The incredible stat that shows human content has the edge over AI

The past couple of years have been a super-fun time to be working in content marketing. AI has burst onto the scene like an eager intern – full of promise, quick to produce, but not quite ready to take the reins just yet. As content creators, we've all felt that momentary thrill at the idea of AI churning out articles faster than we can say "cost-per-word”.

But before we hand over our keyboards to our robot overlords and walk into the sea, you might like to take a closer look at some eye-opening research from digital marketing guru Neil Patel.

Time v quality

Sure, time is money, but quality will always be king. Patel's study showed that content that takes a mere mortal 69 minutes to write can be whipped up by AI in a mere 16 minutes Impressive, right? 

Not so fast, grasshopper. Look a bit closer and it becomes apparent that this is one race where slow and steady really does win.

Numbers don’t lie

AI may be Speedy Gonzalez when it comes to producing content, but its quality and effectiveness is another subject.

Patel’s study found human-written content outranked its AI-generated counterparts a whopping 94.12% of the time. 

94.12%!

That's not just a marginal victory – it's a landslide. But wait, there's more! 

After five months of watching this content, human-crafted articles were pulling in 283 visitors on average, while AI content lagged behind with just 52 visitors. Ouch.

That’s a big win for humans, and a humiliating loss for the robots - assuming they can feel something close to humiliation. 

So, what's the secret sauce that makes human content so irresistible to search engines? For starters, we humans - especially those of us who have been practising for years - have this neat trick called originality. While AI is busy "regurgitating" existing information (Patel's words, not ours), human writers can offer fresh perspectives, unique insights, and that je ne sais quoi that keeps readers coming back for more.

Quantity isn't the answer

If you’re a sneaky one, you might be thinking, "But surely I can just crank out tons of AI content and make up for the quality with quantity?" 

Nice try, my friend, but Patel's research suggests this strategy could actually decrease your overall site traffic and rankings. It's like trying to impress a Michelin star chef with a mountain of Big Macs – more isn't always better.

A word about return on investment (ROI)

While we’re kicking AI in the shins, let's take a moment to talk ROI. Despite taking longer to create, human-written content generates significantly more traffic per minute spent. Patel's research shows that for every minute invested, human-written content generated 4.1 visitors compared to AI's 3.25 visitors over a 5-month period. This 26% increase in efficiency is substantial when you look at it scaled across multiple articles. 

It's like the difference between a hand-crafted piece of furniture and an Ikea flat-pack - one might be quicker to acquire, but the other retains its value and functionality far longer, ultimately providing a better return on your investment. (Unless you have my skills with an Allen key, in which case you already know you’re better off buying the antique.)

So how does AI fit into your content creation?

Does this mean AI is useless in content creation? Of course not. We’re all realists here - AI is here to stay and it can be incredibly useful. AI is a fantastic assistant to help you with things like keyword integration and research, giving you a solid foundation to build upon with your own writing. 

The big mistake is to take the AI-generated content as it comes. Instead, you’re better off using the AI-generated content as a starting point and heavily modifying it - infusing it with your unique voice, expertise, and those all-important original insights.

Or, better yet, start with your original ideas, case studies, and thoughts, and use AI to polish what you’ve come up with. We’re hearing all the time from our clients that, once AI has generated their content, they find it difficult to break out of that robot voice and inject it with any originality at all. 

The takeaway lesson

So, what's the takeaway lesson here? It’s nothing we haven’t banged on about before, but it bears repeating: While AI is a fun and impressive tool, it's not quite ready to replace human creativity and expertise in content creation. 

The most effective strategy is to leverage AI's strengths while relying on human insight, creativity, and that unique human touch that makes your content resonate with readers and search engines alike.

In the grand race of content marketing, it seems that the tortoise (aka human writers) still has the edge over the AI hare. 

So keep flexing those creative muscles – your human touch is more valuable than ever!

Want some help with that human touch? That’s what we do! Get in touch at admin@stellarcontent.com.au or book a chat instantly by hitting the button below.