With ChatGPT you can write a blog post in a few minutes. That sounds convenient, but it immediately raises a question. Will Google penalise you for using AI to write your content? Many business owners and marketers are unsure about this.
Google has spoken on the subject. The answer is more nuanced than “allowed” or “not allowed”. In this article you will read what Google says, what it rewards and how to use AI wisely for your SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimisation: making sure your website is easy to find on Google.
What Google says about AI content
The core point is this: Google does not look at how a text was produced. It looks at quality. Whether a human, an AI or a combination of the two wrote the text is not the main issue.
There is, however, a clear limit. Google calls content spam when it is created mainly to rank higher in search results. That already applied to text generated by automated scripts, and it now applies to mass-produced AI text as well.
So what matters is the purpose of your text. Are you writing to help a reader? Then you are on the right track. Are you writing to outsmart a search engine? Then you are taking a risk, regardless of which tool you use.
What Google rewards
Google wants to show searchers the best answers. That is why it pays attention to what it calls E-E-A-T. This stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. You can also see it in the guidelines for the people Google uses to evaluate its search results.
What does that mean in plain language?
- Experience: you have lived through or tried the subject yourself.
- Expertise: you genuinely know what you are talking about.
- Authoritativeness: others see you or your company as a source on this topic.
- Trustworthiness: your information is accurate and you are open about who you are.
An AI has no experience of its own. It has never managed a campaign, spoken to a client or made a mistake. That is exactly why the part you add is so important.
Over the past few months Google has also rolled out several updates that reward content written for people. Text written mainly for search engines will find it harder. That fits precisely with the line Google now takes on AI.
Where AI can really help
AI is not an enemy of good content. It is a tool. It mainly takes over the dull, repetitive work, so you have time left for the part that matters.
These are tasks AI often handles well:
- Coming up with a first outline or structure for an article.
- Gathering topics and angles you had not thought of yourself.
- Shortening a long text or making it simpler.
- Rewriting a text for a different audience or tone.
- Suggesting titles and meta descriptions. These are the short texts you see on Google beneath a search result.
- Collecting frequently asked questions on a topic.
This saves you time at the start of the writing process. That is often the hardest moment: a blank screen. With a first draft you have something to react to and sharpen.
What you need to add
An AI tool bases its output on existing texts. That means the result often sounds like what is already out there. If a thousand people ask the same tool the same question, they get texts that resemble each other. That will not set you apart.
What makes a text truly valuable can only come from you:
- Your own examples from your work.
- Figures and insights from your own practice.
- An opinion, even if it does not appeal to everyone.
- Questions from clients that you hear again and again.
- Mistakes you have made and what you learned from them.
Always check the facts as well. AI can invent things that sound convincing. Specialists call this a hallucination: the tool presents an incorrect statement as if it were a fact. That damages your credibility, with your readers and with Google.
Here is a common scenario. A company has an AI tool write twenty blog posts about its services. The texts are tidy, but anyone in the industry could have written them. There is not a single example of a real client or a real problem. A few months later, the company sees hardly any visitors. A second company uses the same tool for a first draft, adds three real situations from its own practice and has a specialist proofread the text. That produces fewer articles, but they are articles a reader can get something out of, and they give people a reason to come back.
How to approach it in practice
Do you want to use AI for your content without taking a risk? Then follow a fixed process. That keeps quality up and keeps your own voice audible.
- Start with the searcher. Think about what question someone has and what they should know or be able to do after reading.
- Let AI create an outline. Ask for a structure, headings and a first version. Treat it as a draft, not a finished product.
- Add your own knowledge. Think of examples, figures from your practice and your own point of view.
- Check the facts. Look up anything you are not sure about. Remove anything you cannot support.
- Make the text your own. Adjust the tone and word choice so it sounds like you.
- Have a human do the final check. Read the text aloud and ask yourself whether you would want to read it yourself.
It is better to publish less, but better. One strong article that answers a question well usually delivers more than ten weak texts that all say the same thing.
Frequently asked questions
Can Google tell that a text was written by AI?
There are tools that try to detect AI text, but they are not reliable. It is also not what Google focuses on. Google looks at whether the text is useful, accurate and trustworthy. A poor text written by a human does not perform any better than a poor text written by an AI.
Do I need to state that I used AI?
Google does not require this. Transparency is wise, though, if it is relevant to your reader, for example on topics where trust matters. Above all, make sure you remain responsible for what is published. Your name goes on it.
Is it safe to let AI write my entire blog?
That is not a good idea. If you publish texts unread and unchanged, you miss exactly what makes content strong: experience and your own insight. You also risk producing content at scale that is mainly intended to rank. That counts as spam.
Book a free 30-minute introductory meeting
Do you want to know how to use AI for your content without harming your visibility? At Adventio Marketing in Amersfoort, we are happy to help you think it through. We look at your current website, your texts and your goals. Then we discuss where AI can save you time and where your own knowledge makes the difference.
Book a free 30-minute introductory meeting. You will get an honest view of what works for your situation, with no obligation.
