The emergence of AI has been disruptive over the past two years, particularly in content marketing. It raises a spectrum of reactions—AI brings powerful advantages often pitted against human skills, prompting a debate.

Who is the real SEO champion?

This blog about AI vs. human writers explores that question, comparing both and demonstrating how human expertise, fortified by E-E-A-T principles, reigns supreme.

Understanding AI vs. Human Writers in Content Creation

Let’s explore the key capabilities of AI and human writers in the current landscape. 

	The Rise of AI	The Scope of Human-Written Content
Impact	A 2025 National University article reports that 77% of companies are using or exploring AI, and 83% consider it a top priority.	Google’s algorithms prioritize content demonstrating expertise, authenticity, and authority, where human writers excel.
Capabilities	Increases work efficiency through automation.	Employs creative storytelling to engage audiences.
	Leverages vast amounts of user data to enhance personalization.	Harnesses emotional intelligence to connect with readers.
	Processes and analyzes large datasets.	Uses personal experience to convey unique perspectives.
Focus Areas	Enhancing productivity and scalability in handling data-driven tasks using algorithms and natural language processing.	Builds authenticity and relatability, connecting businesses with their target audience on a deeper level.

The Role of E-E-A-T in SEO and Content Ranking

To continue providing users with unique, in-depth, and valuable content, Google introduced the concept of E-E-A-T (previously E-A-T) as a component of the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. 

• Experience
• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness

E-E-A-T emphasizes credibility for search engines and readers. With human experience and subject-matter expertise, businesses can create valuable, trustworthy content that earns user trust and meets search engine standards, leading to improved rankings and organic traffic.

Why AI-Generated Content Struggles with E-E-A-T

Despite its potential, AI’s inherent limitations regarding real-world experience and trustworthiness cause it to struggle with the demands of E-E-A-T. A 2024 study revealed key concerns about AI-generated content:

• 42% of respondents worried about authenticity and reliability
• 18% cited a lack of human creativity
• 12% pointed to potential biases
• 28% mentioned a lack of context and overreliance on trends

Delivering content that lacks accuracy, freshness, or originality reduces trust and credibility, affecting your ability to connect with your audience and meet algorithmic standards.

The Human Advantage: Experience and Authority Matter

When meeting E-E-A-T standards to keep up with the competition, human writers possess more benefits than AI. They provide real-world knowledge, firsthand experiences, creative problem-solving, emotional resonance, and expert credibility.

This is especially evident in some industries, such as medical, legal, financial, educational, and creative fields. They demand human expertise to tackle complex issues requiring deep thought, understanding of people, and specialized knowledge to give tailored solutions. 

AI vs. Human Writers in Action

Let’s explore real-life comparisons of AI and human writing performance. 

Case 1: Google’s March 2024 Search Update

In March 2024, Google prioritized high-quality content, deliberately reducing the visibility of low-quality material. This core update reflected Google’s focus on expertise, value, and craftsmanship, revealing one of AI’s inherent weaknesses: a lack of firsthand insights.

As part of this shift towards better content, Google’s spam policies remained in effect: websites using poorly optimized AI to manipulate SEO rankings, especially for sensitive advice without expert input, risked being seen as spam and incurring penalties.

Case 2: Digital Expansion for Top Roofing Company

Storm Guard Roofing and Construction, a well-established company with 20+ years of experience, partnered with Marketing Done Right to overcome digital marketing challenges.

Our data-driven SEO strategy, focused on unique content refinement, yielded significant results in one year: 

• 3.86 million search impressions
• 850 top-10 keywords
• 1,855 leads
• 170,578 website visits

Our strategy relied solely on deeply understanding their audience’s needs and manually refreshing content to align with search engine guidelines, deliberately avoiding AI content.

Best Practices: Leveraging Human Expertise for SEO Success

Elevate human-written text with these actionable strategies, ensuring your content aligns with E-E-A-T and SEO principles.

Prioritize Authoritative, Expert-Driven Content 

Expert testimony remains the gold standard for information. That’s why Google prefers content that shows subject matter expertise, allowing the target audience to make informed decisions. 

To demonstrate this, consider adding the following to strengthen content quality:

• Expert interviews or Q&As
• Research papers
• Industry reports
• Academic articles
• Scientific or medical publications
• Legal or financial analyses
• Webinars
• Expert-led podcasts or case studies

These nuances, born from extensive field experience, remain unattainable for AI-generated content.

Blend AI Efficiency with Human Creativity 

Since Google hasn’t explicitly banned AI-generated text, marketers can use AI strategically with human expertise. Here’s how.

• Use AI writing tools to streamline, automate, and optimize tasks. These include analyzing datasets, customer support, and workflow automation.
• Enrich AI-generated material with human insights to ensure emotional depth and originality.
• Develop a content strategy that leverages the strengths of both sides. Start by identifying tasks best suited for AI and tasks that require human input.
• Regularly monitor the performance of your content upon implementation. Use this data and feedback to refine your strategy.

Maintain Transparency and Authenticity 

Including author bylines, credentials, and real-world experience establishes transparency and authenticity. These tick all the E-E-A-T boxes, resulting in better search visibility, increased engagement, and reduced penalty risks.

The Future of AI vs. Human Writers in SEO

So, what’s next for AI and human writers in the ever-changing world of SEO? Will the tables turn, or will human expertise endure?

• AI Evolution: AI content will evolve into more sophisticated, advanced, and enhanced models, making AI-generated content more competitive in meeting ranking factors.
• Human Language Dominance: Despite AI advancements, it is unlikely to fully replicate human-written content, which remains vital for successful long-term SEO.

How MDR Ensures High-Quality, Human-Written Content

At Marketing Done Right, we understand the importance of authentic, expert-driven content. Discover our process for guaranteeing SEO success.

• Human-First Content: We produce exclusively high-quality, human-crafted content, avoiding AI material to maintain originality and credibility.
• Strict Compliance: Our team adheres to E-E-A-T and SEO guidelines to craft trustworthy, expert-driven content that meets Google’s ranking standards. 
• Targeted Solutions: We deliver custom content solutions that help brands build authority, engage audiences, and achieve lasting search success.

Takeaway

In the AI vs. human writers debate, who wins in SEO? 

AI has certainly revolutionized content marketing with new strategies and benchmarks. However, human-written content still holds the advantage of delivering meaningful user value, aligning with Google’s priorities beyond algorithmic requirements.

Don’t let your authentic content go to waste; trust MDR to unlock its full potential. Businesses of all sizes rely on our expert team, advanced tools, and proven strategies for optimal growth. We’re here to help whenever you need us. Contact us today for a free consultation.