How to thrive with AI content creation despite a predicted 25% drop in web traffic by 2026

Content Marketing
Updated: August 07, 2024
How to thrive with AI content creation despite a predicted 25% drop in web traffic by 2026
19 min read
In this Article

Like it or not, AI-driven content is already shaping the creator economy in a big way.

It’s changing the game for creatives of all stripes, and it’s a very hot topic in the creator world. Whether you’re for it, against it, or (like me) somewhere in between, there’s no denying that AI is here to stay.

I’ve been in the blogging game for nearly 15 years and this current shift to AI-assisted creation has gotta be the fastest technological advancement I’ve seen in my lifetime. Overnight, creators went from drafting their own content or hiring writers—to publishing more content faster with the help of AI.

While the verdict is still out about how “good” AI-assisted content can (and will) be, the reality is that this genie is now way out of the bottle. AI is here, it’s happening, and that means every creator needs to decide how to feel and what to do about AI content creation in their own workflows.

Should AI content be your friend or your enemy?

AI is now baked into virtually all our favorite apps, our phones, computers, and it’s even making its way into search engine results (after some early wobbly toddler steps rolled it back on Google a bit).

With everything changing so fast, people are understandably concerned about whether AI is cutting into the traffic that content creators see.

Spoiler alert: It is, but not in the way you might think.

AI is great for quick, simple answers. Think about those times when you just need a quick definition or a fast fact. That’s where AI really shines. But when it comes to in-depth, human experiences, learning new skills or techniques, and sharing personal stories, AI just can’t compete, yet.

Regardless how you feel about AI content, the creators who are going to shine in the next decade are those who dive deep into experimenting first-hand, with the ways AI can be useful in their processes, and understand its limitations.

4 steps to adopt an AI-driven content strategy

Step #1: Figure out what’s working now

One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing already is in the type of content that’s performing well. Gone are the days when you could rely on low-quality, quick-hit content to drive massive amounts of traffic.

For example, glossary pages with succinct definitions and simple Q&A posts are losing their value faster than a TikTok dance trend.

Why is this kind of content heading to the chopping block? Because AI can handle these types of relatively straightforward, somewhat widely agreed upon queries very easily.

Google wants to keep users on their platform longer, because in theory, you’ll be shown more advertisements. It benefits their bottom line to answer as much as possible, right at the top of search results.

This featured snippet is a prime example of something that an AI summary will eventually take over, but due to the slightly controversial nature of the question, it hasn’t yet. As the featured snippet holder though, my answer is likely to be cited as a top source in the future—which will still drive traffic from those interested in going a level deeper in their learning journey.

When it comes to detailed guides, high quality educational material, personal stories, in-depth tutorials, and the things that are best communicated over video? That’s where the magic is happening, because these kinds of things inherently require people to click through to your blog, YouTube channel, social account, or podcast, and spend some real time with you.

If you want to future-proof your content-driven business, your solution lies in going deeper with your audience. Relationship-driven content is the way of the future.

Step #2: Find your AI content creation sweet spot for SEO success

SEO isn’t dead, despite what some people (who probably have something fear-based to sell you) are shouting from the rooftops. I’ve seen the panic that SEO is dead just about every year, for the past decade. While SEO isn’t going away anytime soon, it is evolving. The key (like always) is to adapt your approach and evolve with it.

Evolution requires a solid understanding of the facts, as they appear right now, and the expectation that everything can change again in the near future. And while that can sound terrifying to some, flipping the script and interpreting it as a fun challenge to problem-solve, is your best path forward.

To save you the deep dive on this one, here’s my guidance for generating SEO traffic today:

  • Focus on long-tail keywords that tackle more specific pain points for your audience on topics that are more complex than just a quick answer, and create genuinely helpful content that’ll get your people over a hurdle they’re struggling with.
  • Go deep on educating your audience in a variety of content formats (video, audio, written, graphics) in order to meet people at their different learning styles. Lean into your strengths & interests, have fun in your creation process, and your audience will feel it too.
  • Do what AI can’t and never will by embedding your own personal touch into everything you create. As a real person, you now have an incredibly unique competitive advantage that AI will never be able to replicate—your own body of lived experiences. No matter where AI takes us, humans will always seek connection with each other. Draw from personal examples, the painful lessons you’ve learned, and the stories that make you, you. This is why your audience will stick around.

Here’s an example of this strategy at work literally this week. I drew from my own personal experience to tackle a somewhat complex, long-tail keyword phrase that a lot of potential new bloggers have:

Taking a very story-driven approach, I use a mix of video, pretty graphics, and scannable formatting to make this post on the topic of can you blog about anything? a great case study in how to approach SEO-friendly content moving forward.

At the end of the day, search engines like Google are incentivized to bring users the best answers as quickly as possible. By choosing topics that tip the advantage towards human-first content, and really investing in doing an outstanding job of serving your audience in the ways they want to learn, you’ll be setting yourself up for long-term success no matter the inevitable changes to come in SEO-land.

The best part is that AI can actually help in scaling this approach to content creation, which brings us to…

Step #3: Make video content your secret weapon

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, with over 1 billion hours of videos watched every single day. This doesn’t even take into account how many people use short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels for search and discovery, too.

This is why video content just became one of the most important things you can invest in as a creator.

If you’re not doing video yet, that’s ok, but now is the time to start. Not only is video far more engaging for your audience to watch as they learn from you, it also allows you to connect with people on a deeper level that AI simply can’t compete on. Even with future advancements in AI-generated video, it’ll never quite be the same.

I’ve recently switched to a video-first content creation process for both my blog and at RightBlogger. It’s been a game-changer for not only how I think about making useful content for my audience, but the results have shown this is working splendidly.

More readers on both sites, more views on my YouTube channel, more email subscribers, more customers for both my businesses. The best part? I’m making way better content for my audience—and a whole lot more of it.

My process for starting with video and repurposing it across other mediums is super simple:

  1. Plan, script, and develop shot lists before filming my videos: For the type of educational videos I make (teaching creators), it’s extremely important to invest time into researching, scripting, and making shot lists to keep my videos genuinely fun and interesting along with whatever I’m teaching. Then, I film and send the footage to my editor who removes bad takes & gets my longer-form videos (>1 minute) ready for publishing on YouTube.
  2. Use AI to repurpose my video into a blog post: I built an entire tool around my perfected process for converting a YouTube video into blog posts in RightBlogger, and it now sits at the center of my AI-assisted creation process. I start by pasting in the link to my (unlisted) YouTube video, tinker with the settings, and generate an SEO-optimized first draft blog post in less than a minute.
  3. Edit the article draft and get other text assets: AI-generated content should never be published sight unseen. At this point in my process, I’ll spend an hour or so editing the article to make sure it’s accurate. I’ll weave in more internal & external links where necessary, tune up the voice, add more personal stories, and make sure it’s dialed in from an SEO standpoint. Then I’ll pop over to the Chat tab inside RightBlogger and interact with my article, asking the AI assistant to write social copy for all the major networks I publish on. It’s pretty awesome.

Here’s an example of what my YouTube Video to Blog Post Generator looks like, running on a video I made this week. It learns from my voice & tone, incorporates the exact content (and examples) I cover in the video, uses pretty formatting, and gives me a solid first draft that’s already well-positioned from an SEO perspective for the primary keyword phrase I’m targeting:

This video-first creation process not only saves me insane amounts of time, but also makes sure that my downstream written content stays true to the essence of what I’ve made in my very strategically planned video.

This is where content creation with AI really thrives today, but it’s not the only way to use AI as a creator.

Step #4: Produce AI content without losing your voice

Gartner Digital published an eye-opening report that predicts a 25% drop in traditional search engine volume by 2026. A quarter of traditional traffic could vanish as more people turn to AI chatbots for quick answers and video-forward platforms for their deeper dives.

It sounds scary, but there’s no need to panic. All this really means is that you need to double down on creating high-quality content that AI can’t compete with. Focus on the things that showcase your unique voice and expertise. Remember, it’s all about using AI to enhance what you do best, not replace it.

Here are a few ways AI can help your workflow without diminishing the value you bring to the table:

  • Research: Use AI tools for tasks like doing keyword research and brainstorming content ideas. Many creators get hung up at these two points, and AI can be a huge time-saver that gives you a solid starting point. You can use my forever free AI-assisted keyword research tool and blog idea generator to do exactly that.
  • First drafts: It’s ok to let AI handle the first draft of a blog post if writing isn’t your strongest suit, but the devil lies in the details here. When I’m writing blog posts using AI, I give whichever tool I’m using a lot of detailed instructions, so the first draft comes back on par with my take on the topic. This is where spending even just ten minutes going through and adding your personal experiences, insights, opinions, and anecdotes really pays off. It’ll cut down on your editing time.
  • Enhance, don’t replace: Use AI to improve and enhance your content, not replace your involvement in the process altogether. AI can help with the structure and flow of an article (it’s particularly useful at research-backed blog post outlines), but the heart of your content should always be you. Take however much time you need in the editing process, to make sure your AI-assisted content still feels like you.

As you can see, AI really thrives on the opportunity identification side of the content creation process, today. Whether you’re using ChatGPT or taking one of my tools for a spin, I can’t recommend AI enough when it comes to tasks like keyword research & idea generation when you’re in a bit of a creative rut.

Budget-friendly AI tools and resources for creators

Google, Microsoft, Apple, and just about every other tech company with clear vision are in an AI arms race to see who can develop the most expansive LLMs (Large Language Models) and systems for deploying more AI use cases in the real world.

This is great news for content creators, because the result is that there are already hundreds of AI apps to help grow your creator business—and this party’s just getting started.

YouTube video to blog post tools

The 100% forever free version of my Video to Blog AI Converter has become the go-to for thousands of creators each month, who are already turning their videos into blog posts.

This tool saves time and helps people get the most out of the content they’re already making. I’m a bit biased, but nothing speaks louder to the quality of a tool than something I use every week, myself.

Kit also just recently rolled out a really cool tool called Wordsmith in their app store that automatically turns your YouTube videos into newsletters. You can send your subscribers new content alerts, round-ups and more.

Keyword research tools

Tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush are fantastic, but to say they can be pricey is the understatement of the century. That’s why I made all 75+ tools inside RightBlogger free to use (with some limits), so anyone can get started without breaking the bank.

There are a lot of cost-effective keyword research tools out there. Here are a few that I know the Kit team loves: Mangools (an all-in-one keyword research tool), Wincher (affordable keyword rank tracking), and AlsoAsked (find FAQs people have about a topic).

AI content creation tools

From blog title generators to entire article writers, there are tons of tools out there to help you streamline your content creation process, including the 25+ forever free blogging tools I have right on my blog, for creators to use anytime.

ChatGPT by OpenAI, Copilot by Microsoft, and Claude by Anthropic are some other great alternatives, but you have to be careful using them. It’s easy to publish incorrect information or accidentally copy someone else’s work if you’re not paying attention and spending real time in the editing process.

Real-world examples of how you can fuel your content creation with AI

Let’s wrap up by putting this all into a little more context, using some real-life examples.

Example #1: B4 and Afters by Liberty Brammer

Liberty Brammer is a creator who runs a blog in the DIY and crafting space called B4 and Afters.

Here’s how Liberty could leverage AI in her content creation process, in order to create more content that stands out:

  • Listicles and reviews: Instead of a simple list of the “10 best yarns,” that something like an AI summary may eventually replace at the top of Google search results, Liberty can explore a variety of other content formats. She could use AI to identify specific keyword opportunities for creating in-depth reviews, sharing her personal experiences with each brand or type of yarn she likes. Add photos, videos, and even step-by-step project tutorials to make this a really well-rounded approach.
  • Video tutorials: This is the real gold start opportunity for any DIY creator. Liberty can film herself working on a project, explaining each step in detail as she goes. This not only makes the content more engaging, but also provides a unique, personal touch that AI can’t replicate. Bonus points if she wants to try a livestream on YouTube or Twitch where crafters are amassing super engaged audiences.
  • Interactive content: Free tools like quizzes and DIY project idea generators (given a list of materials someone has on-hand) can make her blog a lot more interactive and fun for her audience to come back to time and time again.

Example #2: Learn to Code With Me by Laurence Bradford

Laurence Bradford has been creating & teaching in the learn to code space for nearly a decade with her blog and podcast, Learn to Code With Me.

Laurence already does a fantastic job of creating super in-depth tutorials and shining a light on inspiring developer stories, but using AI in a couple key areas could really dial up her traffic and engagement:

  1. Video and livestream content: I know Laurence personally, so I also know that (like me), being in front of the camera isn’t usually her absolute favorite thing to do. She publishes her podcast episodes as video on her YouTube channel, but she hasn’t yet opened the door to making tutorial-style videos or exploring what a livestream could be like with her audience. She has a super engaged crew that follows along with her content, so figuring out where she hits the internal roadblocks when thinking about doing videos is step one. Then, leveraging AI tools for the components of her creation process that don’t bring her joy (perhaps topic identification, script outlining, and repurposing), will be a huge win for her.
  2. Free tools and quizzes: Interactive content is the way of the future, and for the subject matter Laurence is working with, it’s a no-brainer to start hosting things like a which coding language should I learn? quiz and free interactive tools ranging from a free coding challenge of the day, to a project idea generator, an interactive coding sandbox, code snippet libraries and more.

How to succeed as a creator in the age of AI

Looking ahead, the future of content creation is all about blending selective use of AI with our incredibly special, irreplicable human creativity. Use AI as an assistant to handle the things that don’t require as much of your creative input, but always remember to add your unique perspective into everything you create.

Focus on creating content that’s not just informative but also entertaining and engaging. Share your stories, be open about your mistakes, and talk about what you’ve learned from your successes. By focusing on depth, embracing video, and thoughtfully leveraging AI along the way, you’ll dance with these changes and continue to thrive.

To recap, here are a few key takeaways to keep in mind as you do your thing in this fascinating new age of content creation:

  • Be human: AI can’t replicate your unique experiences and personality. Use that to your advantage.
  • Dive deep: In-depth, educational content is more valuable than ever. Don’t be afraid to go super in-depth and share from your well of expertise.
  • Embrace video: Making great video content is the most important new skill you can learn, if you haven’t begun already. Make it fun to experiment with incorporating video into your content strategy, and reward yourself along the way rather than dialing up the negative self talk. Be kind to your beautiful self.
  • Leverage AI thoughtfully and selectively: AI can help streamline a lot of elements in your creation, repurposing, and promotion process, but never forget to add your personal touch throughout.

Content creation is evolving at a faster pace than ever before, but the core principles remain the same. AI is a new powerful tool at our disposal, but it’s our unique human touch that makes a piece of content truly stand out.

Remember, the creator economy is all about you—your stories, your insights, and your voice. Stay creative and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Oh, and have as much fun as humanly possible along the way.

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Ryan Robinson
Ryan Robinson

Ryan Robinson is a prolific creator, blogger, startup founder, and (recovering) side project addict that teaches 500,000 monthly readers how to grow a meaningful online business at ryrob.com. He's also a co-founder at RightBlogger, a suite of high-powered content tools for creators. (Read more by Ryan)