Does Google Penalize AI Content? New SEO Case Study (2024)
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores whether Google penalizes AI-generated content. It concludes that while Google does not penalize AI content per se, it has taken action against websites using spammy AI-generated content. The study of 487 search results indicates a preference for human-generated content. Google's algorithm updates suggest the ability to detect low-quality AI content, leading to de-indexation or underperformance. The script advises using AI responsibly, focusing on quality and originality, and aligning content with user intent for SEO success.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Google does not penalize AI content per se, but it has taken manual actions against websites using spammy AI-generated content.
- 📊 A study of 487 Google search results showed that 83% of top results are not using AI-generated content, suggesting a preference for human-generated content.
- 🤖 Google's algorithms can detect some AI-written content, and recent updates have led to de-indexation of low-quality AI-generated content.
- 🚫 Google's spam update has targeted websites with autogenerated content, emphasizing the importance of quality over quantity.
- 💡 Google's algorithm favors user-generated content (UGC) like Reddit and Quora, possibly because it doesn't resemble AI-generated content.
- 🧠 Google has its own large language model, Gemini, and is capable of detecting low-quality AI-generated content.
- ⚙️ Google cannot roll out overly aggressive algorithmic changes due to potential collateral damage, focusing instead on targeting the lowest quality content.
- 📝 AI content tools should be used correctly, with a focus on creating content that is original and of high quality.
- 📈 The primary purpose of content should be to help users achieve their goals, not just to gain search rankings.
- ✍️ Keyword stuffing and over-optimization should be avoided; instead, focus on creating naturally written, topically relevant content.
Q & A
Does Google penalize AI content according to its policies?
-Google does not penalize AI content as per its policies, but it has taken manual actions against websites using spammy AI-generated content.
What percentage of top Google search results are not using AI-generated content?
-83% of the top Google search results are not using AI-generated content, as found in the study of 487 competitive keywords.
Can Google's algorithm detect AI-written content?
-Recent algorithm updates suggest that Google can detect autogenerated content created by large language models (LLMs), as evidenced by mass de-indexation of websites.
What happened to the AI-generated content for the keyword 'SEO training Houston'?
-The AI-generated content for 'SEO training Houston' was completely removed from Google's index after recent updates due to being low-quality.
Why did replacing AI-generated content with human-generated content lead to reindexing and ranking in the top 10?
-Replacing AI-generated content with high-quality human-generated content led to reindexing and ranking in the top 10 because Google's algorithms favor original, human-written content.
What is the speculated reason for Google's preference for user-generated content (UGC)?
-Google's preference for UGC is speculated to be because it doesn't resemble content generated by LLMs, which are often of lower quality.
How does Google's own AI technology, Google Gemini, factor into its ability to detect AI-generated content?
-Google Gemini, being one of the most sophisticated large language models, suggests that Google has the capability to detect low-quality AI-generated content, although it may not detect AI content that closely resembles human writing.
What is the recommended approach to using AI content tools without being penalized by Google?
-The recommended approach is to use AI content tools to create a first draft, then have a human editor revise and personalize the content to ensure originality and quality.
What is the primary purpose of creating content according to the script?
-The primary purpose of creating content is to help someone get closer to their goals, not just to achieve search rankings.
Why is focusing on content quality over publishing velocity important for sustainable SEO results?
-Focusing on content quality over publishing velocity is important because Google's algorithm, including the helpful content system, rewards high-quality content and punishes low-quality content.
How should one use AI content tools like rankability without over-optimizing content?
-One should use AI content tools like rankability to identify relevance gaps and focus on narrowing topic gaps rather than obsessing over exact keyword phrases.
Outlines
🔍 AI Content and Google's Stance
The paragraph discusses a study of 487 Google search results to determine if Google penalizes AI-generated content. It clarifies that Google does not penalize AI content per se, but it has taken manual actions against websites using spammy AI-generated content from large language models (LLMs). The study found that 83% of top search results do not use AI-generated content, suggesting that Google's algorithms favor human-generated content. The speaker shares anecdotal evidence of AI-generated content being de-indexed after algorithm updates, but performing better after being replaced with human-generated content. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of high-quality content and the role of user-generated content (UGC) in SEO, hinting at Google's preference for UGC over LLM-generated content.
📈 Optimizing Content with AI Tools
This paragraph focuses on how to use AI tools to create high-quality, people-first content that aligns with Google's spam policies. It describes a process of identifying gaps in content, using AI to generate an outline based on keywords, and then using that outline to create a first draft of content. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not publishing the AI-generated draft as-is, but instead using it as a starting point for human editors to refine and personalize the content. The paragraph also discusses the benefits of creating content that is relevant and addresses the needs of the target audience, leading to increased organic traffic and conversions.
🚫 Avoiding Pitfalls in AI Content Creation
The final paragraph warns against the misuse of AI content tools, which can lead to low-quality, autogenerated content that Google's algorithms may penalize. It advises against keyword stuffing and the overuse of AI-generated content, suggesting that a focus on quality over quantity is crucial for sustainable SEO results. The speaker recommends using AI tools responsibly, with a human editorial process to ensure the content is original, relevant, and adds value to the user. The paragraph concludes with a recommendation to watch a free SEO content master class for further guidance on creating SEO content that ranks well in search results.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AI content
💡Large Language Models (LLMs)
💡SEO
💡UGC
💡De-indexation
💡Rankability
💡Chat GBD
💡Keyword stuffing
💡Collateral damage
Highlights
Google does not penalize AI content according to its policies.
Google has taken manual actions on websites using spammy AI-generated content.
Google's algorithm can detect some AI-written content.
83% of top Google search results do not use AI-generated content.
Google's algorithms favor human-generated content.
Recent algorithm updates suggest Google can detect autogenerated content by large language models.
AI-generated content that is low quality can be completely removed from Google's index.
High-quality human-generated content outperforms AI-generated content.
Google's algorithm prefers user-generated content (UGC).
Google has a sophisticated large language model called Google Gemini.
Google may not be able to detect AI content with a human touch but can likely detect low-quality AI-written content.
Google cannot roll out overly aggressive algorithmic changes to avoid collateral damage.
AI content tools should be used correctly to avoid creating spammy content.
Review Google spam policies before using AI content generation.
Use generative AI to create people-first content by following Google's Web Master guidelines.
Fill content gaps to improve relevance and attract more organic traffic.
Create an SEO content outline using AI and then have it written or revised by a human.
Always consider the primary purpose of your content to help users get closer to their goals.
Focus on content quality rather than publishing velocity.
Avoid keyword stuffing and misuse of NLP tools.
Be cautious with AI content tools and ensure a human editorial process.
Google likely penalizes low-quality autogenerated AI content but rewards original, clearly human-written content.
Transcripts
so we studied 487 Google search results
to answer one simple question does
Google penalize AI content so first
Google does not penalize AI content
according to its policies however Google
recently applied manual actions on
websites using spammy AI generated
content created by large language models
or llms for short there's also evidence
that the algorithm can detect some AI
written content and our study of 487
competitive keywords found that 83% of
the top Google search results are not
using AI generated content now while
this is a tiny case study with a small
sample it shows that Google's algorithms
favor human generated content so here's
a sample of the keywords we used for the
study but this raises an important
question can Google detect AI content
well recent algorithm updates may have
proven that Google can detect
autogenerated content created by llms or
large language models the last spam
update saw Mass D indexation of entire
websites through manual actions and even
algorithmic D indexation for example we
generated content using chat gbd for the
keyword SEO training Houston and this
content registered as 100% Ai and after
the recent updates it was completely
removed from Google's index which is
deserving because it was lowquality
content so we replaced it with human
generated content and upgraded the
quality and within hours it was
reindexed and now it's ranking in the
top 10 now this is just an anecdotal
toal example but we've seen similar
situations across many campaigns and
it's not always de indexation but it's
also underperformance for example we
tested AI generated content for the
keyword SEO for dentists and it
performed poorly for months so then I
rebuilt it using rankability and human
Rider to create high quality content and
keeping NLP in mind so here are the
results of this change so in our
experience working on countless
campaigns and studying thousands of
Google search results we've seen that
high high quality content written by
humans outperforms llm content written
by AI now one reason is that as of right
now there's an algorithmic preference
for user generated content or ugc for
short it's no secret that Google Now
loves Reddit Kora and other ugc driven
websites the question is why well
Google's algorithm prefers ugc because
it probably doesn't resemble llm driven
content now this is pure speculation but
it's something to consider it's not
always about what Google punishes it's
sometimes about what is rewarded Google
also has one of the most sophisticated
large language models with Google Gemini
and they've already started rolling out
AI overviews in the search result via
sge or search generative experience
we're talking about a trillion dooll
company at the Forefront of AI
technology for over a decade it would be
foolish to think that they can't detect
lowquality AI generated content they may
not be able to detect AI content with a
human touch but they can likely detect
lowquality AI written content so with
that said Google can't roll out
algorithmic changes that are too
aggressive because of collateral damage
they'll likely only turn the dial enough
to attack the lowest hanging fruits like
spammy content that uses AI generated
text without considering user experience
or quality so does this mean that you
should never generate content with AI
riding tools well the answer is no we
have tons of AI generated content that's
ranking right now such as are H1 tags
Google ranking factor or is keyword
density a Google ranking Factor but the
key is that you have to use the AI
technology the right way so here's how
number one review Google spam policies
so Google is not against all forms of AI
content so with Google's web Master
guidelines in mind here's how to use
generative AI to create people first
content what we're looking at here is I
imported one of the competitors in here
um and you can actually go over here to
the URL extraction you just go and
import them and that's when you do an
import sometimes it looks like this it
can be a little messy um but you can
also just write it from scratch in here
now what we want to do to properly do
this the right way is we want to look at
these topics and try to try to take one
of these topics and put it into the
content don't view these as like okay I
need to talk about new patients here and
just like look for areas to like inject
it really what you want to do is look
for areas to build new sections on this
page Okay so for example our team if we
look at this a lot of the top
competitors mention they have sections
about their team the people that you're
actually going to be working with when
you go to the dentist okay and that
makes a lot of sense so just adding a
section about your team here could have
a nice impact to improve relevance okay
um then going down here and looking at
some other things that are missing all
right so uh the once again Dental team
tooth extraction if that's a service
that you offer it should certainly be
here on the homepage it should be
discussed uh dental insurance that's a
really important topic should have a
section specifically about dental
insurance a section specifically about
dental emergencies okay so this is all
that we're doing here is we're looking
for these gaps in the content and the
better we do this the better we fill
these gaps the more relevant of a page
we're going to have and funny enough
even the top competitors here um I would
argue they have a lot of room for
improvement right like they're they're
not their scores are not as good as they
could be uh which means they're actually
missing out on a lot of organic traffic
through longtail searches and this is
the thing a lot of people understand is
like they think by optimizing for NLP it
will help lift the main key word right
so it's going to lift the main which is
true but what actually happens is You're
Building more relevance on the page and
when you build more relevance on the
page and you have these topics on there
you actually start to attract more
longtail track traffic you start to get
more traffic and your keyword footprint
starts to grow right as your keyword
footprint starts to grow on this page
you get more organic traffic you get
more leads you get more patience okay so
that's actually the huge benefit um and
so this is the way you need to be
thinking about now if I was building
this page from scratch um I would do
this very differently okay so I would
just go ahead and eliminate this and
let's say I needed to reoptimize the
page so first thing I do is I would copy
these keywords so I just go into chat
gbd and put a very simple PRP and always
start with an outline okay create an SEO
content outline for the keyword and then
you paste the NLP keywords in there from
rankability okay and then you just go
ahead and run that okay and then within
just a a minute or so you're going to
have a nice outline to work with now
what you could do is you could
theoretically just take take this
outline and then you could put it into
rank ability like so and what this will
do is first of all it's highly optimized
because it includes a lot of the kind of
keyword phrases in there but if you if
you're going to be working with a writer
you would just go ahead and just take
this and you could share this
specifically with the writer and then
they could go through and write the
content right but let's say you have a
smaller budget and you don't want to
invest in a writer okay well good news
we can create a first draft with with
chat gbt okay uh and by the way this
function is going to be native to
rankability coming up here very soon but
just showing you kind of like the
different process but this will actually
you're going to be able to do this
inside of rankability but the point is
chat GPT you can go right back in and
then just have it write it for you so
then just say write the SEO content
asset based on this outline and then
make sure you include the optimal word
count which I just pulled directly from
rank ability okay so then once the draft
is done we're going to go over here go
ahead and get rid of this and then we're
going to go ahead and redo this and just
paste in the draft and we'll see how we
did on that first run so on the first
draft already really really well
optimized so that's great uh but
remember what I'm saying here is draft
okay this is the word that I'm using is
critical here this is a first draft you
should not just take this and publish it
on your website this is just the first
draft and keep in mind you also have to
take this content and put on your
website it has to be within a proper
design that can actually convert but at
least for the copywriting we're we're
just beginning here and then we're going
to you're going to work either with an
editor or a h any type of human to go
through and and and make this better
right make it better humanize it now
there's some tricks to this okay one
thing you can do is you can go to a site
like this let's say it was for this
website in particular and we could go to
our practice right and we're going to
open this up and I'm actually going to
pretend like I'm going to print this but
I'm actually just going to save it as a
PDF okay so now though I've saved about
three different pages about that that
dental clinic now I'm going to go over
here and I'm actually going to upload
these specifically to chat gbt okay and
this is just assuming like if this was
my client go and do this so we're going
to upload these and then what we're
going to do is we're going to have it
Revis this content to personalize it and
make it unique to this brand okay and
then what we have here is a very
different draft that now actually
includes some personalization and some
uniqueness and some originality into
this content and you can just keep doing
this over and over keep taking pages
from the site and uploading and it's
going to use that that information to
make it highly relevant and remember the
key here is it's not whether we use AI
content or not that's not the issue the
the issue is the originality and the
quality of that content and so what
we've done here is we we basically
checked off the originality component
now and then what I would personally
recommend is obviously take this content
and still it's got some kind of
citations and stuff and then you'll have
to remove but we'll go ah and put that
one back into rankability
and what I would do from this point is I
would have an editor a human editor go
through here and just clean it up just
have them clean it up make it better uh
and then it'll be in a sufficient place
where we can take that content and we
can re-upload it to the site and so
really within just a few short minutes
we've really basically revised this
content uh optimized it we've done all
the critical work and if you look at
this going back to the competitors
you'll see that by having a 77 means we
have by far the most relevant page uh
among the competitors so that means just
by doing that alone we our performance
will significantly improve and we have
overwhelming data proving this uh and it
it it just works okay it just works
especially when you have the the
business setup the way that it should be
right you've got a nice keyword Rich
domain you're actually located in that
City and you have the most relevant page
I mean it's pretty hard to lose if you
do that okay and you and you take care
of all the other stuff we mentioned
before so that's really on page SEO in a
nutshell number two always consider the
primary purpose of your content so the
sole purpose of creating content is to
help someone get closer to their goals
it's not about you it's always about who
is consuming the content too many people
who do search engine optimization or SEO
forget this part they're fixated on
search rankings but don't consider the
target audience and what happens after
they actually rank so you need to
reverse this equation in your content
creation process what's the goal of the
content you're about to create if the
sole purpose is to get more traffic
you're not thinking about it from right
perspective the objective of content
marketing is to generate some type of
conversion so if it's informational
content at the top of the funnel the
goal is to move the Searcher deeper into
your funnel that means you'd like to
offer a lead magnet to get them on your
email list if you're targeting
commercial queries the goal could be
signing up for a free trial purchasing a
product calling for more information or
submitting a lead form just start with
the end in mind and your content should
always match the search intent of the
target keyword number three C more about
the quality of the content not about
content publishing velocity new
technologies have enabled content
creators to use automation to generate
content at scale using AI but this is a
classic just because you can doesn't
mean you should situation the truth is
that history repeats itself before
Google's Panda update scaling thin
content was all the rage but Google
ended that when Panda slaughtered
countless websites with thin poor
quality content so here's the deal if
you want sustainable SEO results focus
on content quality and guess what you
can't have both content quality and
scale the concepts are opposed to each
other it's not possible to create
highquality content at scale without a
large team of subject matter experts and
content writers and an enormous content
budget Google's algorithm has the
helpful content system built into it and
the system is designed to reward high
quality content and punish the opposite
it's far from perfect but read the
writing on the wall focus on quality not
quantity number four stop keyword
stuffing the misuse of NLP tools has led
to over optimize content and it's not
NLP which is a proven concept that's the
problem it's how these AI tools are used
for example I'm writing this content
inside of rankability and using the NLP
recommendations to build something
highly relevant for the Target key word
and the key to correctly using NLP tools
like rankability is to focus on a topic
not keywords I view NLP recommendations
as relevance gaps in my content so to
build a hyper relevant asset I need to
narrow those topic gaps and make my
content deeper and at the end of the day
don't worry about how often you mention
an exact keyword phrase focus on
narrowing the topic gaps and write
naturally number five be careful with AI
content tools so there's a flood of AI
content tools on the market right now
and I'm not necessarily opposed to any
of them but I'm opposed to how people
use them it's so easy to click a few
buttons and generate content now and as
a result it breeds laziness and if you
study Google's eat guidelines they
mention effort countless times in short
low effort content shouldn't be rewarded
and that's exactly what these AI tools
incentivize most people just
autogenerate and have little to no human
intervention this is a very dangerous
game to play so if you want to use these
AI tools ensure that the AI content
undergos a human Le editorial process
you need to add human elements to it and
make it appealing to users so to
conclude using anecdotal evidence search
engine rankings and common sense I
believe that Google rewards original
content clearly written by a human but
the question is does it penalize AI
content well not all of it but it likely
can detect the lowest quality
autogenerated AI content created via
llms so if you want to learn how to
create SEO content that ranks check out
my free SEO content Master Class below
thank you so much for watching
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