Is Content Automation the New Frontier for Websites?

Content automation is the process of automatically creating content for a website through some sort of tool or script. This isn’t to say that whole articles should be automated. However, some are turning to automation to automatically create tweets or images for their content. Reuters is the latest large organization to turn to content automation. The news company has formed partnerships that will automate graphics and videos to run alongside their written content.

What Does this Mean for SEO?

Content performs better when accompanied by some sort of graphic. This new technology can help create a graphic that matches the article, which could therefore help SEO. Content that has already been written can be used to produce social media posts, which also can help with brand visibility. But remember that search engines reward quality content. So don’t throw your human-centered writing to the wayside.

Do Scale Issues Make Automation Worth it?

For larger companies, the idea of content automation is tempting. Rather than constantly creating new content, it can be re-used for a new purpose. The sheer amount of quality content that must be produced to stay competitive online can be overwhelming for some businesses. Due to automation, content can live long past its initial publication, and repurposing can be more time and cost effective.

Also, Automation in the form of images or videos can also be a time saver if  writers and editors are busy writing other content.

To Automate or Not to Automate, that is the Question

So the question remains over whether content automation is the next big thing for websites and, if so, what type of content should be automated. Certain SEO tasks can be automated, like identifying keywords for your site or tracking daily rankings of SERPs. However, it’s important to strike a balance. Remember that, at the end of the day, you’re writing for humans, not search engines. Quantity should not be valued over quality, and automation should reflect that. Content automation can help SEO but shouldn’t come at the cost of helpful, genuine writing.

So is content automation the new frontier for websites? Some larger companies are turning to it to help with content creation, but no one is totally handing over the reins just yet. Humans are still writing content, automation is just assisting with the packaging and distribution.

If you have any questions about how to write content for your website or how content can affect SEO, reach out to us! We’d be happy to help.