How to Write AI-Friendly Articles

The way you write and format your help articles has a direct impact on how well AI can understand and use them to answer customer questions. Well-structured content helps AI quickly locate relevant information and provide accurate responses.

Use clear, descriptive titles

Your article title should directly state what the article is about. AI systems use titles as a primary signal for content relevance.

Clear titles:

• "How to Reset Your Password"
• "Connecting Your Payment Gateway"
• "Understanding Subscription Billing Cycles"

Unclear titles:

• "Getting Started" (too vague)
• "Password Issues" (doesn't indicate it's a how-to)
• "Learn About Billing" (unclear what specific information is covered)

Structure content with proper headings

Your article should follow this structure:

• Use only one H1 per article (typically your title)
• Use H2 for main sections
• Use H3 for subsections within those main sections
• Continue with H4, H5 as needed for deeper levels

A well-structured article on user permissions might have "Managing User Permissions" as the H1 title, "Types of User Roles" as an H2 section, and then "Admin Role," "Editor Role," and "Viewer Role" as H3 subsections beneath it.

Write in clear, direct language

AI processes language literally, so straightforward writing works best. Get to the point quickly and put the most important information first. Use simple sentence structures when possible, and define technical terms when first introduced.

Avoid idioms, colloquialisms, or ambiguous phrases that might confuse AI systems. Use active voice ("Click the Settings button") rather than passive voice ("The Settings button should be clicked"). While AI can understand both, the active construction is more direct and easier to process.

Focus each article on one topic

Articles that cover a single topic or answer one specific question are easier for AI to match with customer inquiries. If you find yourself writing "and" or "also" frequently, or if your article has many distinct sections covering different subjects, consider splitting it into multiple articles. Each article can then be optimized for a specific search intent, making it more likely that AI will surface the right content at the right time.

Format content for scannability

Use numbered lists for sequential steps:

1. Click "Add New Integration"
2. Select your integration type from the dropdown
3. Enter your API credentials

Use bullet points for non-sequential items like:

• Feature lists
• Requirements or prerequisites
• Options or choices
• Key points to remember

However, use formatting purposefully rather than defaulting to bullets for every paragraph. Long stretches of explanatory content are often better as regular prose, which provides more context and natural language flow. You can use bold text sparingly to emphasize important terms or concepts, but avoid overusing it.

Use consistent terminology

Choose one term for each concept and use it consistently throughout your help center. If you call something a "workspace" in one article, don't call it a "project space" in another. This consistency helps AI understand that different articles are discussing the same features or concepts.

Consider creating a terminology guide for your team to reference when writing or updating articles. This small investment pays dividends in clarity and reduces confusion for both AI systems and customers.