1. Sentences built on contrast
AI loves building a sentence on the contrast of two things. The most common version starts by saying what something is not, and only then says what it is. Once in a text it can still be effective, but after a few paragraphs it becomes conspicuous.
The rewritten version is a straight statement, such as “We design websites where your visitors find what they are looking for.” The sentence gets shorter and says straight away what you offer.
2. Everything in threes
AI lists almost everything in threes and tunes the rhythm of its sentences to match. One trio here and there is fine, but if it turns up in every paragraph the text becomes mechanical, and readers start noticing the pattern instead of the content.
Rewrite it so that some lists have two items and others four, or break the list into separate sentences that each say something concrete.
3. Generic sentences that fit anything
Phrases like “quality solutions” and “a client-centred approach” do not set any company apart from another. If you could put a sentence on your competitor's website without changing a word, that sentence is not working for you.
Put a concrete case or a number in their place, something that is true only of you. How many years you have been doing this, or what happened in your latest project, these are the details that make copy credible.
4. Punchy closing lines
AI likes to close paragraphs with a short line that sounds wise. If every paragraph ends this way, after a few of them the reader starts skipping these lines, and important information gets lost among them.
It is enough for a paragraph to end with a fact or the next step. That is less showy, and in return the reader feels they are getting information all the way through.
5. Paragraphs that open with a question
A paragraph that opens with a question and answers it straight away is one of the best-known patterns, especially at the start of a text. Write a straight sentence instead about who the offer is for and what they get if they read on.
6. Punctuation and intensifiers
Language models scatter dashes and colons through the middle of sentences, and readers have learned to spot it. A similar sign is an intensifier in almost every sentence, such as “truly” or “extremely”. Feel free to cut them, because the sentence is usually stronger without them.
7. Buttons and short labels
Buttons and field labels give it away too. AI often asks questions in a chummy tone on forms, or writes the same phrase on every button. A good label is functional, a noun for a field, such as “Name”, and the next step for a button, such as “Send”.
Placeholder text should show an example, such as a name or an email address, so the visitor sees at once what the field expects.
8. An example rewrite
A typical AI sentence is something like “Our company offers innovative solutions that help our clients achieve their goals.” There is nothing wrong with it, yet it does not tell you what the company does or for whom.
The rewritten version starts from a concrete situation, such as “We design booking pages for dental practices where patients quickly find a free appointment.” From this the reader knows at once whether they are in the right place.
9. How to rewrite it
- Read it aloud and mark the sentences you would never say like that in conversation.
- Put something concrete from your own business into every paragraph.
- Vary the length of your sentences so they do not all share the same rhythm.
- Ask yourself whether your best client would put it this way when recommending you to someone.
10. If you still have AI write it
AI is useful for the first draft if you describe in detail what you expect. The more of your own material you give it, the less generic the result.
- Describe who the copy is for and what question they arrive with.
- Give it your own examples from client work, and the older texts of yours that you like.
- Ask it to write in short, simple sentences and to avoid piling up adjectives.
- Always read through the result and rewrite it wherever it does not sound like you.
11. If you want it reviewed
In the full audit of our AI review we go through the copy as well and mark where the machine voice gives itself away. At the audit and fix level we also rewrite the copy in your voice, button labels included.
