Averi + Google Docs: Collaborative AI Content Creation

Google Docs is where most content teams do their actual editorial work — the real-time collaboration, track changes, inline comments, and version history that make reviewing and editing content with multiple stakeholders manageable. For teams that are committed to Google Docs as their review and collaboration layer, the Averi + Google Docs integration means you don't have to choose between your AI content workflow and your team's preferred editing environment.

This guide covers how to connect Averi and Google Docs, the workflows that work best, and how to use both tools for their respective strengths.

Why Google Docs and Averi Are Complementary, Not Competing

Averi is a content production system: research, strategy, AI-assisted drafting, brand voice management, publishing. It's built for moving content from idea to published post with the full strategic context of your brand.

Google Docs is a collaboration system: real-time multi-user editing, comment threads, suggested changes, version history. It's built for human editorial collaboration — the back-and-forth of turning a draft into final copy.

These tools serve different phases of the content workflow, and the Averi + Google Docs integration lets you use each where it's strongest:

1. Averi phase: Strategy, research, AI-assisted drafting, SEO optimization
2. Google Docs phase: Editorial review, SME feedback, legal/compliance review, final approval
3. Averi phase again: Publish to CMS

This workflow means your CMS publishing is still handled by Averi (with all the metadata, formatting, and integration benefits), while your collaborative editing happens in the environment your team already knows and uses.

Setting Up the Averi + Google Docs Integration

Prerequisites

• Averi account (https://app.averi.ai/sign-up)
• Google Workspace account or personal Google account
• Google Drive access

Step 1: Connect Your Google Account in Averi

1. In Averi, go to Settings → Integrations → Collaboration
2. Select Google Docs / Google Drive
3. Click "Connect with Google" and sign in with your Google account
4. Grant the requested permissions (Averi needs read/write access to Drive files it creates, and read access to files you explicitly share)
5. The connection is established

Step 2: Configure Your Google Drive Folder Structure

Create a folder structure in Google Drive that mirrors your content workflow:

Averi Content/
  ├── 01_Briefs/
  ├── 02_In_Review/
  ├── 03_Approved/
  └── 04_Published/

Connect these folders in Averi's integration settings so Averi knows where to create and find documents at each stage.

Step 3: Set Sharing Defaults

Configure default sharing settings for documents Averi creates in Drive:

• Your team: Editor access
• External reviewers (SMEs, legal, clients): Commenter access
• Stakeholders: Viewer access

Setting these defaults means every document Averi exports to Google Drive is immediately accessible to the right people.

Primary Workflow: Averi → Google Docs → Averi

This is the recommended workflow for teams that want AI-assisted creation with Google Docs-based review.

Stage 1: Create in Averi

1. Add the content piece to your Averi content queue
2. Build the research brief in Averi (keyword, topic, outline)
3. Draft using Averi's AI-assisted drafting workflow with your Brand Core
4. Do your first self-edit in Averi

Stage 2: Export to Google Docs for Review

1. Click "Export to Google Docs" in Averi
2. Averi creates a new Google Doc in your configured "In Review" folder
3. The document includes the draft content, formatted cleanly
4. Averi automatically shares the doc with your configured review team
5. (Optional) Averi adds a comment to the top of the doc with the content brief and key goals — so reviewers have context without leaving the document

Stage 3: Collaborate in Google Docs

Your review process happens entirely in Google Docs:

• Editors make suggested changes
• SMEs add context in comment threads
• Compliance or legal add any required changes
• The author resolves comments and accepts/rejects suggestions
• Final approver marks the doc as approved (a simple status comment works)

Stage 4: Import Back to Averi for Publishing

1. In Averi, find the piece in your content queue
2. Click "Import from Google Docs" — Averi pulls the final approved version
3. Review formatting and SEO metadata in Averi
4. Publish to your connected CMS

This round-trip workflow keeps your CMS publishing centralized in Averi while using Google Docs where it genuinely excels: collaborative editing with multiple stakeholders.

Workflow Variations

Workflow 2: Brief in Google Docs, Draft in Averi

For teams where brief creation involves significant input from non-Averi users (sales, customer success, product), Google Docs is a natural place for brief development.

1. Create content brief template in Google Docs
2. Brief is populated collaboratively by sales, CS, or product team
3. Brief doc is shared with Averi connection
4. In Averi, import the brief as context for your drafting session
5. Draft in Averi with the brief context
6. Review and publish from Averi

This workflow is powerful for companies where content needs deep input from teams that won't use Averi directly.

Workflow 3: Client-Facing Review for Agencies

Agencies working with clients who don't have Averi access use Google Docs as the client-facing review environment:

1. Produce content in Averi (within the client's Brand Core)
2. Export to Google Docs — styled and formatted for presentation
3. Share with the client via Google Docs sharing link
4. Client reviews and comments in Google Docs
5. Agency incorporates feedback in Averi
6. Final content published from Averi to client's CMS

This is a clean separation between your production workflow (Averi) and your client collaboration workflow (Google Docs), without requiring clients to learn a new tool.

Workflow 4: Guest Contributors

For publications that accept external contributors, Google Docs is the right environment for guest writer submissions. Your editorial team reviews in Google Docs, then imports the final piece into Averi for final SEO optimization and CMS publishing.

Making the Most of Google Docs in Your Review Process

Set Up a Review Template

Create a Google Docs template that includes:

• A brief summary section at the top (what is this piece trying to achieve?)
• The content draft
• A review checklist at the bottom (reviewer signs off on each item)

This template, combined with Averi's automated population of the draft content, means reviewers have everything they need in one document.

Use Google Docs' "Suggesting Mode" as Your Default

Train reviewers to always use "Suggesting Mode" rather than making direct edits. This preserves the original draft, shows clearly what changed, and requires an explicit approval decision on every change. It's the equivalent of track changes in Word — but real-time and collaborative.

Create Comment Conventions for Faster Review

Establish comment conventions:

• "FYI:" prefix for informational comments that don't require action
• "MUST CHANGE:" prefix for required changes
• "NICE TO HAVE:" prefix for optional suggestions
• "APPROVED" comment at the document top once review is complete

These conventions mean the content creator can scan comments quickly without reading every thread fully.

Use @mentions to Route Specific Feedback

If a comment needs attention from a specific person, @mention them in Google Docs. They get an email notification and the comment is clearly attributed. This is especially useful for pieces that require approval from multiple departments.

Technical Considerations

Formatting Preservation

Rich text formatting (headers, bold, italic, lists, links) generally transfers cleanly between Averi and Google Docs in both directions. Complex formatting (tables, embedded media, footnotes) may require manual adjustment. Test with your content types before relying on automated import/export for production workflows.

Version History

Google Docs maintains version history automatically. If a reviewer makes changes that are later reverted, the history is there. Encourage your team to create named versions at key milestones ("Ready for SME Review," "After Legal Review," "Final Approved") for easy navigation.

File Size Limits

For very long pieces (5,000+ words) or documents with embedded images, the import/export process may be slower. For these pieces, do image handling separately — keep images in your media library and reference them in the document rather than embedding them.

Common Issues and Solutions

Problem: Formatting breaks when importing Google Docs content back to Averi Solution: After importing, do a quick formatting review in Averi before publishing. Headers, lists, and links are most likely to need adjustment. Building a "post-import checklist" into your workflow takes 5 minutes and catches issues before they reach your live site.

Problem: Multiple editors are making conflicting changes in Google Docs Solution: Establish a clear review order (editor first, then SME, then final approver) rather than having multiple reviewers in the document simultaneously. Use "suggesting mode" for all reviewers so the document author can make final decisions.

Problem: Google Docs is being used as a content archive rather than a review stage Solution: Be explicit in your team's content workflow: Averi is the archive and source of truth; Google Docs is the review environment. After content is imported back to Averi and published, the Google Doc is either deleted or moved to an "Archive" folder that isn't actively managed.

Further Reading

• 7 marketing workflow fixes that save hours
• the exact workflow to create content that ranks on Google and LLMs
• how to build a content engine that does not burn out your team

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the integration support Google Workspace shared drives?

Yes. When connecting your Google account in Averi, you can access both My Drive and Shared Drives. Configure your content workflow folder in whichever Drive location your team uses.

Can multiple Averi users connect to the same Google Drive?

Yes. Each Averi user connects their own Google account, but if your team uses a shared Google Drive, multiple Averi users can access and collaborate on documents in that shared space. Permissions are managed through Google Drive's standard sharing controls.

What happens to the Google Doc after content is imported back to Averi?

The Google Doc remains in Drive — it's not deleted by the import process. We recommend moving it to an "Archive" or "Published" folder after the content is live, to keep your review folder uncluttered. Some teams add a "Published" watermark comment to mark docs as closed.

Can I use the integration for content types other than blog posts?

Yes. The Google Docs integration works for any content that benefits from collaborative review — white papers, case studies, email sequences, social content calendars, landing page copy. If your team reviews it in Google Docs, the Averi integration can handle the import/export workflow.

How does the integration handle comments and suggestions — do they come over to Averi?

When you import from Google Docs to Averi, the clean (accepted changes, resolved comments) content comes over — not the unresolved suggestions or open comment threads. This is by design: the Google Docs review stage should be complete before importing to Averi for publishing. If there are still open suggestions, resolve them in Google Docs first.