Last Updated: October 15, 2025

By Maria Dykstra — Growth strategist & creator of the AI Visibility Engine™As featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Social Media Examiner, Fox News, HuffPost, Newsweek, LinkedIn Top Voice.
Connect: LinkedIn

Can you make AI sound like human?

AI is everywhere. It drafts, rewrites, and even posts at scale.

But here’s the catch: readers can smell “AI-ish” writing a mile away. And search engines are shifting fast. They are no longer looking for simple keywords. AI wants proof of human experience, expertise, and local authority.

So the real question isn’t “Can AI write?” We all know it can (proven by the sea of content).

The question: How do you make AI content feel human, trusted, and locally relevant and at the same time pass every E-E-A-T and GEO test?

This guide is for founders, local businesses, and marketers who want AI-powered content that sounds human, earns trust, and ranks where it matters. My goal is to help you be visible: in your city, with your audience, at the exact moment they’re searching.

We’ll cover:

• Why humanized content is the new trust currency.
• The Human & GEO-Strong Checklist: how to make AI writing indistinguishable from human.
• How to bake in E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust).
• How to embed local discoverability (GEO) into every post.
• Step-by-step examples: old way vs new way.
• Review prompts, schema code, and real-world templates.

So how do you make AI-drafted work read like a top founder wrote it? Learn how to stack your unique POV, E-E-A-T and local signals that search (and buyers) reward.

Part 1: Why Humanized Content Matters More Than Ever

The days of generic blog posts are over. AI can already mass-produce filler faster than anyone. That means bland writing is now invisible.

What stands out?

• Specifics only you know. (Remember the time pipes froze on Prospect Street, and you had to reroute around historic brickwork? OR you launched a new code using Claude coding and broke your entire lead generation system?)
• Numbers nobody else has. (Hitting 98% same-day service rate in 2025 or getting 47% response rate on your email.)
• Local context. (Boston triple-deckers. Somerville’s zoning quirks. Cambridge’s winter water line issues.)

“Don’t try to sound human. Be specific enough that only a human could know it.”

Where “robotic human” shows up:

– Startup LinkedIn posts: “We’re humbled, honored, and beyond excited to announce…” (translation: you copy-pasted the TechCrunch template).
– AI-written emails: “We value you as a customer” (translation: you’re just a row in the CRM).
– Company websites: “We’re not just another [insert industry]. We’re your partner in growth.” (translation: you sound like every other site).

What people actually trust is:
– “When our pipes froze on Prospect Street, we had to reroute around historic brickwork.”
– “We closed 42 burst pipes in January 2025, because Somerville triple-deckers weren’t built for today’s cold.”

Humanized content isn’t flowery words. It’s proof you were there.

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Part 2: The Human & GEO-Strong Checklist

This framework makes sure your content isn’t just grammatically correct, it actually sounds like you and ranks where it matters.

A. Sentence & Paragraph Structure

The fastest way to spot AI writing? Every sentence is the same length. Every paragraph is a wall.

Your fix:

• Mix sentence lengths. Short, sharp. Then a longer explanation. Break the rhythm, like real humans do when they talk.
• Active voice only. “We installed the water line” vs. “The water line was installed.” One builds trust. The other sounds like a manual.
• One idea per paragraph. Don’t bury the lead in a soup of half-thoughts. Clear = credible.
• Natural transitions. Humans don’t say “Furthermore, one must consider.” We say: “Here’s why…” → “Now, how…” → “Next step…”

Example: Compare these two openers:

• AI-ish: “It is important to understand that winter weather can impact pipes in various ways that must be considered carefully.”
• Humanized: “Boston winters crack pipes. Here’s what we did when three froze in one week.”

EEAT tie-in: Clear, active sentences communicate experience and authority—the two hardest signals to fake.

B. Word Choice & Language

AI loves fluff. It defaults to “very,” “extremely,” “quite.” That’s dead air.

Your fix:

• Strong verbs, plain words. Say “fixed” not “executed remediation.”
• Kill fluff + hedges. Delete “it should be noted,” “some argue,” “quite.”
• Use contractions. Don’t write like a press release. Write like you’d text a colleague.
• Add rhetorical questions. They pull the reader into dialogue: “But what does that mean for you?”

Example:

• AI-ish: “Our team executed an extremely efficient response process to address this particular situation.”
• Humanized: “We fixed the leak in under an hour. How? We had the part on the truck already.”

EEAT tie-in: Plain, strong language = trust. The fewer filters between you and the reader, the more believable your expertise becomes.

C. Content Flow & Logic

Humans tell stories. AI dumps info.

Your fix:

• Start with why. What problem does this solve for the reader?
• Move to how. The steps or solutions you actually used.
• End with proof. Show your numbers, photos, citations, or client context (your E-E-A-T baked in).

Example:

• Why: “Frozen pipes don’t just burst—they can flood a basement in 15 minutes.”
• How: “We rerouted around the historic brickwork to avoid more damage.”
• Proof: “In January 2024, we hit a 98% same-day fix rate across Cambridge and Somerville.”

GEO tie-in: AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google SGE) don’t surface generic fluff—they surface content with clear logic, context, and citations they can trust.

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Part 3: Embedding E-E-A-T in Every Section

Think of E-E-A-T as the difference between just words and trusted advice.

Anyone can string sentences together. What makes your content discoverable (by Google, Perplexity, SGE) and believable (to actual humans) is whether it shows Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust—not as an afterthought, but baked into every section.

This isn’t SEO checkboxing. It’s proof-building. Every story, number, and detail is a trust signal to both algorithms and people.

Experience: Show You’ve Been There

AI can hallucinate facts. What it can’t fake is the lived messiness of your work.

Your moves:

• Drop in field stories. “On a Beacon Hill job, we had to haul a 250-lb pump up 100-year-old staircases just to reach the basement.”
• Show proprietary processes. “We hand-mix mortar for 15 minutes until it hits taffy-pull consistency—that’s the only way it adheres in Boston humidity.”
• Add visuals. Before/after photos, process shots, even a quick iPhone clip.

Example:
AI-ish: “We specialize in historic home repairs.”
Humanized EEAT: “We repaired three Back Bay brownstones in 2024—each required navigating 6 flights of 19th-century stairs just to get equipment inside.”

Expertise: Put Real Names Behind the Advice

Anonymous advice feels generic. Real humans with real credentials feel credible.

Your moves:

• Name the humans. “Led by Ana Patel, PACP-certified technician with 12 years’ trenchless repair experience.”
• Share credentials. Certifications, years in practice, specialized training.
• Offer contrarian insights. “Most firms use Method A. We’ve found Method B lasts longer in Boston’s wet winters.”

Example:
AI-ish: “We use industry best practices for sewer inspections.”
Humanized EEAT: “Our lead, Ana Patel, PACP-certified since 2012, trains every new tech to perform sewer inspections using Method B—critical for Boston’s high-water table.”

• Name the real humans. “Led by Ana Patel, PACP-certified technician with 12 years’ experience.”
• Share credentials.
• Give a contrarian local insight. “Most firms use Method A. We’ve found Method B works better in Boston’s wet winters.”

Authoritativeness: Anchor in Data + Standards

You’re not just another opinion—you’re the reference.

Your moves:

• Use your own data. “In 2024, 98% of South End service calls closed same day.”
• Cite recognized standards. ASTM, ADA, ISO, EPA, or industry bodies.
• Mention local codes. Show you know the rules better than your competitors.

Example:
AI-ish: “We follow safety regulations.”
Humanized EEAT: “Our team follows Boston’s 248 CMR plumbing code section 10.12 on winterization—one reason our average inspection passes on the first attempt.”

Trust: Make It Easy to Believe You

Even if you’re credible, people hesitate without transparency.

Your moves:

• Clear contact info (NAP—Name, Address, Phone).
• Transparent pricing ranges. “Most repairs fall between $1,800–$3,200 depending on scope.”
• Guarantees + disclaimers. “We warranty our work for 2 years—except in cases of flood damage.”
• Fresh update dates. Nothing screams “outdated” like a blog last touched in 2021.

Example:
AI-ish: “We value transparency.”
Humanized EEAT: “Pricing starts at $1,800, with exact quotes given after inspection. Our guarantee covers parts + labor for 2 years, updated February 2025.”

E-E-A-T isn’t a checklist, it’s a narrative.
Every detail you drop such as names, dates, codes, photos. It makes it harder for AI (or competitors) to copy you, and easier for readers to trust you.

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Part 4: Another Way You Sound Human (Even While Using AI)

The most important part is your writing process.

One of the fastest giveaways that something was written by AI?

It reacts, but it doesn’t reflect.

AI can summarize the noise. It will happily spit out 800 words on the latest trending headline.

But it can’t pause, sift, and ask: “What does this actually mean for my audience?”

That’s where you come in.

And it’s why the Noise-to-Clarity system is more than a productivity hack. It’s a way to keep your content sounding distinctly human, even when AI is helping draft it.

Step 1: Spot the Noise

Trending topic in your feed? Everyone reposting the same graph or hot take?

AI will just restate it.
You should treat it as raw material.

Example: AI version → “AI agents will replace SDRs in 2025.”
Human version → “We tested AI agents on 312 SMB accounts in Cambridge. Booked rates doubled only after a human stepped in on call two. Agents didn’t replace SDRs—they changed where SDRs added the most value.”

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Step 2: Go Deeper

AI gives you surface pros/cons. Humans dig into the gaps.

Ask: What did the critics miss? What would my buyers ask next?

Example:
Noise → “Remote work is killing office culture.”
AI reacts → “Some argue remote work reduces collaboration.”
Human adds → “But here’s what founders in Boston’s tech corridor told me: remote didn’t kill culture. Unclear communication did. Hybrid teams who had weekly standups outperformed fully in-office ones.”

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Step 3: Make It Yours

AI can’t share your stories or data. That’s your job.

Example:
AI → “Winter can cause plumbing issues.”
Human → “In January 2025, we fixed 42 burst pipes in Somerville triple-deckers, most because insulation standards from the 1950s don’t match today’s cold snaps.”

Specifics = trust. They also make your post citation-worthy for AI search engines.

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Step 4: Translate for Humans

AI spits out walls of text. You need to cut.

• Shorten sentences.
• Kill hedges like “it should be noted.”
• Add a question or two.

Example:
AI draft → “It is important to understand that generative AI may in many ways help businesses improve workflows.”
Human edit → “So what does this mean if you’re running a 10-person medtech startup? It means you can cut research time in half without hiring an analyst.”

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Step 5: Add a Visual Anchor

AI will generate a chart. A human chooses the frame that makes the point click.

Example frames:

• “Myth vs Reality” slide → “Myth: Agents replace SDRs. Reality: Agents tee up SDRs for better calls.”
• “Before → After → Because” diagram → “Before: 1.2% booked rate. After: 2.8%. Because: humans + agents = better fit.”

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Step 6: Spin the Wheel

AI can repurpose text. But you decide how to adapt it.

One idea can become:

• A LinkedIn post
• A one-slide carousel
• A 60-sec video script
• A comment strategy under trending posts
• A short email to clients

Example: The “Agents vs SDRs” take could be a post, a “myth vs reality” graphic, and a video where you literally sketch the before/after numbers on a whiteboard.

AI sounds like it’s reacting to the internet. Humans sound like they’re reflecting on it.

When you layer in your stories, data, and local context, your content stops reading like filler and starts sounding like lived expertise. That’s the difference between generic noise and the kind of content that attracts DMs, deal flow, and even citations from AI engines.

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Part 5: Schema (Drop-in Code)

Now it is your turn to fully tap into the power of AI – the schema.

Schema is like subtitles for your website. It is a clear signal that tell Google, AI engines, and local directories exactly who you are, what you do, and where you serve.

Without it, your content is just text; with it, your business details become machine-readable facts that get pulled into AI snapshots, maps, and rich results. LocalBusiness, Service, and Article schema are especially critical. They turn your expertise into structured data that search engines can trust.

Here is an example of the Local Schema that will tell AI all about your organization. No schema, no visibility.

So do not skip on this important step.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": ["LocalBusiness","HomeAndConstructionBusiness"],
  "name": "Beacon Finish Co.",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "120 W Canton St",
    "addressLocality": "Boston",
    "addressRegion": "MA",
    "postalCode": "02118"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-617-555-1234",
  "areaServed": ["Boston","Cambridge","Somerville","Brookline","Newton"],
  "url": "https://beaconfinish.com",
  "makesOffer": [{
    "@type": "Offer",
    "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service","name": "Cabinet Refinishing"},
    "priceSpecification": {"@type": "PriceSpecification","price": "4500-8500","priceCurrency": "USD"}
  }]
}

Schema Markup That Ranks on Google and AI: The 2025 Guide

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Conclusion

AI doesn’t win alone. Proof does.

If your content blends the Human Voice Guardrails + E-E-A-T proof + local non-negotiables, you’ll build authority in your city, earn trust with buyers, and show up where it matters.

Don’t post more. Post smarter.

Maria Dykstra is a growth strategist, agency founder, and AI visibility expert. She helps founders and marketing leaders win visibility in the AI era, where algorithms and agents, not humans, decide what people see.


At Microsoft, she built ad systems powering $2B revenue across 36 markets. Today, she runs TreDigital (13+ years) and works on agentic AI adoption. She created the AI Visibility Engine™, which makes founder expertise machine-readable and cite-worthy, so brands show up in Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

Maria Dykstra

MSFT veteran turned Momprenuer. Co-Founder https://tredigital.com ; Seattle Director, FI http://fi.co/ , Focused on Startup Growth and Scale