Not long ago, writing marketing content followed a familiar rhythm.
You researched keywords. You shaped a clear message. You optimized for search. You published and waited for results.
Like rewatching The Office for the tenth time, it was predictable. Almost comforting.
AI-powered search tools summarize, rewrite, extract, and answer questions before a user ever clicks a link. The rules feel blurrier. The pace feels faster. And for a lot of marketers, the same question keeps coming up:
Does good writing still matter when AI is doing the reading?
After spending the last decade writing and refining content across manufacturing, healthcare, education, and B2B services, I’ve learned something important:
AI hasn’t replaced good marketing content. It has just made bad marketing content easier to ignore.
Here’s what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what I’m doubling down on now.
What’s Changed: Search Isn’t Just About Rankings Anymore
Search used to be about where you appeared. Now it’s about whether you’re chosen.
AI-driven search experiences don’t just list options. They synthesize answers – pulling from sources that are clear, structured, and confident enough to be trusted.
If rankings were the leaderboard, AI search is more like the group chat deciding where to eat. You don’t win by shouting the loudest. You win by being the option everyone quietly agrees makes sense.
That shift has changed how I think about writing:
- Pages aren’t just destinations—they’re inputs.
- Content isn’t just persuasive—it has to be extractable.
- Structure matters as much as style.
If your content can’t be quickly understood, summarized, and trusted, it’s less likely to surface.
What AI Is Actually Good At (And What It Isn’t)
AI is useful in the writing process—but not in the way many people expect.
It’s great at:
- Identifying gaps in coverage
- Suggesting structure
- Summarizing complex ideas
It struggles with:
- Judgment
- Context
- Industry nuance
- Real decision-making logic
AI can help assemble the LEGO set… but it still needs someone who knows what the final build is supposed to look like.
That part is still human.
What Still Matters (More Than Ever)
1. Clarity Beats Cleverness
In an AI search environment, clever phrasing doesn’t win. Clear phrasing does.
The best-performing content I’ve worked on lately:
- uses plain language,
- answers real questions directly,
- avoids fluff and filler,
- and gets to the point faster than feels comfortable.
If a sentence sounds impressive but doesn’t say anything, AI won’t register it—and neither will the reader.
2. Experience Is the Differentiator
AI can remix what already exists. It can’t replicate lived experience.
Content grounded in:
- real client conversations,
- real objections,
- real implementation challenges,
- and real outcomes
stands out immediately.
Generic thought leadership blends in. The most valuable insights aren’t the ones that sound smartest—they’re the ones that sound earned.
3. Structure Is Strategy
Good structure used to be a “nice to have.” Now it’s foundational.
Clear headings, logical flow, and scannable sections help:
- human readers find what they need,
- AI systems understand what the content is about,
- and both decide whether the content is worth trusting.
Strong structure doesn’t make writing rigid. It makes it usable. Think less “English class essay,” more “Spotify playlist that actually flows.”
4. Intent Matters More Than Volume
More content isn’t the goal. Better-aligned content is.
Some of the most effective pages I’ve worked on recently weren’t longer—they were tighter. They focused on one audience, one intent, and one clear takeaway.
In an AI search world, relevance beats reach.
What I’m Doubling Down On
As search evolves, my writing priorities are sharper than they’ve ever been:
- Writing for decision-makers, not algorithms
- Anchoring content in real-world use cases
- Structuring pages for clarity and extraction
- Cutting anything that doesn’t serve the reader
- Treating content as part of a system—not a one-off deliverable
The fundamentals didn’t disappear. They just got exposed.
The Bottom Line
AI didn’t lower the bar for marketing content. It raised it.
Good writing still matters—maybe more than ever. But good writing today means being clear, useful, intentional, and grounded in experience.
The tools have changed. The expectations have changed. The craft is still the craft.
And honestly? That’s kind of reassuring.
