Google, AI and content: do we know what's going on?

In Google's ever-evolving world of search algorithms, crucial questions arise regarding the role of artificial intelligence in creating online content and the measures Google is taking to keep it in check.

Google's latest update, announced on March 5th, has raised questions about the search giant's ability to detect and penalize AI-generated content. Let's take a closer look at this new direction and its implications for website owners.

An overview of the Google Update

The March 2024 update was presented as a significant initiative to reduce unhelpful content by 40%. This update marked the beginning of a series of significant manual actions, resulting in the deindexing of numerous sites. At the same time, Google announced that the algorithm update would be implemented over 2-4 weeks.

A notable fact emerged from two recent studies conducted with the support and the data released from the Originality AI tool:

Study 1

List of Sites Affected by Manual Actions in March 2024:Out of approximately 79,000 analyzed websites, 1,446 were subject to manual actions by Google. This action resulted in a cumulative traffic loss estimated at over 20 million visitors per month, with three sites experiencing a drastic decrease in organic traffic, going from over one million monthly visitors to zero.

Study 2

Presence of AI Content in Penalization:Analyzing 100 recent articles for each of the deindexed sites revealed that 100% of them showed signs of using AI-generated content. Seven out of 14 analyzed sites had over 90% of articles generated by AI.

Analysis of impact and causes

Google's update seems to aim at reducing the abuse of AI-generated content, the recycling of expired domains for SEO purposes, and search engine manipulation by reputable sites.

Having said that, this raises questions about the extent of AI content usage on websites and its implications.

On AI-generated content's future

The extensive penalization of websites and the investigation into AI content reveal a growing focus from Google on content generated by artificial intelligence. This appears to be an attempt not only to punish but also to declare its stance on AI-generated spam.

It is crucial for website owners to adopt appropriate strategies to ensure the quality and relevance of their content, thereby avoiding penalties from Google and maintaining online visibility.