Low-quality content | A sad “must” in today’s web

AI-generated content; poorly written texts; a badly used template —all of that (and more) is low-quality content. Poor content production on the internet seems like some plague or pestilence. And we don’t owe this solely to AI. It’s been happening for many years.

What is causing this epidemic? It’s due to the monumental amount of content that needs to be published to be seen. Nowadays, it’s not enough to make two or three reverberating posts. You must publish extensively and consistently. For what? For views.

It is with great sadness that I say that it is a “must” in the contemporary marketing industry to be poor at what you do. Not because I encourage people to be deficient in their professions. On the contrary, I encourage everyone to always be the best version of themselves. However, to meet the relentless number of publications and objectives that large companies demand of us in the market, sacrifices are necessary. This is where content creators (or non-creators) often struggle to produce low-quality content.

It spreads like cancer, and I will explain the risks this poses to our marketing campaigns.

What is low-quality content?

It’s poor content to produce without care or interest, without research, or even without talent. AI writing? Poor. Generated results? Poorer. Empty content —less thought out, less explained —highlights the inefficiency and disinterest of those who produce it. Content that repeats things, that is artificial, that offers nothing new; that is mediocre content. 

Plagiarized or repetitive content, that is redundant and incipient; all of that is low-quality content. Content that only refers to other content, poorly written content, poorly optimized content, and inconsequential content are all examples of the same source.

Low-quality content is content that lacks the qualities to stand the test of time. It may be content that needs proper edits (or even editing at all). And the problem extends far beyond that. 

Paradoxically, poor-quality content often appears in the top search results. How? Because of SEO. Search engines are only superficially interested in quality content; it is authorship and authority, along with economic investments, that determine the potential for content to be displayed. In fact, SEO does not determine the aesthetic or quality of content; it only determines its numerical value in an algorithm.

Low-quality content refers to content that has been produced for a productive function. We deliver it to fulfill, to “be there,” to “appear,” and do not seek quality or to drive a trend. It is content with “serving” and “fulfilling” purposes.

My explanation is vague. Of course, when talking about “quality” and “aesthetics,” there are patterns that determine their effectiveness and appropriateness. Low-quality marketing content is genuinely weak production. It only has one practical function, which is not to serve as a reference.

That content is a lazy, disinterested attempt by a creator to achieve a goal. The metrics are achieved; the content is published; the benchmarks are fulfilled; the board is ok; life goes on.

How is low-quality content affecting browsers, media, and AI?

The truth is that low-quality content is everywhere. Truth is that it is the standard; it matters because references are often numerous examples of questionable content. There are multiple social media accounts with subpar content. Some websites publish a lot of misinformation or unnecessary content simply to increase their ranking. Some posts are intended to be viewed, but nothing more.

So how do we avoid producing bad content? There are a few strategies. Among them:

• Create authentic content. Things that concern you, that cause you doubt, that interest you. Be genuine; speak without fear (without oppressing, offending, or attacking). Just say what you want to say in an eloquent, thoughtful, and coherent way.
• Don’t post just for the sake of posting. Have a personality and let that personality shine through in your posts. Follow the basic branding idea: be identifiable not only through visual cues but also through the value you convey.
• It doesn’t hurt to follow SEO checklists and UX tips. While they are not fundamentally decisive in defining a publication’s true quality, they do help establish visual and algorithmic guidelines.

In fact, poor content is so prevalent on the internet that AI itself is trained with it. We copy the copy; we repeat the misery of a worthless creation; marketing becomes a vicious circle of negligence. Break the cycle; create an alternative; confront the basics

How do we avoid creating low-quality content?

We continue with the previous idea: create well-thought-out content. But, to avoid falling into bad habits (since, unfortunately, in today’s media, you have to publish a lot to be seen), follow these suggestions:

• Don’t get bogged down in the technical shortcomings of ranking algorithms. Follow SEO and marketing best practices, but use them only to demonstrate your good work, not as the primary driver of your efforts.
• See other creators and emulate what you like, but only to practice and capture your own identity. Groundbreaking creators are more valuable. Avoid plagiarism, imitation, or copying. You can mention things or take references, but that’s it.
• Don’t follow trends just to be seen. I guarantee you will be seen. But you won’t offer anything beyond what others have already provided.
• Don’t let data be the only factor driving your decisions. Data is pivotal in digital marketing, but it’s not the only factor in a content campaign.
• Produce balanced content that covers various areas you know and like.
• Don’t use AI as a content generator and publisher. Create your own pieces. Use AI as a complementary tool for your work.
• If you know how to write, write. Suppose you know how to design, then do what you know. However, if you’re unsure about either area, it’s better to outsource the work or seek assistance. Doing something just for the sake of doing it can lead to undesired results.
• Let’s talk about fundamentals. We don’t have to be academics in a field. However, to provide opinions, we always need to have some experience or sources to support our statements. Otherwise, we will be prone to offering empty, repetitive content or even falling into fake news.

Our content as a statement 

The idea is that the content we publish should not be a mockery of itself. Algorithms indeed create content graveyards over time. Unfortunately, it is necessary to publish excessively to meet the demands of many platforms. This clearly affects quality at some point. It is our job as content creators to strike a balance between the volume and quality of what we publish. 

Let’s not talk about what we don’t know and create just for the sake of creating. Let’s not publish just to pretend or appear. Instead, let’s cultivate creative awareness and be respectful of what we publish, and of ourselves. The fight against low-quality content begins when we recognize our own responsibility as creators and the impact of our own work.