I really do get it. As you weigh up the cost of investing in a copywriter, it’s tempting as hell to let ChatGPT do the job for you. After all, it’s capable of churning out thousands of words of website content in milliseconds and saving you the time, money, and process of finding and hiring an SEO copywriter to get the job done.
But are we comparing like for like?
Should you really let AI write your entire website?
Or are there risks you don’t know about?
You might think I’m biased as a professional copywriter, but I’m really not. I wouldn’t still be talking about copywriting all over the internet if I genuinely believed ChatGPT was going to do me out of business. I’d be working out how to pivot one of my many hyper fixation hobbies into a paid job.
So, you can trust me to tell you the honest truth about the pros and cons of using AI to create content.
Let’s get into it.
Can AI replace copywriters?
Free AI tools like ChatGPT can produce seemingly well-written content in seconds. It’s impressive, and it’s easy to think this is going to send copywriters like me running to the job centre.
But SEO copywriting isn’t just a case of churning out words.
It involves research, strategy, and a human touch to create wording that not only gets people onto your site, but keeps them there to build loyalty and ultimately result in a conversion (whatever that looks for you – from a newsletter signup to a sale).
So let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of AI-generated content writing versus professional SEO copywriting, so you can decide what’s best for you.
Benefits of AI writing tools for website content
I’m not gonna lie, AI-generated content does have its perks, especially if you’re in a hurry:
- Speed – AI can produce a blog post in mere seconds.
- Cost – at a cost of exactly £0, AI content generators like ChatGPT are absolutely cheaper than hiring a writer.
- Volume – if you need a load of content quickly, our robotic friends can definitely generate a high number of articles in a jiffy.
So it’s fast and free. No arguments there. But does it actually rank on Google and convert website surfers into loyal and paying customers?
Even the best AI writing can’t do it all
AI is impressive, we’ve established that much. And at first glance, it sounds pretty good.
But as it stands, there are always things a human can do that AI can’t, so it isn’t the right solution if you want to create high-performing SEO content that gets you found on Google, resonates with your audience, and increases your website traffic.
Reasons not to use AI to create content for your website
1. Google can spot AI content writing from a mile off
Google wants to see helpful, people-first content. After all, the point of Google and other search engines is to help people (oh, apart from making all the money lol).
So, when Google is scanning web pages and deciding which to display as accurate results for a given search term, like ‘best scented candles for pets’ or ‘nature-inspired silver rings’, it’s hunting for natural, valuable, and engaging content rather than keyword-stuffed, AI generated waffle.
Can AI content rank on Google? Yes, it technically can. But it needs to be high quality, engaging content that’s relevant and original.
The results you get from a writing assistant like ChatGPT might sound that way, but free AI-powered writing often lacks depth and is repetitive, which limits its ability to rank well on Google and other search engines.
2. It’s not original
AI content is produced by scanning existing content and regurgitating it. So it can’t possibly be original or unique.
On the other hand, an experienced copywriter has a brain capable of original thoughts, backed by years of experience in different industries and a natural instinct to know what will work for unique clients, audiences, and objectives.
Again, Google is seeking originality, not babble that sounds exactly the same as the next site along.
3. There’s no real strategy
An AI writer can definitely do the generating content part of the assignment. And yes, you can feed it a super detailed brief full of your brand voice, pain points, and goals. But it doesn’t strategise the way a human can, because – as we’ve touched on – everything it knows is based on what’s come before.
A professional SEO copywriter takes a strategic view of your needs to make sure your website copy not only ranks but also converts visitors into customers.
4. You’ll have a lack of emotion and persuasion in your copy
Selling stuff is all about emotions. It’s what drives us all to spend money on something. Even if we tell ourselves the reasoning is purely logical, there’s always a deeper emotion behind why we choose one brand over another, or choose to buy something at a particular time or stage in life.
AI struggles with nuance, storytelling, and persuasive writing – all of the key ingredients if you want your website content to actually achieve results.
Yes, it might seem like it’s improving your productivity because it spits out a thousand words in the time it takes you to flick the kettle on, but it’s only summarising existing content.
It isn’t capable of understanding the complex emotional journey your target customer is experiencing and building a fresh, persuasive narrative that moves them to take action.
And you know who can do all of that? Human copywriters.
5. It may well contain mistakes
Did you know ChatGPT makes mistakes over half of the time? IDK about you, but I don’t like those odds.
A good human copywriter researches exhaustively, fact checks, credits stats and quotes, and can be trusted to act ethically when creating (accurate and trustworthy) content for your brand.
So, what’s the best way to get engaging content produced for your website?
Honestly? AI is useful, and copywriters do use it.
The difference is, a good copywriter uses it to their advantage to streamline certain processes and improve their work, rather than a copy-and-paste job.
AI is a tool. And like any other tool, it’s useful in the right hands and dangerous in the wrong ones.
Here’s how I use it in my work:
- Brainstorming initial ideas
- Broad research (which is later fact checked using trustworthy sources)
- Ideas for blog titles (which I then perform keyword research on and adapt for tone of voice and style)
- Compiling extensive meeting notes and call transcripts
- Summarising themes from research notes
- Rewording and editing (before refining, optimising, checking, and adapting for tone of voice).
The truth is, most people who work in content marketing as using AI in some form to save time, improve efficiencies, and move with the times, so I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t made my job easier in certain ways, and also indirectly provided better value for my clients because I’m working more effectively.
SEO copywriting is the best shout if you want long-term online success
So what’s the verdict?
If you’re after speedy, surface-level content, and you’re not bothered about ranking on Google because all of your enquiries come from elsewhere and you’re happy with that, AI will do the job for you.
But if you want to rank on Google, build a relationship with your audience, and get enquiries in a more hands-off way than other lead generation methods, professional SEO copywriting is the answer.
Yes, it’s an investment.
But professional copywriters don’t just write. We research, fact check, optimise, check, check again, tweak, improve, think, strategise, and care in ways a robot could never.
Plus, a good investment pays for itself in new business, market share, authority, client wins, awards, and whatever else it is you’re going after.
Ready to explore the benefits of human copywriting to advance your business in a meaningful, future proofed way? Book a chat with me.