I’ve been writing content—both for the love of it and as a career—well before ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022.
Almost three years in, with the worldwide web inundated with AI content, the conversation among writers, SEOers, and the businesses we’re writing on behalf of has shifted.
With 88% of marketers saying they use AI for work, the question is no longer whether to write with AI assistance.
It’s whether search engines penalize sites that (ab)use large language models (LLMs) in their content generation efforts.
The short answer? No, search engines like Google do not penalize AI content. But…
It’s not a free pass to post AI content as is and at scale, and trick the algorithm for organic traffic gains.
Here, let’s go in-depth on why AI-generated content is allowed and when it actually goes against Google’s webmaster guidelines.
Also, we’ll tackle how to use AI as a means to fast-track the full writing process without sacrificing quality and risking penalties.
Google’s Official Stance on AI-Generated Content
For starters, safe to say Google is neither super strict nor lax about AI in content creation.
In its August 2024 Core Update, Google reiterated its stance on prioritizing quality content. Whether a human or a machine wrote them is out of the question.
Read the full update here.
However, the search engine giant also emphasized that they continue to prioritize content that people will find useful, over those whose aim is obviously to “just perform well on Search.”
If the primary intent is to manipulate search rankings rather than serve users with helpful content, receiving a manual penalty from Google is likely, to say the least.
Even if a human wrote it.
As I see it, the fact that low-value AI content isn’t ranking or generating traffic is a form of penalty in itself.
Google doesn’t have to penalize it in the literal sense. It simply doesn’t deem it worthy of ranking high on SERPs (search engine results pages).
The Quality Factor: Case Against AI Content
I know this practically contradicts my earlier statement about AI content not ranking.
But I’ve read some blogs containing all the hallmarks of predictable AI writing that managed to rank on Google Search.
Here’s the problem: I doubt their search engine rankings will stick.
It’s also likely that Google may sooner or later come after these spammy sites that use AI for mass production of automatically generated content.
Don’t even get me started with the lazy, lifeless writing.
Will this type of content convert readers into interested leads, let alone actual customers? I don’t think so.
Here’s why:
- It lacks originality. What it spits out is content taken from the vast pool of resources of the internet. It doesn’t have anything interesting and original to add to the conversation.
- No real-life experience. Apart from being served factual information, people like to read stories derived from lived experiences. Unless instructed, no AI writing tool can do that by itself.
- Incorrect information. I’ve seen ChatGPT cite stats that are just plain wrong and outdated when I performed a fact-check. Google doesn’t want that for its users either.
In short, the quality S-U-C-K-S.
And it all boils back down to Google’s core guideline on AI utilization: the manner or tool in which the article has been written is not the problem.
It’s the SEOs and site owners who generate content using AI primarily with a self-serving motive (i.e., ranking first on the search results for a profitable keyword).
With the proliferation of AI writing tools and their abuse, it’s prompting the world’s largest search engine to crack down on spammers (for all good reasons).
So if you’re even entertaining the idea of mass-producing low-class AI content thinking it’ll boost up your rankings… don’t do it, mate.
It may work for a while, but it only takes one Google core update, which happens several times per year, to jeopardize months (or years) of SEO progress.
It’s not worth it.
How to Use AI-Generated Content That Ranks (& Doesn’t Get Penalized)
Yes, you can still use and publish AI content if you want. Google doesn’t prohibit or ban it.
In fact, they even encourage it. More accurately, the team at Google believes in the power of AI as a tool to help people create more useful content.
Provided you do so with caution and a sense of editorial responsibility. (That’s my journalism background talking.)
Here’s how you can leverage AI content without the risk of search engine penalties:
Always review AI content.
You have the bare-minimum responsibility of making sure it’s giving fact-based information.
Don’t just ask AI to write a full blog post about a certain topic, copy-and-paste what it spat out into your CMS platform, and hit publish right off the bat.
It’s best to conduct your own research as well. This way, you can verify whether your AI tool is bullsh-tting you with fabricated information.
Google aims to maintain its reputation as the world’s biggest source of reliable online news and articles. Displaying error-ridden AI content on its search results does not square with that goal.
This is especially crucial in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) industries. Where misleading info-content can have serious consequences on a person’s health, finances, or overall well-being.
There have been reports, however, of Google’s AI Overviews pulling dubious information from unreliable sources (e.g., a satirical news website).
And since these summaries are auto-generated, not actually written by real people, that alone should tell you why anything machine-generated still requires fact-checking and shouldn’t always be trusted.
Edit and rewrite AI content.
Just as important as reviewing an AI-generated material is editing it and adding a human touch.
For the most part, that means injecting your own personality, rewriting for clarity, and cutting the fluff.
ChatGPT and other content automation tools tend to recycle their responses. They also have favorite words and phrases they love using over and over.
In my experience, some examples of generic AI texts I oftentimes encounter include:
- Intros like “In the ever-evolving landscape/world of [main topic/industry]…”
- The verbs ensure, delve, leverage, unlock, elevate, align, revolutionize, etc.
- In marketing and sales, the phrases “look no further than,” “that’s where we come/step in,” “we’ve got you covered” are ubiquitous.
- The clauses “It’s more than just/isn’t just about [X]; it’s about [Y].”
- Starting a sentence with the preposition “By” or the conjunction “Whether.”
Now I’m not saying using these terms is inherently bad.
And far be it from me to say that human writers mustn’t use them.
It’s just that I see these patterns appear in almost every raw AI-generated blog, no matter the topic.
And I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting informational content likely to be written by AI (this is not a flex).
To make my case, I asked ChatGPT to write a paragraph about artificial intelligence. The result couldn’t be more generic.
| PRO TIP: Read and analyze the rhythm and word choices of AI-generated content from start to finish. Notice how it defaults to predictable patterns. Vary the sentence structures and add human nuance so it feels like a real person wrote it.
Offer fresh perspectives.
What insights can you offer that have not already been said and echoed out across the internet?
Do you have a controversial take?
Don’t just stick with the generic outline your AI tool spews out. Include a section or two about a personal experience relevant to your topic. Then add your personal insights.
Include a recent case study or reports you’ve come across online to back up your claims.
If you can’t offer anything new to the conversation, at least write your article better and humaner.
Now this doesn’t give you the right to make exaggerated claims for the mere sake of having an unpopular but unverified opinion.
Three things to remember:
- Your article must always be backed by empirical data.
- Only write about topics you’re certified, experienced, knowledgeable, or an expert at.
- Add an author bio detailing relevant credentials (+ something fun about you that isn’t work-related) to establish trust.
Extra emphasis on the third bullet. Let readers know there’s a real hooman behind the content, machine-enhanced or not.
Structure content for better reading experience.
AI content is notorious for having a pattern that, to the trained eye, suggests it’s written automatically with zero human intervention.
Just look at this output from ChatGPT:
It’s boring, soulless, and regurgitated.
When produced at scale and with a clear pattern of manipulation, it’s the type that Google would love to reward a penalty to.
As such, make sure your AI-generated content is structured for clarity and engagement. Use bullet points in one section. Consider using a table if your blog is heavy on data points.
Format main topic titles in H2s, subtopics in H3s, and H4s for supporting details.
Other best practices:
- Keep paragraphs up to four lines or less. Don’t exceed.
- Write in an active voice.
- Avoid using too many adjectives and adverbs (If you’ve made it this far you know I have to work on this myself!).
- Keep sentences short and sweet.
- Add accompanying visuals.
- Use synonyms to avoid repeating certain words.
AI tends to write complex sentences presented in a rigid structure. Avoid them at all costs.
Run AI detection tools.
I’m not a big fan of AI detectors. For the simple reason that they’re not 100% accurate (heck, not even 90%).
I’ve also experienced having my purely human-written content flagged as, pfft, AI-generated (in my defense, it’s a legal topic. Make of that what you will).
Still, in instances when content is machine-generated, running it through AI detection software like Copyleaks or ZeroGPT after making human edits is a good practice.
Using these tools allows you to pinpoint parts that may sound ChatGPT-ish.
You could then make revisions as needed until you get a “this is human written” or a “no AI content found” verdict.
Consider disclosing if your content is substantially AI-generated.
Yet another part of Google’s policies is answering the question of “how” an article or blog was created.
According to Google, disclosing the fact that you used AI to generate an article is advisable for content where readers might wonder whether automation was substantially involved in creating it.
In such cases, adding an AI disclosure makes sense.
You can say something along the lines of, “This article was generated using AI and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy.”
Bankrate, a personal finance website boasting a domain authority score of 82 and an estimated monthly traffic of 11.5 million as of writing, dedicated an entire page on their use of automation technology for content production.
I’ve seen another site include a brief disclaimer of their AI use at the end of their blog. I personally appreciate the transparency. And apparently, Google does too.
Human-AI Collaboration is the Present and Future of SEO Content
The best results come from AI-assisted human writing, not human-assisted AI writing (read that again).
That is, you are the editor in chief. AI acts as your associate.
Rely solely on AI and you risk having low-quality content. On the other hand, doing SEO content creation all by yourself is time-consuming and could lead to burnout.
Pre-ChatGPT, I’ve been writing up to five 1,000+-word blogs a day and let me tell you, it was exHAUSTing.
We should embrace innovation and use it to lighten our workload. All while making ourselves accountable for what we do with it.
I use AI for the following and I’m confident Google won’t punish me for it:
Research
Conducting online research on Google can be mind-numbing. I usually need to open up to five tabs, and compare and hop between sources.
I recommend Perplexity as an AI-powered answering engine that writers and SEOs can use to craft well-researched content.
What this tool does best is provide concise answers with authoritative citations and references, including .edu and .gov sources.
Some of which you can use as external links to add credibility to your claims.
Below is an example.
It even has a “Related” field at the end that you can use as an FAQ section in your blog. Or you can write separate content for each and increase relevancy on search terms you want to rank for.
If you’re stuck and blank out on new topics to add to your content hub, this is a smart use of AI content that Google surely won’t mind.
Outlines
Aside from research, outlining content for search engine optimization can take a helluva time. Well, not anymore. There are free AI tools that can produce one in under a minute.
You can ask your preferred LLM to build you a detailed, SEO-friendly outline to work on. Pair it with specific guidelines on structure and related keywords or variations to include section per section.
This is arguably the best use of AI in SEO content writing. It’s an antidote to writer’s block and procrastination.
It helps you get started and will save plenty of time structuring your content and optimizing it.
On-page SEO
This pillar of SEO deals with optimizing elements within your site.
Aside from keyword optimizations, you can use AI to help you with the mundane parts of content writing, such as:
- Crafting a 150-character meta description and an SEO-friendly, 60-character meta title
- Finding internal linking opportunities with descriptive anchor texts
- Generating a summary or a key takeaways section
- Rephrasing long paragraphs into more readable and scannable bits
- Drafting an FAQ section to expound on the topic
- Making your content more accessible by writing descriptive alt text for images
These are just a few “minor” things best left to AI writing assistants.
AI Content Related FAQs
Here are a few other questions people ask in relation to AI content.
Can search engines detect AI content?
Yes, search engines can detect AI-generated text. But as we’ve discussed earlier Google doesn’t really care about whether you published an article written by AI.
They care more about the quality and value it can bring to its billions of users.
Is AI content bad for SEO?
AI content is bad for SEO if it is written with the intention to gain rankings rather than dishing up readers with quality, palatable content.
That being said, AI-generated content can still rank on Google’s first page. As long as it complies with Google’s core quality guidelines and follows SEO best practices (e.g., matching user intent) in a natural way.
Does Google derank AI content?
You will not lose your rankings just because your content is machine-generated.
Google deranks web pages and entire websites out of its index if there’s a serious violation of its spam policies. AI content that lives up to Google’s quality standards can rank just fine.
Wrapping It Up: Does Google Penalize AI Content?
Whether you are using AI or not, Google’s position is crystal clear: it doesn’t necessarily penalize AI content. It’s low-quality content with manipulative motives that they’re after.
An SEO content can be fully written by a human and still receive a Google penalty if it uses dirty SEO tactics (I’m looking at you, keyword stuffing) or doesn’t offer anything of value.
Meanwhile, AI content can rank on Google and keep its rankings if it’s generated with a people-first approach in mind.
Which, to be honest, is only truly attainable with a human expert reviewing, editing, revising, and humanizing AI content for quality assurance.
The main takeaway? Have a human writer remain in charge of the overall content creation process. Use AI technology to assist, not the other way around.
Need help with your content strategy? Hit us up and let’s help build your online authority!
