Does Google Penalize AI Content? New SEO Case Study (2024)

Summary

The 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

00:00

🔍 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.

05:00

📈 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.

10:02

🚫 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.

Keywords

💡Google

Google is a search engine that dominates the internet search market. In the context of the video, Google's policies and algorithms are central to the discussion about AI-generated content. The script mentions that Google does not penalize AI content per se but has taken actions against websites using spammy AI-generated content, indicating the importance of adhering to Google's guidelines for search engine optimization (SEO).

💡AI content

AI content refers to text generated by artificial intelligence, particularly through large language models (LLMs). The video discusses the implications of using AI content for SEO, noting that while Google does not penalize it outright, there is evidence that low-quality AI-generated content can be detected and may underperform or be de-indexed by Google's algorithms.

💡Large Language Models (LLMs)

LLMs are advanced AI systems capable of generating human-like text. The script uses 'LLMs' to refer to the technology behind AI content generation. It mentions that Google has recently taken manual actions against websites using spammy content created by LLMs, underscoring the need for quality control when using these models for content creation.

💡SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of increasing a website's visibility in organic search engine results. The video's main theme revolves around SEO, discussing how AI-generated content can impact a site's SEO. It emphasizes that high-quality, human-generated content often outperforms AI-generated content in search rankings.

💡UGC

UGC stands for User-Generated Content, which is any content created by users rather than professionals. Google's algorithm is said to favor UGC, as mentioned in the script, because it tends to be more original and less formulaic than content generated by LLMs. The script suggests that UGC is rewarded in search results, aligning with Google's preference for diverse and authentic content.

💡De-indexation

De-indexation is the process by which search engines remove web pages from their index, making them inaccessible via search queries. The script provides an example of AI-generated content for the keyword 'SEO training Houston' that was de-indexed after Google updates, illustrating the consequences of producing low-quality AI content.

💡Rankability

Rankability appears to be a tool or platform mentioned in the script for creating SEO content. It is used in the context of generating high-quality content and optimizing it for search engines. The script suggests using Rankability in conjunction with human input to create content that performs well in Google's search results.

💡Chat GBD

Chat GBD seems to be a tool used for generating AI content, as referenced in the script. It is used to create a first draft of content based on an outline, which can then be revised by humans for quality and originality. The script emphasizes the importance of not publishing AI-generated drafts directly but using them as a starting point for human refinement.

💡Keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the practice of overloading a webpage with keywords to manipulate search engine rankings. The script advises against this practice, especially when using AI content tools, as it can lead to over-optimization and poor user experience. Instead, the script recommends focusing on the natural inclusion of keywords to maintain relevance without compromising quality.

💡Collateral damage

In the context of the script, 'collateral damage' refers to the unintended negative consequences that can result from Google's algorithmic changes aimed at combating low-quality AI content. The script suggests that Google must be cautious in implementing such changes to avoid unfairly penalizing non-spammy content.

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