Digital Legal Content Strategist

5 reasons to avoid AI for content

2026-05-05T04:38:00.013-04:00

Some business owners think they will save money if they use AI for writing blogs and other online content. That assumption, while incorrect, is part of the reason for the recent AI boom. There may be short-term savings after making the switch to AI, but business owners should avoid the temptation.

#1: AI won't have the human touch

Human readers want to read blog posts and other content that doesn't sound like a machine wrote them. Regardless of what AI model is used, AI content can never reach the same flow as human-written content.

#2: AI won't match your brand voice

Consumers expect a brand's voice to remain consistent across all materials. AI relies on formulas, so it won't be able to match your brand voice. Human writers can pinpoint certain nuances that give the brand its voice. Consumers are more confident in a brand when the voice is consistent.

#3: AI won't produce consistent quality

Content produced by AI will vary in quality. Even if standard prompts and a style guide are provided, the results will vary. Some of the quality issues stem from outdated information. AI doesn't understand current trends, which could affect the quality of content it produces and may lead to a social faux pas.

#4: AI won't prevent plagiarism

AI uses repetitive phrasing across everything it produces. It also pulls phrasing from published websites and materials. Together, these can lead to content that's flagged for plagiarism by search engines. Plagiarized content is penalized, so the website will be pushed down in search engine rankings because of the AI-produced content.

#5: AI won't meet SEO, AEO, AIO, and GEO standards

AI doesn't have the most up-to-date information about search engine algorithms. Sometimes, the information is two years or more out of date. This makes it impossible for AI-generated content to meet current standards unless a human fine-tunes it afterward.

Even though AI is a hot topic across the world, business owners shouldn't rely on it to produce content for their blogs, social media accounts, websites, and other written materials. Consumers expect a brand's voice to remain consistent through all materials. AI relies on formulas, so it won't be able to match brand voice. Human writers can pinpoint certain nuances that give the brand its voice. Consumers are more confident in a brand when the voice is consistent.

On-page SEO strategies constantly evolve

2026-04-30T04:34:00.007-04:00

Let's face it—the way people behave online is changing rapidly. For more than 25 years, search engine optimization (SEO) has been the gold standard for getting websites and blogs to rank well in search engines.

According to Search Engine Journal, Multimedia Marketing Group was using the term "SEO" as early as 1997. Back then, the way websites ranked in search engines was based primarily on listings in web directories. Over time, other factors, such as keyword inclusion, became more important for on-page SEO.

Evolving on-page SEO methods

Keywords were once the end-all-be-all method for getting websites to rank higher in the search engine results. Unfortunately for searchers back then, the results were often spammy websites with no actual information. There were a few reputable websites that provided people with valuable information about the topics they were searching for, but those websites were often hidden in the middle of those spammy ones.

Back then, there wasn't much focus on how much value a website provided to readers. People could create websites with hundreds of pointless pages of keywords. Those websites would rank near the top of the search results because of all the keywords, but they were useless.

Eventually, Google began to introduce algorithms that trended more toward the value of the information as the basis for search engine results placement. The constant evolution of algorithms means websites have to ensure they remain on top of what's important. One thing is certain now—keyword stuffing and spammy content won't rank well in search engine results.

Improving search engine results placement

In order to rank on the first page of the search results today, you need a multi-faceted approach to optimizing your content. The primary goal of each piece of content you put on your website or blog has to be engaging your readers. Search engines pay attention to the bounce rate of websites now, so keeping readers on your page longer is more favorable for your website than having them click away quickly.

Provide valuable information

The information you put on each page of your website must be valuable to the readers who land there. It should be easily digestible, so you may have to avoid a lot of technical or industry jargon unless your website is tailored to only professionals in your field.

Sprinkle keywords into the content

Keywords still have a place in SEO, but you have to handle them carefully. Keywords can't make the content sound unnatural. Writing the content and then going back to see where you can make minor adjustments to improve the keyword density is one of the most valuable ways to improve SEO without sacrificing human readability.

Include proper headings

People who are reading online content often don't take the time to read every word on a page. Instead, they skim what's being said so they can find what they need. This makes headings one of the most important SEO elements on the page. Strong headings that contain pointed keywords can guide your readers, but they can also help search engines evaluate the content on your website and rank it appropriately.

Implement a suitable linking strategy

The linking strategy for your website is another important factor for search engine placement because it provides clues about the authority of your website. Inbound and outbound links both matter for SEO. Inbound links require you to have high-quality information that makes other websites want to link to your content. Outbound links require you to ensure you're only linking to authoritative websites.

Keep brand voice consistent

One on-page SEO component that many people don't think much about is your brand's voice. Keeping the brand voice consistent across the entire website and connected channels, such as the blog and social media accounts, is critical. The brand voice builds trust with your readers and lets them know when your content is authentic.

Putting your on-page SEO strategy together

Your company's on-page SEO strategy has to pull together several components, but the way that happens is a highly customized process. Many small business owners who try to craft an SEO strategy on their own find the process daunting. Instead of wasting valuable time trying to figure out SEO, consider hiring an on-page SEO strategist who can work with you to create a strategy that places your website right on the screen of the readers who benefit from your goods or services.

Legal Information Versus Legal Advice

2026-04-25T04:31:00.000-04:00

Legal professionals are bound by specific professional standards. One of these is that legal advice can only be provided in very specific circumstances. Because of this, it’s critical that law firm blogs and websites provide legal information without venturing into offering legal advice. The distinction between these two concepts may seem blurry, but it’s not.

Understanding the difference between informing and advising is critical for anyone who provides online content to law firms.

Providing legal information

Providing legal information means explaining how the law works in a general manner. It can tell someone what the eviction process includes or what rights they have under the state’s wage and hour laws. It applies to a broad category of situations instead of applying to one very specific case.

Law firms that provide legal information on their websites can close information gaps that lead to access to justice issues that often plague impoverished communities. When provided correctly, legal information can help people recognize that they have a legal matter with options to address it.

Offering legal advice

Offering legal advice means telling a person what to do based on a specific set of facts. It requires jurisdictional knowledge, professional judgment, and accountability for the outcome if the advice is followed. Only licensed attorneys can provide legal advice. This means they can tell a person whether their lease allows them to break it without penalty for a specific reason.

Reasons for blurred lines

Digital legal content often blurs this line, particularly if the writer isn’t careful about how they word information. General information can feel inadequate when someone is trying to find out about their specific case, and search engines reward content that answers specific questions.

Law firm websites have to abide by professional standards, so they can’t tell readers exactly what to do in a nuanced situation or even whether the reader has a winnable claim unless they have an established professional relationship. With this in mind, the wording on legal websites matters. Speaking in absolutes should be limited.

Keeping the line clear

Law firms have to find the balance between providing content that’s valuable and avoiding content that gives advice. One mistake is providing legal content that’s so cautious and hedged that it’s completely useless. Vague content doesn’t help the reader. Instead, it protects the firm and leaves word soup on the website. Honestly, this is the reason many law firm websites read more like riddles than valuable sources of information.

The answer to providing valuable information without offering legal advice is working with a legal content strategist who understands where the line is drawn. Balancing legal information with clear calls to action that aren’t pushy enables law firms to help address access to justice challenges without adding risk to their law firm. That balance also supports stronger SEO, AEO, GEO, and AIO performance without sacrificing clarity or professional responsibility.

My Son Would Like to Speak to Me About My Addiction

2026-04-15T04:41:00.003-04:00

“Mom we gotta talk about your addiction.” That’s what my son messaged me earlier tonight. No, he wasn’t talking about an addiction to drugs or alcohol or gambling or anything like that. He was talking about my addiction of trying to push ChatGPT to the limit with my crazy image requests.

Tonight’s adventure was caricatures. I had ChatGPT create so many that it told me I hit the limit for my subscription. It made me wait 16 minutes to generate more, but I used that time wisely by thinking of new caricatures it should create.

I had it do caricatures of me and some of my kids. I even had it turn our cat into an adorable little royal kitten. And, that, folks, is one of the primary ways that I use artificial intelligence. But, it isn’t the only way.

I won’t use AI to write for me. I love to write and my clients pay me to write. They don’t pay for ChatGPT or any of the other services out there to create content for them. If they wanted AI content, they could just grab a subscription and write out a prompt. So, you may wonder how I use AI outside of having it create hilarious caricatures.

I use AI to help generate ideas. I use it to create schedules for myself. I use it to organize my thoughts. AI is a part of my process (usually) but it is not the main component. Every project, paper, or blog post still needs to be handled by the human mind. Each one still needs my fingers to type them out or my voice to speak them out so (yet another) AI program can type out my thoughts.

My logo was created by AI. I hired human, but they missed the mark. It took a few revision prompts to get it right with AI. In the end, it produced exactly what I wanted.

Since the early days of easy access to AI, I said that I would always remain transparent about when and how I use it. The fact remains the same as it always has – I use AI as a part of my daily process, but never to write content because all content needs human thought and crafting.