B2B SEO Guide to AI Content in Marketing Strategies

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You just can't ignore AI anymore, let's face it. 

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While only 21% of B2B businesses have fully implemented AI in their operations, according to McKinsey, 78% of marketing leaders are already in the process of implementing or plan to do so in the nearest time. Meanwhile, more than 85% of those who have already deployed AI are "very excited" about technology. 

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AI expansion is obvious, and it's not going to stop. But does it mean that marketers can fully rely on AI? The answer, like always, is somewhere in between.

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In this article, we explore how AI impacts B2B SEO and marketing and suggest how you can make AI-generated content a part of an effective B2B SEO strategy. Let's dive in!

The Rise of AI-Generated Content in B2B Marketing

It's only a bit more than 2 years ago when ChatGPT was publicly released, and everyone's already aware that ignoring AI isn't a strategic business move.

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From being a "nice-to-have" to becoming a core growth driver. This is what AI brings to B2B marketing:

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• Scalability. AI allows businesses to produce large volumes of articles and other types of copy quickly. Instead of spending hours writing each piece, marketers can generate piles of text in minutes. This helps to increase the volume of content production without exceeding the estimated budget.
• Effectiveness. By reducing manual effort, AI saves time and resources for a business, and writers stay productive while generating more copy. A win-win situation for both sides, don't you think?
• Personalization. AI tailors messages for specific audiences if you finetune it well. Provide AI with extra information, such as TA, user intent, writing goal, etc. As a result, you can create customized messages that resonate with different buyer personas or customer pain points and get higher engagement in a breeze.

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B2B marketers opt for AI tools like ChatGPT, Copy.ai, or Jasper to build up a strong B2B SEO strategy and streamline the content creation process. They help generate blog posts, emails, reports, and social media copy faster yet with greater efficiency. 

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For SEO-friendly AI content generation, marketers choose tools like AI Writer from SE Ranking. It allows not just to generate articles but also to ensure it's optimized for search rankings, which makes reaching Google's top 10 much easier.

AI and SEO: How It Impacts Search Rankings

AI is definitely a friend when it comes to content creation, but what does Google think about this? 

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The main dilemma for all marketers is, "Will my website be penalized by Google for AI-generated writing?".

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Well, actually, Google is very clear about that. In one of their search guidelines, they state they "focus on the quality of content, rather than how content is produced".

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So, no, you won't be penalized for generating content with the help of AI. 

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But as you can see, there's a main trick — AI-generated writing still must be a quality one. 

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As HubSpot’s Manager of EN Blog Strategy Amanda Sellers said: "It’s not search engines that are reading your content; it’s other humans."

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For B2B content to rank, it has to bring value to readers, regardless of how it was created — by humans or AI. 

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The thing with AI tools like ChatGPT is that it just uses all the available information on the web to generate content. 

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If you do not refine AI text, you'll just end up with content that gives nothing new to a reader. No value, no expertise, no authoritativeness — nothing of what the E-E-A-T framework requires. In this case, such thin, low-quality, and duplicate writing can truly affect your ranking in a negative way.

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The Pros and Cons of AI in B2B Content Marketing

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So, can AI-generated writing be a part of a successful B2B SEO strategy? Let's find the answer in its advantages and disadvantages.

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Pros

• Efficiency and scale. With AI, marketing teams can produce much larger volumes of content. And in a shorter time! This is hard to achieve with human-written texts without engaging extra writers and stretching budgets.
• SEO benefits. AI tools help create SEO-friendly articles. With the right prompt engineering, it can analyze keywords, trends, and search intent. As a result, you get content that ranks higher, receives better conversions, and attracts more clients.
• Personalization. AI can adjust text based on the target audience you write for. It means that you can use AI to create messages that resonate with specific industries or search queries. As a result, readers get what they're looking for, and you get better engagement.

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Cons

• Lack of authenticity and thought leadership. AI pulls information from existing sources. As a result, it's just a text without original ideas or real-world experiences that might end up as duplicates, which impacts rankings negatively. 
• SEO risks. When AI content is overoptimized, Google’s algorithms may flag it, which is not good for your long-term strategy. Google prioritizes quality writing that brings value, so if AI text is too generic or keyword-stuffed, it may not perform well in search results.
• Accuracy issues. ChatGPT's data is limited before 2021 (for free users). So, if you want a report on 2024 social media trends, it'll just make things up. This concept is known as AI hallucinations. And while providing incorrect information about industry trends causes no serious harm, imagine what can happen if it generates advice on recent changes to law or healthcare recommendations?

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Best Practices for Using AI Content in B2B SEO Strategy

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Now that we know that AI-generated writing can be both good and bad for B2B SEO strategies, let's define how to stick only with the "good". These are some of the B2B SEO best practices:

1. Treat AI as an assistant, not a master. Even the best AI-generated piece needs human editing. Raw AI-generated text often lacks depth, clarity, or brand personality. Always edit, refine, and fact-check AI-written text to ensure it aligns with your messaging and does not mislead readers.
2. Blend AI with human expertise. To make AI-generated writing more authoritative, add insights from B2B industry experts. Research for recent studies or reports, include statistical data and cite market leaders. Humans want to learn from humans.
3. Optimize for SEO and user intent. AI can generate keyword-rich articles, but SEO isn’t just about keywords — it’s about answering real questions. When creating text with AI, ensure you outline key SEO requirements and user intent in the prompts. 
4. Monitor performance metrics. The best way to know whether AI-generated text works for you or against you is to keep an eye on its performance. Regularly monitor such metrics as engagement or bounce rate to see what needs improvement.

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What is a B2B SEO and Content Marketing Future with AI?

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In the nearest time, we can potentially observe the following trends: 

• Predictive analytics for smarter strategies. AI might start analyzing search trends and user behavior to predict what copy will perform best. This means B2B marketers can create data-driven content strategies that stay ahead of the competition.
• AI-generated video and interactive content. While 41% of marketers already use AI for video generation as a part of their complete B2B SEO strategy, these numbers are going to rise. What's more, AI might go beyond just video generation, introducing certain interactive experiences that can help boost customer engagement.
• AI in Google's ranking algorithms. Google’s updates will probably focus even more on content quality, intent, and user experience when it comes to AI text. So, businesses that use AI wisely and quickly adapt to changes might see even better SEO results.

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Final thoughts

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AI can be both a cure and a disaster in terms of SEO for B2B. It all depends on how you use it. 

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While being extremely beneficial in terms of efficiency and scale, AI-generated writing can also bring no changes to your ranking at least and significantly harm it at most. 

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However, if approach this technology wisely and balance between AI and human content production, you can set your B2B SEO marketing to a new level.

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