AI-generated content has taken the SEO world by storm. Tools that once sounded like science fiction now allow marketers to create thousands of pages at scale, target long-tail keywords with precision, and generate content in minutes instead of days.
But here’s the catch:
Just because you can scale with AI doesn’t mean you should - at least not without a safety net.
A recent example by Miquel Palet, founder of Tailride, reminds us exactly why.
The Case of the AI Boom - and Bust
In a candid LinkedIn post, Miquel shared how his team used AI to generate thousands of keyword-targeted pages through programmatic SEO. Their strategy was bold and ambitious: leverage generative AI to build a wide-reaching content footprint with minimal manual input.
The result?
An immediate traffic boom.
Their impressions surged. Clicks rolled in. From an SEO standpoint, it looked like a dream.
But dreams can turn into nightmares quickly in the world of search.
Soon after, Google flagged the site. The domain was hit. Pages were deindexed. And the hard-won traffic collapsed overnight.
This wasn’t a manual penalty. It was Google’s algorithm doing what it does best: filtering out content that doesn’t meet its evolving quality standards.
AI Is Powerful - but Not a Strategy
At first glance, the idea of AI-generated content at scale is appealing. And to be clear - we’re not anti-AI. Far from it. At WeDoSEO, we use AI tools every day to assist with research, content drafts, technical checks, and speed.
But here’s the truth we share with every client:
AI is a tool, not a strategy.
It’s only as effective as the process surrounding it.
Without human judgment, quality assurance, and ongoing monitoring, even the most technically sound AI content can become a liability.
Human-in-the-Loop SEO
When we saw the Tailride story, we immediately shared it with our clients. Not as a scare tactic - but as a reminder of the value behind our approach.
Here’s how we ensure our clients get the benefits of AI without the risk of a traffic crash:
1. Start with Strategy, Not Just Keywords
Every piece of content we create starts with a deep understanding of your audience, your goals, and your competitive landscape. AI can help with keyword/prompt ideation - but strategy must come from a human SEO expert who understands nuance, seasonality, and intent.
2. Use AI for Efficiency, Not for Autopilot
We absolutely use AI to support content generation. But we don’t publish anything without human review. That includes:
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Ensuring tone of voice fits your brand
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Fact-checking data
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Rewriting generic sections
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Adding your business’s unique perspective
This isn’t optional - it’s essential.
3. Check Quality at Scale
With large-scale content production, duplication and thin content can sneak in fast. We run every article through quality filters and tools that flag:
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Overlap with existing pages
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Unoriginal or unhelpful language
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Issues with crawlability and indexing
4. Track Performance (and React Fast)
One of the biggest SEO mistakes we see? Publishing at scale and walking away. We monitor every page post-publish, looking at how it performs in search and AI results, where it ranks, and how Google and AI bots respond.
If anything starts to slip, we don’t wait. We refine, reoptimize, or remove.
5. Align with Google’s Direction
Google is clear in its documentation: content should be helpful, original, and written for people. Not bots. Not templates. Not search engines alone.
By keeping human editors in the loop, we make sure every page passes the "Would a real person find this useful?" test.
What Businesses Need to Remember
You don’t need to avoid AI. But you do need to build a system around it.
Think of AI as a junior content assistant - fast, enthusiastic, but in need of supervision. Would you let an intern publish thousands of live pages on your site without a review? Hopefully not.
The same principle applies here.
Bottom Line: Speed is Nothing Without Safety
AI makes it easier than ever to scale. But SEO success isn't about speed - it’s about staying power.
Tailride’s experience is a perfect reminder: you might win traffic quickly with AI, but you can also lose it just as fast if you skip the guardrails.
At WeDoSEO, we believe in combining the best of both worlds:
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AI for speed
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Humans for quality
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Strategy for long-term results
That’s how we keep our clients’ sites safe, visible, and growing - without gambling on SEO shortcuts.
Need help using AI in your SEO strategy safely and sustainably?
Let’s talk. We’re happy to share our process, audit your content, or collaborate on a growth roadmap that works.
