Making your content stand out from AI-generated content

It’s fair to say that much of the content now on the internet is very similar, and this can make competing in a crowded marketplace more difficult than ever before. If you execute a simple Google search on any given topic there is a good chance you will find a handful of articles telling you exactly the same thing, and in some cases, even a quick glance will indicate that this content has been copied from one place to another, word for word. There are, in fact, relatively few articles and blog posts that contain any genuinely new information for the reader; the exception, of course, being any content that contains information about a new product or a news item. However, much of the content you will find is similar to information that is already out there, and the core message is often the same. So just how can your content stand out from the crowd?

Is the similarity of content bad news?

The bad news for content creators and website owners is that if you are simply rewording existing content, or worse still copying large chunks verbatim, then search engines like Google will be able to identify that. If you are considering using entirely AI-generated content, then now is the time to rethink that decision because whilst AI is capable of creating thousands of articles in a very short space of time, these are not articles that will stand out from the competition and build credibility for your brand.

If you are aiming to make your content stand out and attract that all-important online audience, then you need to do more than simply copy-pasting the information that is already available. Instead, you need to add real value to your content. And the good news is that there are three very different ways in which you, as a human individual and not a machine, can add real value that AI can’t. These methods are Experience, Experimentation and Effort. Read on as we explore each in detail.

Experience – getting your hands dirty

Content that is created purely in the world of AI is full of theory and carries much less value than that which comes from an authority source; from someone who has appropriate experience. Readers actually care about the source of an answer, and it is up to you to stand out amongst all the AI-generated content by showing that you have the real-world experience to back up what you are saying.

If a significant number of websites show the same answer to a question, readers can afford to be picky about which one they turn to, and that means they will look for the site that most aligns with the type of information they want. For example, if they are looking for a new piece of tech, they want someone who has bought it, used it and given an honest review. To demonstrate experience, use first-person anecdotes, photos you have taken and details of your methodology.

You can do this by:

• Writing about those topics that you have first-hand experience of
• Interview experts on those topics you are not familiar with
• Offer evidence of your actual experience
• Share stories and anecdotes that give context to your information

It is also important to ensure you don’t write about topics you have no experience in, particularly when you cannot justify acquiring that knowledge. The exception to this is when you produce beginner’s content or guides that have curated advice from multiple reputable sources.

Experimentation – make sure you are creating proprietary data

Arguably one of the single best ways in which you can add value to your content, which is beyond that available from AI, is through experimenting. Get out and about, test some of your ideas and ensure you are collecting information that will be completely new to your audience.  

The Large Language Models, or LLMs, used to build generative-AI tools such as ChatGPT can generate and recognise text amongst other functions. They have a huge dataset that they add to daily. They are, however, not all-knowing. Within their knowledge, there are gaps, information which they have not yet been fed or perhaps more importantly information which has yet to be created. In addition to this, some LLMs have been known to “hallucinate”, which means they completely fabricate information, which could be dangerous for any business.

If you experiment, however, you will be creating something that is completely new and belongs to you, something that has never been seen before and is genuinely unique. Your website will be the only place where someone looking for this information will find it. This adds real value to your content, making it stand out from the competition.

So how do you do it?

Well at first glance it may seem intimidating but no matter what size your experiment you can make this work. You could, for instance:

• Conduct surveys of an industry-sweeping nature
• Analyse any data collected by your company on its products
• Run a series of tests to understand how things work
• Collect data that could prove, or disprove, or view from a different perspective, ideas that are well known

In other words, you must be looking for something new and different to share. Sharing basic, already-known data really isn’t enough. You will not be the first company to share a tutorial or create a how-to guide about a particular topic, but you could be the first company to share new data about that topic.

Effort – you need to be doing more than others

Many companies who turn to AI do so for financial reasons. They are not trying to create new, quality content but rather save money and are willing to do this at the expense of the content quality. But what exactly are they gaining by this? Are they developing as a reputable source of information or expertise? Most likely not.

If you want to do better, you have to put in more effort and create more valuable content.

Things that you can do that will help with this include:

• Creating a video series
• Starting a podcast
• Creating books
• Developing free tools
• Using unique on-page experiences such as interactive content

This type of content is rarer and certainly harder to create. It requires a mix of skills and collaboration, making it hard for AI to replicate.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to justify additional costs, but when they help to set you apart from other companies in your field, it is easy to see the worth of this additional spending. It also helps show that you are a company with genuine people who value and care about your brand.