Will Google Penalize Sites for Using AI-Generated Content?

 Posted on January 30, 2023 in Website Content

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence, or AI, has been a hot topic. As tools that use machine learning to generate text and images have gotten better, more and more people have been using them to create content for websites, social media, and other purposes. This has led to concerns about whether people should rely on these tools and whether there may be downsides to having computer programs do the work that humans usually do. One particular issue that has been raised is whether content generated using AI will affect a site’s search engine optimization (SEO). Understanding how this issue may be addressed by Google or other search engines is likely to be increasingly important in the future.

How Google’s Anti-Spam Policies Address AI

As AI tools have become more popular, many SEO experts have raised the question of how Google addresses content generated by these programs. In the past, Google has stated that “automatically generated content” goes against its webmaster guidelines and is considered spam. However, these guidelines were meant to address content added to a website that was stuffed with keywords that people may search for. When programs generate high-volume keywords and created text that did not actually make sense or provide value to readers, this content is considered to be spam, and a site that uses this type of content may be penalized.

As the use of AI tools has become more common, Google has revised its guidelines to specify that machine-generated content is prohibited if it is “spammy.” That is, a site may be penalized if it uses text that is automatically generated and published without review, if AI-created content does not provide a good user experience, or if tools are used to combine or paraphrase content from other sites without adding anything of value.

Ultimately, Google’s goal is to ensure that people can find helpful content that answers their questions. A site’s content should be created with users in mind rather than for the purpose of ranking in search results. AI tools will not necessarily lead to SEO penalties, as long as they are used the right way.

Tips for Using AI to Create Content

Website owners may be able to make use of AI to create and publish content, but there are a few guidelines that should be followed when doing so. Rather than using AI to generate entire blogs, articles, or website pages, it is often best to use these tools as assistants to help come up with ideas, rewrite sentences, or automate certain types of repetitive tasks. 

It is also important to review and edit content generated by AI to ensure that it is correct. Facts and statistics need to be checked, since an AI may create content that sounds good without being able to verify that it is accurate. By reviewing the text that is generated and making adjustments where necessary to ensure that it conveys the right message, a “human touch” can be added to content to ensure that it will not be considered spam by search engines.

Contact Our Content Marketing and SEO Experts

At OVC, INC., we understand how to use AI and other tools to create valuable content that helps websites rank in search results for their targeted audiences. With our knowledge of SEO best practices and our experience designing and building award-winning websites, we can ensure that our clients have winning digital marketing strategies in place. To learn more about our services, contact our digital marketing professionals at 630-635-8000.

Sources:

https://searchengineland.com/google-search-on-using-ai-to-write-content-391728

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-ai-generated-content-is-against-guidelines/444916/#close

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies