Are you a small business owner trying to make your mark on the internet? Content writing can be an effective way to reach potential customers and build relationships. Even if it’s not your strong suit, there are lots of resources available to help get you started. The truth is that even experienced writers make mistakes when crafting their content!
ChatGPT has revolutionised the way we create and consume content. But with great power comes great responsibility and there are certain things we need to be aware of when using Artificial Intelligence for writing. From factual errors to using the wrong tool for the job, this article will reveal the 5 most common mistakes made when it comes to AI content creation.
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The major players in the digital world, including Google and Microsoft, are all coming out with their own version of AI writing tools, and equally as many are quickly scrambling to put together detection tools with some countries implementing an outright ban over privacy concerns. It's becoming increasingly difficult to know which content has been thoughtfully hand-written by a human and which content has been mass-produced by AI bots using ChatGPT.
While our meagre human eyes may not be sophisticated enough to catch the patterns in AI text or read the code that is sometimes hidden away from the on-page content, there are some telltale signs that are a dead giveaway. Read on to find out the top 5 most common ChatGPT mistakes.
If you are new to using AI for writing content it is essential that you familiarise yourself with these pitfalls so you can avoid them and produce error-free and engaging conversational content that has a decent chance of ranking on search engines.
What is ChatGPT?
Have you ever heard of ChatGPT? In a nutshell, It’s a language model trained by OpenAI, an AI system that can generate human-like responses. ChatGPT is specifically designed for conversational purposes, which means it can understand the context of your message and respond accordingly. The model was trained on a massive amount of data, so it has a vast knowledge base to draw upon. You can use it to chat about anything - from the latest news to your favourite TV show, and it will come up with a response that is both engaging and informative.
It is a powerful tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. If you are creating engaging content, you can use ChatGPT to generate unique and interesting ideas that will captivate your audience. You can use ChatGPT for SEO by helping you to identify keywords and phrases that will increase your website's visibility and for content marketing, ChatGPT can assist you in creating persuasive copy that will convert your audience into paying customers. Whether you are a marketer or just someone looking to take your content to the next level, ChatGPT is an excellent resource to have in your toolkit.
1. Not fact-checking AI-generated content
AI can write about completely made-up facts and make them sound very convincing
Have you ever stumbled upon an article online that left you scratching your head and wondering if it could possibly be true? Well, that could be because AI is now capable of generating content that sounds incredibly convincing, even if it's completely made up! Thanks to advances in natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning, these algorithms can churn out paragraphs that read like they were written by a human expert. And while this technology certainly has some exciting applications, like helping people learn new languages or generating news stories in real time, it also raises some important questions about the validity of the information we consume online. After all, if AI can make up facts as easily as it can craft sentences, how can we trust what we're reading?
Fact-Check any claims and always include links to reputable sources
Fact-checking is an important part of any content-writing process, especially when using AI for creating content. Not only does it help ensure accuracy and credibility, but it can also improve your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts by providing reliable sources to back up the information you’re presenting.
When crafting your articles or blog posts, always take the time to fact-check any claims you make and include links to reputable sources wherever possible. This will not only give readers more confidence in what they're reading but also help boost your website's ranking on Google and other search engines. Having credible sources linked throughout your content will show potential customers that you are a trustworthy source of information which could be just the edge you need!
2. Not proofreading AI generated output
Sometimes it just doesn't make sense, AI doesn't always get it right
Let's face it, we've all been guilty of not proofreading our own writing at some point in time. Even when we take the time to carefully craft a message, sometimes it just doesn't make sense. And while we now have access to all sorts of sophisticated technologies, including artificial intelligence, it's important to remember that these tools are not infallible. In fact, they can often get things wrong, especially when it comes to nuances in language that AI simply hasn't yet learned to understand.
Make sure you proofread every single word
Let's apply the same logic to AI-written content, it can be very tempting to hit that generate button, get the content, scan the words and then copy & paste and hit publish.
Don't do that! Read every single word, understand what it says and make edits where they are needed. Just one comma out of place can give a sentence a very different meaning, take a look at this example:
"Let's eat, Grandma!"
"Let's eat Grandma!"
In the first sentence, the comma is used to address "Grandma" directly, inviting her to join in for a meal. However, in the second sentence, there is no comma, which changes the meaning of the sentence entirely. It now becomes a statement about eating Grandma as if she were the main course. This sentence is obviously inappropriate and disturbing.
While it is a silly sentence that none of us would ever use, it's a great example of how one tiny mistake can change the whole meaning of your piece of writing.
3. Not checking the ChatGPT grammar and spelling
Hey, we all make mistakes, but when it comes to grammar and spelling, those mistakes can be pretty noticeable. And let's face it, nothing kills the credibility of a writer or speaker quite like a bunch of errors. So, it's worth taking the time to ensure you're not making any glaring mistakes.
Common punctuation errors in AI content
ChatGPT loves to use hyphens and dashes where there should actually be a comma or full stop. It's a clear giveaway that the content is AI-generated. The punctuation will start out good, but the longer your content is, the more you will start to see hyphens creeping into places where they shouldn't be. Keep your eyes open and switch them out for the correct punctuation.
Common spelling errors in AI content
Is it Color or Colour, Optimize or Optimise, Organization or Organisation?
The truth is they are all right, there's just a difference between the British and the American way to spell them. Unfortunately, ChatGPT doesn't know the audience you are writing for and quite often you will find you get a mix of both. I'll refer you back to number 2 on the list at this point. Proofread thoroughly and make sure you switch them to the correct spelling for your audience.
You will find lots of other grammar and spelling mistakes as you go along, which is natural because ChatGPT is trained on our human content and we have been misspelling since words were first created. It's impossible for us to spot and correct every single grammar and spelling mistake, so here's a secret weapon for you to use: Grammarly! It's free, and it works anywhere you can add written content, it's a spelling and grammar checker that flags up errors in real time and even gives suggestions for better ways to structure sentences. Try it out, trust me, you won't regret it!
4. Take out the telltale words and phrases and use plain English
Have you ever come across an article or blog that seemed repetitive and lacking in human touch? Chances are, it might have been written by an AI. While these writing programs have come a long way in terms of generating content, they do have certain telltale signs that give them away. One such sign is the overuse of phrases like "firstly", "secondly", "finally", "moreover" and "furthermore". These may sound like natural transitions to us, but they are a staple of AI-written content and you will find these phrases or a variation of them in every piece of long-form content you generate. You may not have noticed them yet, but now I've told you, you're going to notice them everywhere!
Another dead giveaway is the phrase "looking for [product or service]? Then look no further [company name] has got the perfect solution!". Sure, it's catchy and attention-grabbing, but it's also a common phrase that AI tends to rely on. Again, you may not have noticed this trend yet, but start paying attention to Facebook and Instagram Ads and you will see that 80% of them start with this phrase. If you are generating content for a product or service, there is a 99% chance that AI will start your sentence with 'Looking for?' and then conclude with 'Look no further!'. Avoid it at all costs, apart from it being a telltale sign of AI content, it's also very cheesy and not likely to resonate with any type of audience. Instead, spend some time crafting a perfect headline and ad copy that you know your audience will identify with. You can use AI to achieve this, but you need to make sure you are using the right tool for the job, which leads us nicely to number 5 on the list...
5. Use the right prompts for the job
ChatGPT is a basic tool for AI writing, but there are better ones out there that are trained for specific tasks
Do you ever feel like you're using the wrong tool for the job? It's like trying to hammer in a screw, it just doesn't work. The same goes for using AI to produce content. Sure, ChatGPT is a great basic tool that can get the job done, but there are better options out there. Every company is adding AI writing assistants to their software to help with specific tasks, so take advantage of them!
Wix has added an AI assistant to their editor so you can seamlessly create website copy with the help of an AI assistant without needing to leave the editor. It's pretty good, I tend to use it from time to time when I'm working in the Wix editor.
Elementor has just announced its new AI tool for writing content and code for WordPress sites. I've not tried this one yet, but I always use Elementor for WordPress creations and I will be whipping up a load of CSS code next time I'm on there!
There is a gold standard when it comes to AI tools and the clear market leader in terms of innovation and user experience is Jasper AI. You have probably heard of it, they are making waves in the industry, and trust me, it is worth the hype! You can find tools for almost anything. The tools are trained to give you high-quality copy for specific use cases. For example, you can find templates for basic tasks like writing product descriptions, Facebook ad headlines and text, Tweets and Google Business Page updates. You simply give Jasper a few details about your business and what you want the content to say. Within seconds, you get presented with your choice of 3 outputs.
Then there are the advanced tools, including:
Creating your brand voice - so Jasper always knows the tone of voice you are looking for, a total game changer and time saver when it comes to generating AI copy.
The One Shot Blog Post - This template is like magic! Simply answer a few questions to give Jasper a bit of background information and then watch as AI gives you 3 unique blog articles to choose from!
Workflows - The most advanced AI tool you will find, the Jasper workflows will guide you through a series of AI prompts. You can create anything from email campaigns and social media campaigns to long-form blog posts and landing pages.
I'm not even going to try to hide it from you, this blog post was written using the Jasper Blog Post Workflow. I use AI on a daily basis, but I follow my own advice and I always fact-check, proofread, use Grammarly, edit content and use the right tool for the job. My content always ends up as 70% human written, with the remaining 30% as AI content.
I have only been able to talk about just a few of the tools you can find and the possibilities are endless. We love it so much, we have partnered up with Jasper to give you a 7-day free trial so you can head there and try it out for yourself. If you already use chat GPT then Jasper is going to blow your mind! Watch this quick video demo to find out more.
It's true that AI has its limitations when it comes to content generation and these need to be carefully monitored and adjusted. However, if used correctly AI can help save time and energy in the long run. The trick is to use a reliable tool such as Jasper AI which has templates specifically designed for writing content. This greatly reduces the risk of making the most common ChatGPT mistakes and increases your ability to create unique, well-written content that will rank on Google.
Get a 7-day free trial to try Jasper AI today and see for yourself what a difference this makes!
