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Content Marketing 30 min read July 1, 2022

AI-Generated Content: Can Google Detect It?

AI-Generated Content: Can Google Detect It?
In Memoriam Bill Slawski.
Despite being around for a long time, Artificial Intelligence has only recently become affordable enough to be commercialized. As brand-new technologies gradually evolve, we can now use AI to create content.

In today's world, it shows promise in creating content such as articles, blog posts, newsletters, and even videos.
We decided to discuss in greater detail the perspectives of AI-generated content in today's digital environment, the issues that may arise when using it, and how to make the most out of it.

There were many experts involved in this Twitter chat, and you may already be familiar with some of them:
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder
at Stradiji.com
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist
at Serpstat
PraveenKumar Yadav
Performance Marketing and SEO Analyst
at Easebuzz
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
Chief Executive Officer
at Holistic SEO & Digital
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)
Joseph S. Kahn
SEO and Business Growth Hacker
at Hum JAM
Bill Slawski
Director of SEO Research
at Go Fish Digital
Andrea Volpini
CEO and Co-Founder
at WordLift
Frédérick Tubiermont
C-suite Tactical Advisor & Founder
at CallMeFred.com
Yıldırım Sertbaş
Founder & Owner
at Yıldırım Sertbaş

1. Google's Perception of AI-Generated Content

Let's begin with a well-known fact that the main purpose of Artificial Intelligence is to efficiently handle large amounts of data and save human time handling it. Thus, it is used in digital systems based on algorithms, such as virtual assistants and data analytics.

If you have a wide range of content to operate for your brand, AI-engineered content management is worth considering.

It is the application of Machine Learning to create content based on artificial intelligence. The purpose: elimination of the need for human involvement in the content creation process.

Based on the criteria a user enters, AI-powered content generators can produce various types of text-based output.
Here is an example of how Serpstat generates titles for site pages with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
Add a text describing the page's content, click the "Generate Title" button, and receive a ready title in the "Requests history" block. You may try it on your own :)
The process of creating content is time-consuming and may be quite labor-intensive sometimes. It isn't surprising to see that companies tend to rattle through this process with technologies like GPT-3 (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer 3) tools.
But what about Google's latest statement on AI-generated content?

John Mueller, a search advocate, says that content created automatically by AI writing tools violates Google's Webmaster Guidelines. It is still up for discussion in the SEO community.

It is widely believed that AI-generated content falls into the category of auto-generated content, which can result in a manual penalty.
AI-Generated Content: pros and cons
Let's get to know whether the fact that AI is not compliant with Google's guidelines prevents our experts from using AI to create content:
If you're creating AI-generated content on your website to rank on Google and publishing it without being edited by a human author, don't be surprised if your rankings drop suddenly.

It is against Google guidelines to scrape texts, search results, and merge other web pages generated through automated tools.

Likewise, you don't have to worry about AI-assisted content production with a human author’s review and final editing.
Mert Erkal
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder at Stradiji.com
It's not really the "source" of the content that is Google's concern - it's the "quality."

Most AI-powered content writers are only a couple of steps away from the old-fashioned "content spinners." Some newer ones are very similar to the game "Mad Words"... (the game where you give a noun, adjective, verb, etc., and then fill in the blanks for humorous results).

Part of the problem stems from the application of the approaches. Another issue is that people simply don't understand and just use the "code."

As for usage — it's a little different from scraping existing/competing pages, compiling words/phrases, mapping structure/flow, etc.

So long as real human amends and edits, no harm.
Just publishing the MGC is likely to hurt your SEO.
Lyndon NA
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)

7 Tips For Creating Content That Converts

John Muller says that content made with AI falls into the category of auto-generated content, which could lead to a manual penalty.

I think that for now, Google’s algorithms may lack the ability to detect AI-generated content without the help of human reviewers.
Olena Prokhoda
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist at Serpstat
People using AI tools to generate content are still breaking the Webmaster Guidelines, according to Google. If Google’s web spam team happens to find it, they’re authorized to take action on it.
PraveenKumar Yadav
PraveenKumar Yadav
Performance Marketing and SEO Analyst at Easebuzz

How Artificial Intelligence Changes SEO: Asking Experts

Regarding everything that was mentioned above, we may say that the best option to succeed is to combine AI-generated and human-generated content.

Now let's move on to the main AI-powered content updates in Google's Webmaster Guidelines and their meaning for SEO projects.

2. How Do Google Webmaster Guidelines Define AI-Powered Content

Google regularly strives to improve its ranking algorithms and provide users with relevant, quality info.

The search engine gives several examples of actions that content creators should take into consideration to avoid manual actions it may impose on the site.

The main rules would be: 
Not only should the text contain search keywords, but it should also make sense to the reader.
Getting a human review before publishing is a must.
Automatic synonymizing techniques should not be used.
Combining content from different websites is not an option. Sufficient value should be added to the text.
Google has recently updated the definition of automatically generated content in Google Webmaster Guidelines to read as "automatically generated content with the intent to manipulate search result rankings.”

With MUM and similar algorithms becoming more and more decisive in rankings, I think Google will be getting much better at detecting auto-generated content. That's why human proofreading is essential in this matter. 
Mert Erkal
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder at Stradiji.com

What Is Google MUM and How Does It Affect SEO

I love all the information about MUM Multitask Uniform Model (MUM) update.

MUM is a multimodal algorithm designed to provide answers to complex queries by concurrently assessing information across multi-language text, images, video, and audio.
Joseph S. Kahn
Joseph S. Kahn
SEO and Business Growth Hacker at Hum JAM
We should monitor how this update works in practice. 

Most likely there will be some flexible amendments and the algorithms. Google can't forbid all kinds of AI content, as it's a part of technological progress.

Before posting, we should check the content for SPAM.
Olena Prokhoda
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist at Serpstat
From search engine points of view, content quality is more important than the content production method.

It might be an early signal that Google will be in the NLG market in the future. Google Docs already has some hints for that. They use generated text for KPs.
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
AI content isn’t the end-all-be-all for creating valuable content. Those insights lie outside of AI’s neural network.

Tool to get a rough draft started or expedite your research? Surely it will be low-value content just for keyword rankings, fighting a losing battle.
PraveenKumar Yadav
PraveenKumar Yadav
Performance Marketing and SEO Analyst at Easebuzz
  • It shouldn't make the blindest bit of difference.
  • It's not like it's a free pass, or permission to produce garbage.
  • Likewise, it's just a clearer explanation of their stance/perspective/preference.
Don't publish garbage for bots.
Lyndon NA
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)
Bill Slawski
Bill Slawski
Director of SEO Research at Go Fish Digital
Google's entire business model can collapse if spam is not duly kept under control.

The availability of affordable NLG-based solutions is a potential threat for Google and for the Web in general. SEO and the content industry need to be ethical and user-centered to succeed.
Andrea Volpini
Andrea Volpini
CEO and Co-Founder at WordLift
The more progress — the more demands.

Using AI in creating content for the projects doesn't mean it is doomed to failure. Ultimately, we should stick to the fact that AI can make content creators' writing better by assisting with grammar and vocabulary difficulties.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think AI-powered content is a must-have in SEO processes?
You are free to share your point of view in our Twitter discussions!

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3. Can Google Detect AI-Generated Content?

Can Google distinguish between human-written and machine-written content? Well, that is a quite complicated question. Basically, it's like separating fake news from the real ones.

A search engine is more likely to detect content created by previous NLG (Natural Language Generation) models, such as GPT and GPT-2. In contrast, more advanced models like GPT-3 are more difficult to detect due to their similarity to human style.

As an example of how this might play out, Google may treat AI content similarly to backlinks. In technical terms, buying links is against the guidelines of Google. But practically, it is difficult for Google to determine if a link is a natural one or a trade-related one. In order for Google to act, it must break out of patterns.

As long as the text has a byline, has a consistent style, and is of high quality, it is unlikely that Google will notice a difference.
Let's see what are our experts' thoughts on the issue of search engine markings of AI-generated content as spam.
There is an article titled "What site owners should know about Google's core updates,” Google directs site owners who experience organic traffic drops after core algorithm updates.

Unfortunately, the answers to questions such as the quality of the content in this document, whether it is based on actual data, factual errors, and whether the title is exaggerated cannot be given by the classical Google algorithms we know.

However, an artificial intelligence-supported algorithm such as MUM can easily do this. Therefore, unless finalized by a human author, Google can easily detect such content, and the site's rankings may drop.
Mert Erkal
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder at Stradiji.com
Looks like it’s a big secret. I think it all comes down to auto-checking grammar, spelling, and behavioral factors. Similar to checking emails.
Olena Prokhoda
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist at Serpstat
Ultimately, due diligence comes down to human responsibility. And until an AI can actually be held accountable for its mistakes, Google’s doing everyone a favor by marking anything the machines have to say as spam.
PraveenKumar Yadav
PraveenKumar Yadav
Performance Marketing and SEO Analyst at Easebuzz
AI-Generated Content Detectors are getting better, but if the Language Model is unique, they need a human observer.
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
I may find my faults with Google, but the past decade has shown a Massive improvement in catching garbage. But, it's not AI content they want to catch, it's crap content they want to filter.

So long as the content produced is deemed as "quality", and doesn't trip any of the existing spam flags, it will likely pass. Then it seems to be a matter of whether it passes the SERPs (users, links, etc.) — not so easy to pass.
Lyndon NA
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)
I think Google likely does a great job of understanding language in something written with statistical models.
Bill Slawski
Bill Slawski
Director of SEO Research at Go Fish Digital
Obviously, one should understand the importance and superiority of human proofreading over machine processing when it comes to content creation.

However, as these approaches are mutually complementary, we are free to apply specialized tools to modify or complement the texts we create for the site's pages. And one of these tools is Serpstat SEO Text Analysis Tool

In addition to the many tools and opportunities that the service offers, it allows us to analyze here Title, H1, and Body sections of the site's page, see the possible variants for improvement and implement changes straight away. 

The report is provided upon analyzing the words already included in the project and on a group of competitor URLs.
Take your time to check all the possibilities of text analysis with Serpstat
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4. AI-Powered Content Creation Tools

Currently, Artificial Intelligence-powered tools enable businesses of all sizes to standardize content marketing success.

But in the future, technology will play a much more subtle role. Content is essentially a means of communication between people. There might be some automation involved in its creation, but it won't replace writers entirely. AI will definitely empower writers, and we may say that it'd be a faster working process.

It will become easier to rely on AI tools once they become more advanced. An example would be spotting grammatical errors.

When writers spend less time editing their own work, they will have more time to:

  • explore new formats;
  • find new insights;
  • research new topics;
  • and come up with better results.
As was already mentioned, AI-powered content creation tools are evolving at an incredible pace. Let's wonder whether Google can change its attitude on this issue:
If Google AI can be trained to understand the quality of content and whether it meets user intent, it is 100% possible to train an AI content creator to meet Google's expectations.

I think that in a few years, these tools will improve significantly, and Google may have to reevaluate its approach.
Mert Erkal
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder at Stradiji.com
Most likely, it is a subject for Google to test. The user reaction is the most significant criterion.

It may turn out that the user was just looking for such text that was automatically generated :)
Olena Prokhoda
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist at Serpstat
AI will present new opportunities and capabilities to improve the content experience.

While it is possible for a society to behave irrationally and choose to use it to their detriment, I see Google will bring new updates on how to use such tech in a more likely outcome.
PraveenKumar Yadav
PraveenKumar Yadav
Performance Marketing and SEO Analyst at Easebuzz
Find in the articles below the list of useful effective content promotion strategies, as well as the list of useful tools for content creation.
NLP has been looking at and using MGC for decades and has done fairly well in certain cases (these being topic-specific, data-driven, heavily trained, etc.).

The major change is the size, scope of models, and the availability (or easier implementation) of scripts that access those models.

Whereas before you had to know the data structures, and/or linguistics, or implement systems that you had to train, etc., now you can just connect to an API with parameters.

Google doesn't really care if it's MGC, human-made, hybrid, or produced by blind mice singing psalms — so long as it's not garbage, they'll take it :D
Lyndon NA
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)
At the end of the day, it's all about the quality of the brief / of the prompts.

You can use AI to accelerate the writing process, but you have to give the damn machine a proper brief, otherwise, you end up with irrelevant nonsense.
Frédérick Tubiermont
Frédérick Tubiermont
C-suite Tactical Advisor & Founder at CallMeFred.com

Compilation of the Best Content Marketing Techniques

5. Powerful AI-Assisted Content Production Procedures

A typical content creation workflow with AI-tools looks as follows:
Collect all the info and tools needed and begin the creation process.
Generate text using all the required resources.
Verify all the data, and apply AI-assisted content production procedures to fix the issues if there are such.
Proofread the resulted work, and publish it.
And what about the approaches our experts apply?
Before using these tools, I think it is necessary to understand the concept of Semantic SEO very well. Then, it is essential to read the articles and watch the videos of experts such as Bill Slawski, Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR, and Marie Haynes.

Then you can use one of the artificial intelligence-supported content production tools.

Google Docs has started providing AI-powered content summaries. I recommend that you edit the content you create in artificial intelligence-supported content production tools in Google Docs to make sure that the content summaries are created correctly by the algorithm.

So you can see if Google's AI-powered algorithm correctly understands your content. If not, you can rearrange the content.
Mert Erkal
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder at Stradiji.com
For sure, it depends. For example:

  • research a topic and make a rough draft with bits of text from sources;
  • rewrite that with AI tools;
  • check for engagement by a content maker & humanize the text;
  • check for correctness, clarity and uniqueness with the AI tool;
  • proofread it by a responsible person.
Olena Prokhoda
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist at Serpstat
  1. Collecting data.
  2. Training a unique language model.
  3. Generating text.
However, using existing technologies is just being the first candidate to be out-ranked in the future.
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
It all depends on goals.

  • Some people want a system that aids in guiding the writers (the "brief" machines listing words for inclusion, etc.)
  • Others want something that actually produces content (the "writer" machines outputting via templates/chunks).

The process/approaches you take depend on the tool and your expectations.

As it currently stands — you still need a fair bit of human intervention. And as tools (makers) mature, and the users get a better grasp of how to work, things will change.
Lyndon NA
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)
Generate article → read article → use Google NLP to find out missing entities → add value (image, table, video) → edit H1-H2-H3 → correct grammar → add an outgoing internal link with relevant anchor and publish it.
Yıldırım Sertbaş
Yıldırım Sertbaş
Founder & Owner at Yıldırım Sertbaş
Gather the techniques that suit your content creation process best of all, and take your time to apply them in your strategy.
No matter what industry your site refers to, it is also important to check and fix all the technical errors, as well as evaluate the results of the SEO work.

Fixing on-site issues, editing meta tags, improving headings, multimedia and many more would be much more efficient with Serpstat Audit Tool.

It provides a list of issues found on your site (or separately site's page) and suggestions for fixing them.
Would you like to learn how to use Serpstat to boost your results with Serpstat Tools?
Leave a request, and our experts will advise you on the development of your project, share training materials, and offer test access to Serpstat!

6. AI-Generated Content Production Tools vs. Human Writers

A variety of AI services are available to assist you in writing relevant copies. The following are some examples:
HubSpot's Content Strategy Tool

A new HubSpot tool that helps keep track of the content creation efforts and their effect. This is where you can properly organize your plan, and create an outline for your upcoming content strategy.
BuzzSumo

It is yet another great example of how artificial intelligence can assist you in writing. Using artificial intelligence, the software gathers data like trending topics and search queries.
Wordtune

The AI-powered writing assistant Wordtune suggests different ways to make your writing more genuine and compelling. It allows you to easily rewrite the sentence in seconds.
Copy.ai

This tool can create content for you and show how AI software can elevate your blog writing. It offers numerous features to make content creation easier.
Serpstat

As was already mentioned, the service offers you a Title Generation Tool that helps website owners, copywriters, and anyone who works with online texts automate the manual work.
One says that AI-powered content production tools can fully take over the role of human writers in the future. Should we be afraid of it?

Here are our experts' thoughts on it:
I believe AI-generated content will replace the content writer. It will not replace the copywriter in the short term.

It's a harder skill to teach an AI tool, but when it comes to AI, you should never say never; better say “it depends” :)
Mert Erkal
Mert Erkal
International SEO Expert & Founder at Stradiji.com
Will AI take content marketers’ and copywriters’ jobs? Never. AI is far from perfect.

Still, it is no doubt gaining a foothold in the content production process. Those marketers who do not experiment and discover the potential of AI for content could be left behind.
Olena Prokhoda
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist at Serpstat
Simply, yes. Eventually, it will happen. :)

But, this is a general outcome of the future. AI can replace politicians, or judges as well.
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR
Yes and No.

  • Yes: scripts will be able to produce common, everyday content — so long as there are plenty of existing examples and data.
  • No: without data/examples — they won't be able to produce new insights, etc.

At the end of the day — the machines are much like us; they are reliant upon experience, understanding, information, and resources. If those things are lacking, the output will be too.
Lyndon NA
Lyndon NA
Internet business consultant, (SEM (SEO/PPC), CM & SMM, with UX, CRO & ORM)
We should try to stay positive in the face of such digitalization. AI can complement human work to a great extent, but it depends on us how we will implement it.
I don't believe that AI will replace human writers. Humans are too desperate :)
Bill Slawski
Bill Slawski
Director of SEO Research at Go Fish Digital
Frédérick Tubiermont
Frédérick Tubiermont
C-suite Tactical Advisor & Founder at CallMeFred.com
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Final Thoughts

We may sum up that in spite of how sophisticated AI content-creation tools become, human content creators on your marketing team cannot be replaced by them.

This will most likely result in more relevant, easier-to-produce, and audience-centered content in the future.

So feel free to discover and apply all the possibilities the newest AI-Generation tools offer! 
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