With the oversaturation of AI content on the worldwide web, you may be wondering if they even rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). Or if this phenomenon is exactly what makes these types of content unrankable.
But to answer that off the bat, yes, AI-generated content rank on Google. Still, there’s a price to pay for abusing automatically generated content.
Let’s get straight to the not-so-straightforward answers below.
Google’s Take on AI-Generated Content
For starters, Google is pro-AI. Besides, the search engine itself is a form of narrow AI.
More accurately, Google acknowledges the power of generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT in helping craft valuable, people-first content to serve users with.
In other words, it’s not against, let alone penalize AI content.
However, it’s against using AI-generated content with manipulative intent.
Let me elaborate.
When AI Content Crosses the Line
Let me preface this by telling you how I usually start doing SEO content writing: go to Google and paste the topic/keyword that’s next on my list. I then open the top ranking article in a separate tab to pseudo-study what made it earn Google’s nod of approval.
I mean, receiving that red-carpet treatment of first-page visibility amid millions of competing pages must mean it’s spot-on and offers a lot of value.
That’s what Google aims when generating results for certain search queries anyway. Which means this has got to be the most relevant article for the queried keyword.
Upon reading the first article, however, from introduction to conclusion, I could tell—and am sure as hell—it’s written by AI.
I doubt there’s even a germ of human intervention involved (no, the lazy prompting doesn’t count).
I’ve been using ChatGPT myself (I still do for the mundane parts of SEO content writing, e.g., meta descriptions) since its launch in 2022.
Resultingly, I’ve gotten used to the words, phrases, and even entire sentences the tool regurgitates when generating info-content (AI-generated fiction is a different story entirely).
Once you spot and get acquainted with these patterned responses, you’ll recognize AI written content when you come across one.
And oh, here’s the “manipulative” part:
The article was stuffed with a bunch of related keywords in an unmistakable attempt to game the system (i.e., rank high for a target keyword not by relevancy but dirty tactics).
Someone left a comment in that blog and called out the author’s keyword stuffing—the unnatural inclusion and excessive use of target keywords, along with its variations, within the content—which is a classic recipe to receive search engine penalties.
Once Google catches on and flags it as manipulative, it may very well result in deindexation or loss of search rankings.
Ultimately, the entire website where it’s published on may be removed from the SERP altogether, depending on the gravity of the offense.
Yes, AI Content Ranks on Google. These Case Studies Back It Up.
There are several case studies conducted by reputable agencies that simply point to the fact that AI-generated content ranks on Google. In some cases, they even outperform human-written pieces.
In a Semrush report, the SaaS platform sampled 20,000 URLs that are ranking in the top 20. Its findings reveal that AI-written content nearly equally performed just as phenomenally as their human-written counterparts.
In Originality AI’s study, they found that the amount of AI content in Google search results reached an all-time high of 19.10% early this year, though it decreased to 16.51% as of June 2025.
Meanwhile, SE Ranking’s experimental study comprised 20 newly created sites that leveraged the efficiency of AI content, and tracked how they perform over time. The experiment revealed that its slew of AI-generated content was indexed and ranked just fine within a month.
This should be 100% settled by now: AI content ranks on Google.
Why AI-Generated Content Still Rank on Google
The truth is, there are various drivers steering the wheel as to why a predominantly AI-generated content manages to rank on Google without so much as a speed bump.
User Intent
Search or user intent is what motivates someone to search for something online. Are they planning to buy, searching for a specific brand, buying, or simply wanting to be educated on something?
If your AI-generated content satisfies this intent, Google can very much display your article on the SERP for users to read, even if it’s written entirely by AI.
Quality
Hey, despite its imperfections (for a lack of a better term), content automation tools produce pretty good content with impeccable grammar and punctuation use.
You can command AI writing assistants like ChatGPT to generate a 1000-word article about a certain topic, expound a bit more on how you want the final output to be, include the set of keywords you want mentioned throughout your content,
and you will get what you asked for.
User Experience
Apart from content quality, it also matters how users find your website when navigating through it. Does it load fast, is it intuitive enough with clear menu items and buttons to take you from one page to the next?
If your website ticks these important UX boxes, an AI-generated content can knock human-written content on a glitchy, horribly designed site out of the park.
Authoritativeness
AI content published on an authoritative website is more than likely to rank high and beat a human-generated, SEO-optimized article posted on a relatively new site.
Someone did an experiment on this and published unedited AI content. The result? They ranked. Because it’s published on a site with a high domain authority already.
Since platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, and even Substack have high domain authority ratings, and where authors of all kinds can publish their own content, you can also publish an article using your personal LinkedIn/Medium/Substack account.
Just choose a keyword/s to target, ask ChatGPT to write a full blog about it, and you can see it comfortably sitting on the first page of Google, depending on the level of competition for that search term.
(The AI-generated content I was referring to earlier was published on someone’s personal LinkedIn, by the way).
Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines
In order to better understand the science behind search rankings, it’s worth mentioning Google’s E-E-A-T search rating quality guidelines.
In simple terms, a website’s (E)xpertise, (E)xperience, (A)uthoritativeness, and (T)rustworthiness all have roles to play in determining the relevancy and rankability of their content.
No matter how well-written a content is from a non-SEO editor’s perspective, if they fail one or more of these guidelines, chances of ranking for their target search terms are small.
For example, an AI content published on an authoritative website (think Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, Healthline) is more than likely to rank high. That is, they already have high-quality backlinks and a high domain authority score. This is when an AI-generated content can beat a human-written, SEO-optimized article published in a relatively new site.
I’m pretty sure you’ve heard it many times before, but SEO does take some time to produce results.
Should You Publish Unedited AI-Generated Content?
In this Reddit thread, a user claims to have published unedited AI content that are ranking well and high.
But here’s the thing: it’s risky and honestly not worth it. You may be pleasing search engines, but what about actual human readers? Will that lazy AI content convert visitors into customers?
I’d like to highlight this Redditor’s comment who said it best.
Hear! Hear!
It’s low-quality content that Google doesn’t rank. Content that’s too thin, one that doesn’t satisfy user intent, and straight-up irrelevant to the search query.
But I know why publishing AI-generated content at scale could be tempting.
Yes, it’s easier, faster, effortless, and eliminates the need for hiring a human copywriter (and therefore reduces overhead costs too).
And yes, it’s been proven that AI content can rank on Google anyway. But there’s a better, safer way to achieve first-page rankings and skyrocket your organic traffic.
It’s much better if you have a human expert or two from your team to do the editing, humanizing, and fact-checking (it’s common knowledge that ChatGPT more than occasionally generates inaccurate results).
I will feed you with yet another cliche: Quality > Quantity.
How to Use AI Content that Ranks on Google (& is Loved by Your Target Audience)
Needless to say, not all AI-generated content rank on Google. Just as not all human-generated content rank on Google.
Whether your content is machine-enhanced or not, ranking on Google for your target keywords requires strategy.
So yes, AI-generated content rank on Google even without human edits. But that’s only good for search engines. Unless bots are your target audience, It’s human readers you need to please and convert into customers if you’re selling a product or service.
Best practices to rank on Google:
Don’t forget the SEO basics
In your attempt and rightful prioritization to write content for humans, do not forget the basics of search engine optimization. For example, this article is targeting the topic: Can AI generated content rank on Google?
According to data from SEMrush, this has a monthly search volume of 20.
Targeting low-volume keywords like this one is a best practice for new websites. Chances of ranking for these keywords are higher compared to ranking for broad keywords with tough competition.
Other basic on-page SEO stuff you need to implement:
- Title tags: Use your primary keyword naturally and keep it under 60 characters.
- Meta descriptions: Summarize the page content in 150 characters or less, including the main keyword.
- Header tags (H1, H2, H3): Structure your content with headings that include variations of the main keyword and improve readability.
- Natural keyword placements: Add your target keyword and related phrases (synonyms, even) in a way that feels organic to the reader.
- Internal links: Link to related pages on your site to boost navigation and spread link equity.
- Images: Include high-quality images in your content to break up the text and make it more visually presentable.
- Search intent: Determine whether users are looking for information, making a purchase, or seeking a specific service, and tailor your content to meet those needs.
- Content quality: Provide in-depth, valuable, and engaging content that answers user queries effectively.
Wrapping It Up: Does Google Rank AI Content?
AI tools are there not as a substitute for human creativity but as its amplifier.
Businesses investing in SEO can benefit tremendously from AI writing assistants to accelerate content generation without compromising the quality of their outputs.
Provided there is a human expert who’s still in charge of the overall creative process and does not fully rely on AI for content creation.
Here at Trelexa, we help authors, entrepreneurs, and professionals build their authority online through various PR and media initiatives, from podcasting, co-authoring, magazine features, social media, and SEO and content marketing.
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