Does Google Rank AI Content?

Does AI content rank on Google? Yes, as long as the page is relevant, correct, unique, and written to help the user with their query. Google doesn’t care what tool was used to create the page. It acts against pages that provide little value, and it considers pages created in bulk and optimized only for rankings as spam.

The facts back up this statement. In Ahrefs’ study of 600,000 pages from top 20 results of 100,000 keywords, 86.5% of top-ranking pages had some AI content, and there was a correlation of 0.011 between AI content presence and ranking position (Source).

However, Semrush found something else happening at position 1. In its analysis of 42,000 blog URLs, human-written pages occupied position 1 in around 80% of cases, while purely AI-written pages took it in around 10% (Source).

This guide will explain what Google says, what the data shows, and how to publish AI-assisted content that earns rankings.

What Google Says About AI Content?

Google does not block AI content. Is the AI generated content ranked in Google under different rules than the one that was manually typed? The same criteria apply to both. According to the Google guidelines, the use of generative AI to create many pages with little added value for the user may violate the spam policy on scaled content abuse (Source).

Scaled content abuse is defined as many pages created for the sole purpose of search manipulation, regardless of the tool used. Manually writing a thousand pages is the same violation of the rule.

Google also warns about the presence of inaccuracies in generative AI outputs, therefore, checking titles, meta descriptions, structured data, image alt text and every factual claim is necessary before publication since you will be responsible for the mistake of a hallucinated statistic.

Disclosure is not a ranking criterion. Google recommends adding information about the creation of the content, including the tools that were used for the automation. In ecommerce, Google requires that AI-generated images include IPTC DigitalSourceType metadata. Add a short disclosure note to any page created by AI in the first draft and the name of the editor.

Does AI Content Rank in Google? What the Data Shows?

Can AI content rank on Google? Two large studies give the clearest picture, and they measure different things.

But is AI content able to rank in Google higher or lower than human-written pages? Ahrefs classified 4.6% of pages as pure AI, 13.5% as pure human, and 81.9% as mixed. The correlation of 0.011 between the AI ratio and ranking is practically non-existent. 

This means that AI ratio alone cannot determine the ranking of the page, and those pages that have little or no AI at all, with the ratio of 0 to 30%, have very weak correlation with high positions.

In its turn, Semrush checked 42,000 blogs’ URLs for the top 10 for 20,000 keywords using GPTZero. Pages written by humans held the first position almost 80% of the time, while pages written with AI: 10%.

Pure AI pages do not usually hold the first position in any of the studies. Both studies were correlational, so they could indicate the pages at particular positions but not explain why. Besides, detectors used for the studies may give false positives.

Is There an AI Content Ranking Formula?

The seekers are demanding the AI content ranking formula from Google, but no such formula exists yet. The following list of factors is the operational checklist based on the directions provided by Google, and Google itself has not certified it as a formula.

• Make sure that your content matches the searcher’s intent and solves the query in the opening paragraph.
• Provide new and unique information, including the firsthand information, expert opinions or names, and the client results, which other pages lack.
• Verify every information.
• Include the author name, the reviewer name, and the last review date so that anyone visiting the page would know whose content it is.
• Have fewer pages with higher-quality content than a huge number of low-quality pages since the scaled content abuse penalty policy of Google takes volume of the content into consideration but not its value.

The formula needs to have an input and output process that is consistent, but since there is no input and output process in this case, evaluate the page based on the result the user will get after viewing the page.

Can You Generate SEO-Optimized Content Using AI?

Yes, AI can draft SEO content, and a human editor must still supply the experience, the accuracy checks, the search judgment, and the brand knowledge that no draft contains until someone adds it.

Where AI Helps?

AI speeds up three jobs: first drafts, keyword and heading suggestions, and content analysis such as gap checks against top-ranking pages. Use it for the first pass and keep the final call with an editor.

What to Check Before You Publish?

Check four things first.

• Originality: perform a plagiarism test and rewrite any passage that is found to be similar to some existing page.
• Accuracy: verify all statistics, quotations, and claims from a primary source since language models may confidently state some incorrect information.
• Ethics and legality: verify privacy, consent, and attribution.
• Experience: include a real author, some personal detail, and an example unique to your business.

So Does Google Rank AI Content or Not?

Google prioritizes AI content that has been reviewed by an editor, is accurate in its facts, and answers the question better than the other pages that rank. Google fights AI content that has been produced without adding any value to the reader. There are no exemptions for human-only content. Every AI piece should be assigned to an editor.

A Real Example: Content at Scale With Intent

Publishing numerous pages is great if every page deserves its place. In our Jidoka Technologies case study, we published 120 posts in half a year, and every post was aligned with a certain keyword cluster and funnel stage prior to writing, so there wasn’t any page written for just filling out a schedule. Each post had its task.

Today, the website ranks for 677 keywords, 33 of which in the top 3 and 103 in the top 10, and traffic increased by 775%, from 400 to 3,500. Our case study does not state anything about AI content drafting, so take it as evidence of large-scale planning. Align every page with a keyword and funnel stage prior to writing, regardless of who or what writes it.

Final Thoughts

Google will rank artificial intelligence content that is beneficial to the reader and considers artificially generated pages without added value as spam regardless of what tool was used to create them. Thus, the decision whether you publish such articles depends on the review and editing you provide to each page.

Will AI content rank on your website? Experiment small scale first and launch ten manually edited AI content articles. Analyze impressions and clicks from Search Console within three months to compare with human-written content.

Connect with Content Whale to build an AI-assisted content plan that ranks and holds up to review.

FAQs

Does Google Rank AI Content?

Yes. Google ranks useful, accurate, and original AI content and fights against pages that are created in bulk to manipulate the ranking process.

Does AI Content Rank In Google?

Quite often. According to Ahrefs’ research, 86.5% of pages in top positions contain AI-generated content. Semrush discovered that pages written by people occupy position number 1 more frequently than pages written only with the help of AI.

Can AI Content Rank On Google?

Yes. AI content can rank on Google if there is any unique contribution from an editor and if it checks the factual correctness of the content.

Does Google Like AI Content?

Google has not published any preferences regarding AI content either in favor or against. It states in its guidance that creating multiple pages with AI tools is not prohibited in itself; however, pages that lack user value may violate the spam policy related to the scaled content abuse.

Can content created by AI rank on Google?

This is possible if it passes the same tests as any other page, answers the question, contains factual information, and presents it uniquely.

Does the content created by ChatGPT rank on Google?

Yes, when the page is optimized and provides unique value for users. The spam policy of Google mentions the generation of AI, so the name of the software used doesn’t matter.

Is there a formula that determines whether the AI content will be ranked?

No, because Google doesn’t provide a formula for such content, and Ahrefs found the correlation of 0.011 between the percentage of AI and the ranking.

Do I need to disclose the use of AI?

No, it is not listed as a requirement by Google. However, they recommend disclosing how you produced content and ecommerce sellers should add IPTC to images.