- Round 1: Structure.
- Round 2: Language.
- Round 3: Humanization.
- Round 4: Polish.
Not every type of content needs the same amount of editing:
- You can be more hands-off with supporting content on category or product pages, while editorial content for blogs or content hubs needs significantly more editing.
- In the same way, evergreen topics need less editing while thought leadership needs a heavy editorial hand.
Round 1: Structure & Big-Picture Review
First, I read the entire draft like a skeptical reader would.
I’m looking for logical flow issues, redundant sections, and places where the AI went on unhelpful tangents.
This is about getting the bones right before polishing sentences.
Rather than nitpicking grammar, I ask: “Does this piece make sense? Would a human actually structure it this way?”
But, the most important question is: “Does this piece meet user intent?” You need to ensure that the structure optimizes for speed-to-insights and helps users solve the implied problem of their searches.
If sections feel out of order or disconnected, I rearrange them.
If the AI repeats the same point in multiple places (they love doing this), I consolidate.
Round 2: Humanize The Language & Flow
Next, I tackle that sterile AI tone that makes readers’ eyes glaze over.
I break up the robotic rhythm by:
- Consciously varying sentence lengths (Watch this. I’m doing it right now. Different lengths create natural cadence.).
- Replacing corporate-speak with how humans actually talk (“use” instead of “utilize,” “start” instead of “commence”).
- Cutting those meaningless filler sentences AI loves to add (“It’s important to note that…” or “As we can see from the above…”).
For example, I’d transform this AI-written line:
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