I often use it for technical content like briefs and concepts – but as part of the drafting process. Draft 0.5 (we’re not talking 1.0) is a ChatGPT remix for me.
That said, non-technical people using LLMs to help establish a base for technical content is fine, but even after you make it sound good, you still need an expert in the field to review the end product for fact and substance.
As mentioned, AI tools can be great for synthesizing large data sets and producing trend and sentiment analyses.
If you’ve got a list of keywords, it’s a good practice to ask AI to come up with additional keywords.
I also like using it for title tag and headline options.
I’ll write one good headline with a character limit and a target persona and ask an LLM to riff on that version.
Instead of painstakingly writing five, I’ll write one really good one, use an LLM to produce a few more, and let the client choose.
So, sometimes AI is a great starting point, and sometimes it’s a great second step.
It depends on the scenario, and it takes practice to understand where its power is most effectively leveraged.
But the answer is rarely to let AI run wild and consider the output final.
Dig deeper: 15 AI tools you should use for SEO
Why you need humans to reach the SEO pinnacle in 2025
If we can agree that SEO’s ultimate goal should be to drive down-funnel results like pipeline and sales, I’d like to offer what I see as the best way to get there in 2025: become the primary source for Google and LLMs to cite.
Use proprietary data and establish a unique POV for your brand, and own the topic by understanding everything the user needs to learn related to the primary keyword (or conversational question).
Becoming a primary reference is fundamentally incompatible with LLMs and AI, which are by nature derivative. (In other words, you can’t be the source by pulling from the source.)
LLMs and AI, at this point, don’t produce anything new or unique, which is what users crave – hence the rise of TikTok and Reddit search juxtaposed with the emergence of LLM search.
That means you need human input to truly stand out and engage users by being a trusted reference on Google or LLMs.
Smart SEO uses AI – but still needs people to win
The other day, a colleague asked me what kind of AI tool I wish someone would build for SEO.
My answer, which is completely wishful thinking, was a tool that would show me a network of connected ideas that haven’t been written about. A content gap analyzer of sorts that identifies what people aren’t saying.
Given the nature of AI and the way it sources material, though, I think that’s inherently impossible (how can you source a negative?) – at least for now.
At the rate AI tools are being developed, it’s worth monitoring.
We’ll be surprised at the use cases that get addressed in the next year alone.
I’m also guessing that no matter how good the tool, humans will always be needed to operate it.
Dig deeper: AI can’t write this: 10 ways to AI-proof your content for years to come
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