add personal touches, and ensure it aligns with your brand’s values. Consider AI content the first draft, and a tool for helping you overcome writer’s block when you’re struggling to get something down on the page. 

AI can be used for data-driven aspects of content creation, but leave the storytelling, emotional appeal, and creative strategy to humans. This blend can maximise efficiency without compromising quality.

Flow specialises in helping ecommerce brands utilise AI to power productivity and boost conversions. Our SEO and content experts can equip your team with the best AI tools to improve the quality and rankability of your website content while still meeting Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. Fill out this form to get started.

The integration of AI in marketing is revolutionising how businesses reach and engage with their audiences. From automating mundane tasks to providing deep insights into consumer behaviour, AI tools are essential for marketers aiming to stay ahead of the curve. 

Here’s a rundown of the best AI tools for marketing in 2024.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT’s natural language processing capabilities make it a versatile tool for enhancing customer engagement and automating content creation.

Features:

Conversational AI: can be used to create chatbots that handle customer inquiries, provide product recommendations, and even complete purchases.

Content creation: assists in generating high-quality content for blogs, social media, and email marketing.

Data analysis: helps in interpreting large datasets to provide actionable insights.

HubSpot

HubSpot integrates all aspects of marketing, sales, and customer service into one platform, making it an all-in-one solution for businesses of all sizes.

Features:

AI-powered CRM: HubSpot’s AI-enhanced CRM helps in automating sales and marketing tasks, providing personalised recommendations, and improving customer interactions.

Content strategy: uses AI to suggest topics that will resonate with your audience, helping you craft a more effective content strategy.

SEO Optimisation: offers AI-driven SEO recommendations to boost your search rankings.

Typesmith

Typesmith combines copywriting with the power of AI to save you time and energy crafting product copy for your website, paid ads and SEO content. 

Features:

Managed by experts: created and managed by SEO and PPC experts, so you can rest assured that your copy is in capable hands.

Bulk content creation: create thousands of product descriptions in minutes, taking the hassle out of writing unique copy for every product page on your website.

Image analysis: Typesmith can even analyse images to create product descriptions based on photographs alone (although we’d recommend a combination of image and text to get the best results). 

Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat is an AI-powered platform that simplifies launching shoppable ads and storefronts on social media. 

Features:

Social-first selling: sell products straight from your social feeds without the need for a storefront. 

Fast results: set up shoppable ads and social posts and start selling within minutes.

Canva Pro

Canva Pro leverages AI to simplify the design process, making it accessible even for those with little to no design experience.

Features:

Design suggestions: AI-driven design suggestions to help create visually appealing marketing materials.

Brand kit: maintains consistency across all marketing assets by using AI to manage brand elements.

Magic resize: automatically resizes designs to fit different platforms, saving time and effort.

Ready to start utilising the power of AI to grow your business? Our experts can help – fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.

 Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a pivotal role in transforming business operations. By leveraging AI, companies can significantly enhance customer experiences, optimise operational efficiencies, and drive forward-thinking innovations. AI is particularly adept at automating intricate tasks, sifting through extensive data to unearth valuable insights, and personalising interactions with customers. These capabilities are fundamental for dynamic strategy optimisation and operational management, leading to enhanced productivity and increased profitability.

Below is a comprehensive list of leading AI tools that are transforming ecommerce management, each offering unique capabilities to optimise various aspects of your business operations.

AI tools for ecommerce

Typesmith AI

Typesmith leads the market in ecommerce product content automation, offering an AI-driven platform that streamlines the production of SEO-optimised product descriptions. This tool ensures your product offerings are compelling and rank high in search results, enhancing online visibility and driving conversions. Typesmith can handle vast product catalogues and is optimised for leading data / feed formats such as Matrixify, offering up to 5000 rich descriptions (unlimited volumes for enterprise accounts) that can also integrate seamlessly with Google Shopping and PPC campaigns. Discover the full potential of Typesmith at Typesmith AI.

​​ChatGPT by OpenAI

ChatGPT, a sophisticated AI developed by OpenAI, supports a wide range of content creation needs in ecommerce, from crafting detailed product descriptions to generating marketing emails and blog posts. This tool utilises advanced natural language processing (NLP) to produce content that is not only engaging but also optimised for search engines. ChatGPT helps streamline content production processes, enabling businesses to maintain a consistent and professional online presence. For more information on how ChatGPT can enhance your digital content strategy, visit OpenAI.

Shopify Magic

Shopify Magic equips Shopify merchants with a powerful suite of tools designed to enhance the visual and textual appeal of their online stores. This includes advanced photo editing capabilities, automated background removal, and the generation of SEO-friendly product descriptions and FAQs. Additionally, Shopify Magic’s Sidekick tool offers real-time data analysis and ecommerce advice 24/7, helping merchants make informed decisions to improve their business operations. To start utilising these tools for your Shopify store, visit Shopify Magic.

ClickUp

ClickUp offers a project management platform tailored for ecommerce, featuring customisable views, task automation, and real-time collaboration features that streamline ecommerce workflows. The integration of ClickUp AI enhances these capabilities, providing intelligent suggestions and automations that further improve efficiency and productivity. Discover how ClickUp can optimise your ecommerce operations at ClickUp.

Runway

Runway revolutionises video content creation for ecommerce with its AI-driven tools that allow users to generate, edit, and personalise videos effortlessly. Ideal for creating engaging social media content, advertisements, and product demos, Runway’s technology supports a range of multimedia elements including text, images, and audio. These features enable businesses to produce high-quality video content that resonates with their audience and promotes their products effectively. Learn more about Runway’s innovative video creation tools at Runway AI.

https://runwayml.com/

Jasper AI

Jasper AI is designed to automate and enhance the content creation process across multiple platforms. With its ability to understand and replicate brand voices, Jasper AI can produce high-quality, consistent content across advertisements, product descriptions, and even full-length articles. This tool is perfect for businesses looking to maintain a strong and coherent brand identity online. Jasper AI also includes collaboration tools and campaign generators that make it easy to produce comprehensive marketing campaigns quickly. Explore the features of Jasper AI at Jasper AI.

Prisync

Prisync is a dynamic pricing optimisation tool that helps ecommerce retailers monitor competitor pricing and market trends to adjust their own pricing strategies accordingly. This AI-powered tool offers real-time tracking and analysis, enabling businesses to stay competitive and maximise their profit margins. Prisync’s intuitive dashboard and bulk price adjustment features make it an essential tool for managing pricing effectively in a volatile market. Discover how Prisync can streamline your pricing strategy at Prisync.

Boost.AI

Boost.AI specialises in enhancing customer service through its AI-powered conversational chatbots. These bots provide autonomous support to customers, handling inquiries and resolving issues efficiently. Boost.AI’s technology also supports human customer service teams by suggesting responses and automating routine interactions, which can significantly improve response times and customer satisfaction. Learn more about how Boost.AI can transform your customer service capabilities at Boost AI.

Surfer AI

Surfer AI, from Surfer SEO, offers robust tools for optimising web content through AI-driven SEO strategies. It provides detailed keyword analysis, content generation, and optimization recommendations to enhance the search engine visibility of your web pages. Surfer AI also includes SEO audit capabilities, which are crucial for identifying and addressing on-page SEO issues across your website. Check out Surfer AI’s comprehensive SEO tools at Surfer.

Synthesia

Synthesia empowers businesses to create AI-generated videos that engage and convert. With just a few inputs about your goals and content, Synthesia can produce customised videos that are perfect for product demonstrations, marketing campaigns, or customer tutorials. This tool is especially valuable for businesses looking to add dynamic video content to their digital marketing efforts. Explore the capabilities of Synthesia at Synthesia AI.

MarketMuse

MarketMuse uses AI to conduct content audits and competitive analysis, creating optimised content strategies that improve search rankings and web authority. This tool helps identify content gaps and opportunities for improvement, ensuring your content meets the highest standards of relevance and SEO efficiency. For a deeper look into how MarketMuse can refine your content strategy, visit MarketMuse.

Grow with Flow

The integration of AI technologies is critical for ecommerce businesses aiming to excel in today’s competitive market. Flow specialises in embedding these advanced solutions into ecommerce platforms, offering expert guidance and comprehensive support to ensure your business not only adapts to current trends but also sets new benchmarks in the industry. Partner with Flow to unlock the full potential of AI in transforming your ecommerce operations. For more information, book a consultation with a Flow expert.