Humanising AI Copy

Identify the obvious signs of AI-generated copy

Using AI to generate content for your webpage has obvious benefits. You do save time. This is the most obvious fact. This entry is not meant to criticise AI-generated copy. It is merely a fundamental rundown of how not to use it blindly.

Secondly, everyone (or almost anyone) is using AI in one way or another., Choosing not to use it is valid and respectful. 

When you decide to use it, it is obvious that you gain speed and, quite likely, are at the same rate as your competitors. However, it is wise not to simply copy and paste the first text from ChatGPT into your Word Document and believe that will make you a productive content professional. A monkey can do that. (at least a well-trained one). Once you have the copy at hand, you need to add in some value, some extra work. Not everyone knows this or does this regularly. So by deciding to go that extra step, you can and will play in your favour.   

Using AI requires you to have critical thinking skills, an analytical mindset, a key for detail, be good at proofreading, and a sense of responsibility. Combining these skills and a positive attitude can help you take huge leaps in the AI Rat Race. AI Copy on its own will never make you stand out. Below is a summary of why. 

What’s the problem with AI Copy? 

1. AI often sounds (what it is) … robotic, formulaic.

2. Readers with a trained eye can spot it. Once you get used to it, it is even obvious. 

3. Brand Personality can get lost or diffused in generic AI text.

4. Companies are using similar AI tools, which makes you fit in, not stand out. 

Benefits of humanising AI Copy 

1. Boosts SEO and authority – Aligns with Google’s EEAT guidelines. (EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). This is one of Google’s various guidelines. 

2. Builds trust and connection – Creates an authentic relationship with your audience. It makes the user feel understood, increasing loyalty and engagement. 

3. Drives engagement and Action – Increases conversions.

4. Strengthen brand identity – Develops a distinctive tone of voice that becomes instantly recognizable by your loyal users, makes you stand out from your competitors. 

Spotting AI content

AI content is usually predictable:

• Around 50% of consumers say they can tell AI from human generated content. 
• It can be overly formal or academic, regardless of the subject. The structures of AI generated sentences are usually repetitive. The content is usually too clean and perfect, missing authenticity. Finally, AI content is too vanilla; it does not engage in strong opinions. 

How to transform AI-generated copy

Adding personality

Adding personality to AI generated Content is usually quite simple and straightforward. You can use the following tricks of the trade:

1. Conversational phrases – these phrases mimic the way people talk in real life.

2. Storytelling elements – It adds relatability to dry facts 

3. Approachable tone – Makes you relatable, easy to identify with.

4. Informal language – Use layman's terms, easy-to-follow vocabulary that facilitates connection. 

Useful tips  before you start 

Identify 2-3 key brand personality traits – is your brand playful like Duolingo or Lego? Is it authoritative like Apple? Or compassionate like  Patagonia.  Use the 1st person (singular or plural) to where it fits in. 3. Add rhetorical questions – “Are you tired of waking up tired?”. Use strategic language patterns. (An example, is using a phrase like “By the way”… or the famous “one more thing” 

Structural Variety 

Adding Structural variety makes your content less robotic, making i t slightly more playful and easy to follow. Vary the lenght of your sentences, adding interrupting elements and introduce questions or commands where suitable. 

Emotional Resonance

• Use sensory language – appeal to the different senses (touch, smell, taste). For example, “warm, golden sand underneath your feet”, “refreshing, cold beer”, “smooth, silky blanket”.  
• Personal Pronouns – Examples like “you”, “we” or “I”, make the copy sound conversational and approachable. 
• Acknowledge emotions – You build a bridge between AI and the user, that otherwise would not exist.
• Power words – A power word is a word or phrase that triggers an emotion, it encourages the user, to act. Quite frequently, they should be part of your headlines. They can appeal to emotions of Trust, Community, Curiosity, Pride, laziness, fear, lust, greed, anger, (This seems like rewatching Se7en eh). 

Identify your user’s emotional drivers. (is it fear? Aspirational, joy, frustration etc.) For example, a Tesla buyer is motivated not just by a superior technological vehicle, but from being a “member” of an exclusive club. The content for the Volkswagen Golf or Fiat 500 can evoke nostalgia by appealing to the subconscious “family holidays, road trips when younger” etc. 

Address the reader directly “you”. Include sensorial details in your copy and add emotional jargon to technical terms. 

Strategic imperfections 

• Use contractions (don’t, I’m”)
• Use colloquial or informal language
• Share personal anecdotes where you see it adds value and does not monopolise the content or distract the user. 
• You can use humour and even laugh at yourself a bit if it is relatable to your content. 

The Critical Accuracy Check 

Fact vs Fiction – AI does not admit it does not know a fact. This can be a huge deal breaker. Always verify statistics, quotes, historical claims, and technical data with an expert before publishing any content.  There is a huge reputational damage associated with publishing incorrect information, regardless if you are the New York Times or if you have a blog with 50 monthly users. You lose credibility, trust, and it is very hard to recover from that. 

Give AI context, the more the better

Lastly, as mentioned at the beginning, this entry on my page is not to demonise the use of AI. Instead, I want to share some best practices to make the most responsible and rewarding use of AI. For that, I recommend the following:

• Generate a draft for AI.
• Give details of your audience
• Share knowledge on your brand personality. 

Your thoughts and feedback are welcome. 

AI and Content - How AI Snippets Work

 Best Content Practices to beat the AI Game

In the gold rush to optimise your online content to render positively with AI searches, the game has definitely changed. 

 Whereas pre-AI, it was enough to have a competitive SEO strategy, with solid keywords, functional interlinking, user intent matching, mobile first, quick loading speeds, etc, now the rules have changed with added ingredients in the mix.  It's not as if the previous strategies are obsolete. Far from it, no one would recommend disposing of them. But they might prove to be insufficient. 

There are many steps webmasters, content strategists, or marketing managers must not neglect, like enabling AI crawlers. We can mention these at a later time. Today, I would like to share some AI tips that are content-centric.

 

Content Selection Priorities

• Value proposition first – Google strongly favours a clear value proposition and unique selling points (USPs). Check amongst yourselves which is the USP, your company is offering. Some examples of USP have been listed below. 
• Brand Identity – Snippets frequently begin with or prominently include the company name, followed by a value statement. 
• Customer-focused content – Content that directly addresses customer needs, using second person address – “you”, “your team” is frequently used. 
• High Keyword Relevance – Selected content consistently contains a high density of relevant keywords.  

Structural influences

• HTML Hierarchy matters – Content from structurally significant elements *headings, feature sections with icons, bullet points) is preferred. 
• Position Flexibility – Snippets are selected from throughout the page-  top, middle, and even the bottom – it is not just “above the fold” what matters. 
• Formatting Signals – bold text, subheadings (H2’s and H3s), and other visual emphasis help to increase selection likelihood. 

Selection Algorithm Insights

• Semantic understanding – The algorithm shows it is capable of real semantic knowledge rather than simple keyword matching, selecting the content that best represents the page’s value proposition. 
• Context Awareness – Even when truncating, the algorithm preserves enough context to make snippets meaningful and enticing. 
• Content Weighting – Different selection strategies ae employed based on page structure and content type

-    Semantic relevance to search query
-    Structural prominence in the HTML
-    KW density and relevance to search
-    Value proposition and clarity
-    Brand – query relationship

Practical Implications

For website owners and SEO professionals, these findings suggest several strategies to influence Google AI mode snippets:

1. Structure Key Messages: Place important value propositions in structurally significant elements like headings and feature highlights.
2. Front-load Content: Begin paragraphs with complete thoughts that communicate key benefits within the first 160 characters.
3. Use Semantic HTML: Properly structure content with semantic HTML elements to signal importance to Google’s algorithms.
4. Highlight Value Propositions: Clearly articulate unique selling points and benefits in concise, keyword-rich language.
5. Brand Association: Connect your brand name directly with key value propositions in prominent page positions.
6. Customer-Focused Language: Frame content from the customer’s perspective using direct address. (you)
7. Consistent Messaging: Ensure key messages appear in multiple locations (headings, feature sections, conclusion paragraphs) to increase selection chances.

The selection process shows Google’s understanding of content relevance and value, going far beyond simple text extraction to identify the most meaningful and useful content for users.

An example of several USPs of different brands and how their websites should definitely reflect this. 

Hyundai's value proposition centres around offering high-quality vehicles with competitive pricing, a wide range of features, and a strong warranty

BMW's core value proposition is the "Ultimate Driving Experience," emphasising performance, luxury, and innovative technology in its vehicles
 

Renault's value proposition is centred on delivering modern, stylish, and technologically advanced vehicles, while emphasising sustainability and accessibility.