Ever since the dawn of search engines, content has been king. And with the rise of artificial intelligence AI, creating content is easier than ever. But with this convenience comes a whole new set of considerations. The debate has been raging since AI and machine learning technologies have become advanced enough to generate content and create images.
Is this another technology tool to help boost productivity or a replacement for creative work? Many people are asking: what the wizards at Google are thinking when it comes to AI content generation? You may have seen some articles surfing on the internet saying that Google does not like Ai-generated content. But is it true?
In April 2022, Googleโs webmaster John Mueller said: Content generated with language models like GPT-3 would be considered spam by Google. But after ChatGPT, everything changed. Googleโs guidance on AI-generated content is more focused on quality than quantity.
While there are still a lot of unanswered questions, Google has some advice on content creation. Let’s see what does google thinks about ai generated content?
Google Search’s Guidance About Ai-Generated Content
In a recent blog post, Google clarifies its stance on AI-generated content and how Search treats it.
Google clearly states that AI-generated content is not against their guidance if it’s high-quality content. And they wonโt penalize AI-generated content directly but there’s a catch. If the content is only produced to manipulate search rankings, Google can give you a manual penalty.
Google’s ranking systems aim to reward original, high-quality content that demonstrates qualities of E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Google does not care how the content is produced. If it’s helpful, authoritative, original, fulfilling user intent, and relevant, Google will reward it. The key is to ensure that AI-generated content meets the EAT criteria.
Last year, Google wanted to treat AI content as spam. But this year, Google is adding AI content to search itself. That’s why Google no longer wants to treat AI content as spam. And has now issued official guidelines on how it will handle AI content. Now let’s see those content guidelines that Google put in place.
Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content
Google’s ranking systems are designed to reward helpful, reliable, and people-first content. Because the only goal of google is to help people. Content creators should always think about how to make content more helpful, informative, and engaging for their users.
You need to consider a few things while high quality creating content. It does not matter if you use AI or write yourself. You should focus on these things.
Content Assessment
Evaluating your own content before publishing it is a must. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes, clarity of concepts, answer user intent, trustworthiness etc. Read content like a user who is looking for a solution. Look closely to understand how helpful and trustworthy that content is.
Content Quality Questions
It’s not wrong to take inspiration from other articles that are already published on the web. But there are a few questions that you should ask yourself before creating content.
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
- Does the main heading or page title avoid exaggerating or being shocking?
- Is this the page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
Expertise Questions
Ghostwriting is not wrong if it meets Google’s Understanding of Expertise. Make sure that you are using or creating content with the following criteria.
- Does the author have enough expertise on the topic to make authoritative statements?
- Are the sources and facts cited in the content reliable and accurate?
- Does this page represent a well-established expert consensus on topics where it exists?
- Are the pages written by experts or enthusiasts with deep knowledge of the topics?
- Does the author reference authoritative sources when providing specific statements or claims?
Focus on People-First Content
People-first content means content created primarily for people, not to manipulate search engine rankings. The idea is to prioritize your audience’s interests, needs and wants over all else when developing content.
This means focusing on how you can provide value to readers rather than relying heavily on SEO keyword optimization or any other tool for higher rank placement in search engine results. Now when it comes to evaluating your content to see if it’s on the right track, here are a few more criteria that you should consider.
- Is the content easy to read and understand?
- Does the content focus on providing value to readers over search engine optimization?
- Do you have an existing or intended audience for your business or site that would find the content useful if it came directly to you?
- Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge (for example, expertise from having actually used a product or service or visiting a place)?
- Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?
- After reading your content, will someone leave feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal?
- Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they’ve had a satisfying experience?
Ask “Who, How, and Why” About Your Content
Consider evaluating your “Who, How, and Why” content to ensure it is valuable and well-crafted.
Who (created the content)
When people write content, they don’t usually consider themselves the primary audience. But you should ask yourself who created the content? Are they an expert on the subject matter? Do they have a deep understanding of it?
How (is the content written)
In addition to considering who wrote the content, you should ask yourself how it was written. Does it show critical thinking and understanding of the topic? Is the content comprehensive and accurate?
Why (was this content written)
Finally, think about why the content was created in the first place. What purpose did it serve? Did it provide any value to readers or help them achieve their goals? If not, you may want to reconsider the content and ensure it serves its intended purpose.
Google vs Spam Content
Now you might be thinking that other articles saying “Google is against Ai content” was false. But that’s not the case. Google wants to ensure that the content created should be helpful and focused on people.
The method does not matter. Now how does Google see if the content is spammy or not? Following are a few bullets that indicate it is spam.
- Text that makes no sense to the reader but contains search keywords
- Text translated by an automated tool without human review or curation before publishing
- Text generated through automated processes without regard for quality or user experience
- Text generated using automated synonymizing, paraphrasing, or obfuscation techniques
- Text generated from scraping feeds or search results
- Stitching or combining content from different web pages without adding sufficient value
- Content that does not have any other purpose than to gain search engine ranking
You must ensure the final product is valuable to readers and provides a good user experience. Also be sure to verify the accuracy and relevance of your content with appropriate authoritative sources when creating content with AI tools. If you do all this, Google will not have to worry about the quality of your content and will rank it higher in its search engine results.
Is Ai Content Against Google Search’s Guidelines?
Appropriate use of AI or automation is not against Google’s guidelines. However, if your content is created in a way that doesn’t provide users value or is not accurate and relevant, then it will not be listed in Google search results and will be marked as spam.
Why Doesn’t Google Search Ban Ai Content?
Google Search does not ban AI content because they believe AI can help generate useful and exciting content. With the help of Ai, users can access more accurate search results tailored to their needs. In addition, AI-generated content has been found to increase user engagement and provide more relevant answers faster than ever before.
How Can Google Determine If Ai Is Being Used to Spam Search Results?
There is an algorithm in the google search ranking system called SpamBrain that analyze patterns and help identify spam content. If any content appears to be spammy or not following the guidelines set by google search, then it will be labeled as ‘spam’ and the ranking of that website will be severely affected in the SERPs.
Will AI Content Rank Highly on Search?
Using ai tools to create content does not gives you any advantage to rank higher. But content created with an ai that is high quality, serves its purpose and provides value to readers will definitely rank higher in the SERPs. Just ensure you follow Google’s guidelines.
Should I Use Ai to Generate Content?
I have been in the digital marketing industry for the past 7 years and it’s my personal advice that you should use AI tools only when needed and with caution. You should always proofread the content created by any automated tool because there is still a possibility of containing errors.
Final Thoughts
Google is very optimistic about the potential of artificial intelligence technology. However, they also recognize that many challenges still need to be overcome before AI can truly reach its potential. Quality control and the right way to use are two of the most significant issues facing AI-generated content today.
But if these problems can be solved then there’s no telling what amazing things we’ll see from AI in the future. I’m curious how this trend will develop in the coming months and years. Who knows, maybe one day all of our content will be created by AI.
I'm a very hard-working, motivated, and committed individual with a positive attitude towards life and a passion for doing new things that help people.I love challenges in my career because they make you more robust than before when you overcome them.