One of the big early questions about the use of generative AI has been whether using it will lead to a negative impact on SEO.
At this stage, Google is fine with AI-generated content as long as it is useful and created for people. Using AI to produce spam content is against Google’s guidelines.
Google’s ranking systems aim to reward original, high-quality content that demonstrates qualities of what they call E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. See Google’s How Search Works site.
Google’s systems will detect and take action against content produced to manipulate search rankings, regardless of the author. They have a variety of systems, including SpamBrain, that analyze patterns and signals to help identify spam content, regardless of how it is produced.
Google’s guidance advises content creators to provide clear information on the author, the creation process (including AI-assisted methods), and the purpose of the content. While these elements are not required to rank in search, they may help build trust with users.
Ask “Who, How, and Why” about your content
Taken from: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
Consider evaluating your content in terms of “Who, How, and Why” as a way to stay on course with what our systems seek to reward.
Who (created the content):
Something that helps people intuitively understand the E-E-A-T of content is when it’s clear who created it. That’s the “Who” to consider. When creating content, here are some who-related questions to ask yourself:
- Is it self-evident to your visitors who authored your content?
- Do pages carry a byline, where one might be expected?
- Do bylines lead to further information about the author or authors involved, giving background about them and the areas they write about?
If you’re clearly indicating who created the content, you’re likely aligned with the concepts of E-E-A-T and on a path to success. We strongly encourage adding accurate authorship information, such as bylines to content where readers might expect it.
How (the content was created)
It’s helpful to readers to know how a piece of content was produced: this is the “How” to consider including in your content.
For example, with product reviews, it can build trust with readers when they understand the number of products that were tested, what the test results were, and how the tests were conducted, all accompanied by evidence of the work involved, such as photographs. It’s advice we share more about in our Write high quality product reviews help page.
Many types of content may have a “How” component to them. That can include automated, AI-generated, and AI-assisted content. Sharing details about the processes involved can help readers and visitors better understand any unique and useful role automation may have served.
If automation is used to substantially generate content, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Is the use of automation, including AI-generation, self-evident to visitors through disclosures or in other ways?
- Are you providing background about how automation or AI-generation was used to create content?
- Are you explaining why automation or AI was seen as useful to produce content?
Overall, AI or automation disclosures are useful for content where someone might think “How was this created?” Consider adding these when it would be reasonably expected. For more, see our blog post and FAQ: Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated content.
Why (was the content created)
“Why” is perhaps the most important question to answer about your content. Why is it being created in the first place?
The “why” should be that you’re creating content primarily to help people, content that is useful to visitors if they come to your site directly. If you’re doing this, you’re aligning with E-E-A-T generally and what our core ranking systems seek to reward.
If the “why” is that you’re primarily making content to attract search engine visits, that’s not aligned with what our systems seek to reward. If you use automation, including AI-generation, to produce content for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings, that’s a violation of our spam policies.