Does Google Hate AI content?

One of the things I hear about AI-written content is that it is very generic, does not sound like my brand or my style, and it makes us look bad if we use it. And of course, Google hates AI content and penalizes it. Currently, as I write this, Google has released a crushing penalty targeting AI spam content. Personally, I applaud this update; it was timely and, in my opinion, necessary to stop the SERPs from being overrun with the crappy content of old. However, saying that Google hates AI content is not true. Let me explain.

What Google has said, and our testing has confirmed, is that as long as the content is relevant, helpful, and well-written, AI or human content are both treated the same by Google. In fact, if you know how to use AI correctly, it is virtually indistinguishable from human-written content for certain use cases. If you use AI auto-blogger content creators, well, do not expect Google to reward your efforts in the majority of cases. There are always exceptions, and some lower volume content created this way most likely has escaped the update, but in general, GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) applies and Google is now watching. 

In order to write good content, on point, and in the tone of your brand or your personal style, you want what is called a brand or author persona. This is nothing new to Content and SEO Agencies. They use something called a style sheet (not to be confused with a website style sheet). This writing guide will provide examples of how different key people write, how different content is written, its tone, level of detail, etc. This is then used to create content for the company that matches the company’s own style or ‘persona’. For AI, we use a similar approach as part of our methodology to get good content that is useful for the reader and liked by the Search Engines.

In order to use AI tools correctly, they need to be able to understand similar guidelines as a real person writing for a company. What we have tested and use in our agency are brand and author personas for different types of experts, business owners, writers, etc. We teach the AI we are using how to write like a specific person and/or brand, what their expertise is, how in-depth their knowledge is, and so forth. We provide the AI with examples of their writing style and even create a background of the education, experience, skills, and so forth that a person who is an expert in this field would have. This provides context to the AI. This article is not about AI or how it works, but context is very important to understand regarding effective use of generative AI tools.

We are able to use AI (in this case, ChatGPT) to help create our detailed personas. What is important to know is that for a general industry expert, the persona does not have to be real, or true, but rather it can be a made-up ‘person’ that has the attributes of the type of expert we are looking for. We can be as general or detailed as we want.

In Conclusion

As we continue to navigate the intricacies of AI in content creation, it’s clear that the successful integration of AI tools hinges on our ability to mold these technologies to reflect the unique voice and standards of our brand. At Fulcrum Concepts, we’re not just using AI; we’re shaping it to serve our strategic objectives effectively. This approach ensures that our content remains top-notch, engaging, and, most importantly, reflective of the high standards our clients expect. Whether it’s crafting a compelling narrative or fine-tuning the technical details, our commitment to excellence remains unwavering. For anyone looking to refine their digital strategy with AI without losing their brand’s personal touch, we’re here to guide you through every step of the process.