AI search
AI-generated content and Google: what is allowed?
The quick answer
Google doesn’t ban a page just because AI helped write it. Its guidance focuses on useful, accurate content and warns against making many low-value pages to manipulate rankings. Check every draft against your real services, prices and experience before you publish it. Editing alone doesn’t make a misleading page useful.
On this page
Key takeaways
- Google says appropriate use of AI is not against its guidelines. Using automation mainly to manipulate search rankings is.
- Google’s current guidance says to fact-check and review all AI-generated content before publishing it, including page titles, search descriptions and image descriptions.
- Scaled content abuse means making many pages mainly to manipulate rankings. Google applies the rule whether people, software or both make the pages.
- Suburb pages that differ only by the place name are the risk to check for. The use of AI is not the test.
- In a 2025 Ahrefs study of 600,000 pages, AI use had almost no link to ranking position. The study shows correlation only and relies on Ahrefs’ own AI detector.
The short answer on AI-generated content and Google is that Google doesn’t ban it but expects every page to be useful and true.1 A web page is like a quote you hand a customer. It doesn’t matter who typed it because the prices and the work have to be real.
Here’s a made-up example. A roofer in Penrith asks an AI tool to draft a roof-repair page. The draft claims a 24-hour call-out service and a licence that the roofer never mentioned. After checking every line against the job diary, the roofer deletes the two claims that aren’t true and adds three real jobs from the diary.
Google applies the same test to every page. It looks at how good the content is and not at how it was made.1 This guide shows what that means for a trade website. If you want a second pair of eyes on a draft, our AI SEO agency can review it with you.
A different job is making sure AI search tools describe your business well. That work is called GEO, short for generative engine optimisation. Our guide on what is GEO covers it.
What should you do before you publish an AI draft?
Read the draft as a customer would and check every claim against your own records.
- Underline every claim about your services, prices, licences and past jobs.
- Check each one against your records and delete anything you can’t back up.
- Add what an AI tool can’t know, such as real jobs, photos, prices, the suburbs you cover and the questions customers ask you.
- Check the page title, the search description and the image descriptions too.
- Ask whether the page helps a customer. If it only repeats another page on your site, don’t publish it.
Does Google allow AI-generated content?
Yes, as long as the content is useful and not made mainly to manipulate rankings. Google said in 2023 that appropriate use of AI or automation is not against its guidelines.1
The line Google draws is purpose. Using automation, including AI, to make content mainly to manipulate search results breaks its spam rules.1 A spam policy is a rule about what Google treats as cheating. Pages that break one may rank lower or not appear at all.2
Google also said that using AI gives content no special gains because it is just content. It might do well if it is useful, helpful and original and it might not if it isn’t.1 Its current guidance says AI tools can help with research and with adding structure to original content.4
How has Google’s guidance on AI-generated content changed since 2023?
Google has repeated the same message since 2023 and added a rule in 2024. The dates below are when Google published or last updated each page.
Scroll across to read every column
| When | What Google published | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 8 February 2023 | A blog post on AI-generated content1 | AI use isn’t banned. Using it mainly to manipulate rankings is spam |
| 5 March 2024 | New spam policies, including scaled content abuse2 | Making many pages mainly to manipulate rankings is spam however the pages are made |
| 28 August 2026 | Spam policies page last updated3 | The current wording of the rules, including doorway abuse |
| 1 October 2026 | Generative AI guidance page last updated4 | Fact-check and review all AI-generated content before publishing |
| 5 October 2026 | Helpful content page last updated5 | Ask who made the page, how and why |
Google said the 2024 rule builds on its older rule about automatically made content and rests on the same idea.2 Google doesn’t present the 2024 change as a new view of AI. It widened the rule to cover pages made at scale by people, software or both.2
What turns an AI draft into useful business information?
It needs real facts that only you have. Google warns that generative models don’t look facts up. They predict a likely string of words from their training data, so their output can contain mistakes that Google calls hallucinations.4 It says to check the facts by hand and review all AI-written content before publishing. The same review applies to page titles, search descriptions, labelling code and image descriptions.4
Use a table like this for each draft:
Scroll across to read every column
| Claim in the draft | Where to check it | If you have no proof |
|---|---|---|
| We do this service | Your current service list and the person who does the work | Remove the claim |
| This is the price or what it includes | Your approved price list and written scope | Don’t publish an invented number |
| We finished this job | The job record and your own photos | Use a plainly labelled example instead |
| This suburb page adds something useful | Your real coverage and what customers there ask | Combine it with another page or leave it out |
| The title, description and image text are right | The page as a visitor sees it | Correct them before you publish |
Two Australian points matter for a tradie. NSW Government guidance says all building and trade advertising must show the licensee’s name and licence number.8 It also says a tradesperson should not use statements that are false, misleading or deceptive.8 An AI draft can invent either one without telling you.
Kavera note: In our Sydney trades check we did not verify the prices, reviews, licence claims or availability that the AI answers stated. We pointed readers to the Service NSW licence lookup instead.9 AI text can sound sure about facts nobody has checked. A draft you ask for is no different.
Kavera note: Google’s AI Overview for “duplex bondi beach” named SHORE’s SOL duplex and cited its project page. SHORE is our client. A project page describes a real job, which is the kind of detail an AI draft can’t make up for you. The captures are in our what is GEO guide.
When do suburb pages become scaled content abuse?
When the pages exist mainly to rank and give the reader nothing new. Google defines scaled content abuse as many pages made mainly to manipulate search rankings.3 Using AI tools to make many pages without adding value for users is one of its examples.3
Definition: Scaled content abuse means making many pages mainly to manipulate search rankings instead of helping readers. Google applies the rule whether people, software or both make the pages.
Google also has a rule about doorway pages. Doorway abuse is when pages are made to rank for very similar searches. Its examples include many pages for set regions or cities that all send people to one page.3 That is the risk with suburb pages that differ only by the place name.
For a suburb page, what Google describes is purpose and value: pages made mainly to rank that give the reader nothing new are the problem.3 Jobs you did there, local prices, travel times and the questions customers ask are details that give a reader something new. Our AI SEO guide has more on adding a suburb page only when it has real substance.
Does Google penalise AI content or detect it?
Using AI is not a reason on its own for Google to lower a page, going by what it has published. It can lower or remove pages that break its spam policies.2 Google says it finds rule-breaking through automated systems and human review when needed.3 It also says its systems, including one called SpamBrain, look for patterns and signals that help it spot spam however it is made.1
None of the Google pages we read mention an AI-detector score as a ranking input. Google also says the quality raters it uses to test its systems don’t directly influence ranking.4
In July 2025 the software company Ahrefs studied about 600,000 top-ranking pages. Most had some AI-written content and the amount had almost no link to ranking position.7 The study’s limits are in the fine print.
Do you need to say that AI helped write a page?
Sometimes, when a reader might wonder how the page was made. Google says sharing how a page was created can give readers context and suggests adding that background in a way that suits your audience.4 On its helpful content page it says disclosures are useful where someone might wonder how the content was created. It suggests adding them when that would be reasonably expected.5
A plain service page may not raise that question but a long advice article under a named author might. In both cases a real person who knows the trade should check the page and be accountable for it. Our guide to showing real experience and trust explains how to show who stands behind your pages.
If you sell products online, Google Merchant Center has extra rules. AI-made product images must carry a data tag that says so. AI-written product titles and descriptions must be labelled as AI-written.4 Those rules are for product listings and not for a plumber’s service page.
How do you check the result after you publish?
Record the page and the date, then compare like-for-like periods in Google Search Console. Google describes Search Console as a way to monitor and optimise how your site performs on Google Search.6 It shows appearances and clicks. It doesn’t show whether a customer rang or booked.
Keep website clicks, enquiries and booked jobs in their own columns. Our AI visibility guide shows how to track how AI tools describe a page. Our AI SEO checklist helps you pick what to fix first. If you are choosing software for the drafting itself, see our guide to AI SEO tools.
The fine print
This guide covers Google Search rules for ordinary web pages. It does not cover other search engines or the rules for AI answers. The dates in the timeline show when Google published or updated its pages. Google doesn’t say they mark new ranking changes. We found no Google figure for how much AI use is too much. The Google pages we read also give no page limit, word count or share of text a person must write. That is why we don’t offer a safe number to copy.
The Ahrefs study took the top 20 results for 100,000 random keywords and scored each page with its own AI detector. It found that 86.5% of top-ranking pages contained some AI-generated content and 4.6% were classed as fully AI. The correlation between the amount of AI and ranking position was 0.011, which Ahrefs calls effectively zero.7 A correlation shows a link and not cause and effect. The study only looked at pages already in the top 20, so it can’t show what happens to pages that don’t rank. Ahrefs says no AI detector is perfect and that detectors can give false positives.7 This result also rests on one company’s detector. The SHORE example is one recorded answer, so it doesn’t show what caused it.
Who can check an AI draft before it goes live?
You can, with the five steps above. If you would rather have help, our AI SEO agency can review your pages and drafts with you.
Our SEO audit is free. It is a technical, visibility, keyword, competitor and Google Business Profile review with a prioritised roadmap. Implementation is separate unless retained. Compare the options on our SEO packages page. No SEO package guarantees rankings, leads or revenue.
Good questions
Common questions Clear answers
Can I use AI to write my website content without hurting my Google rankings?
Google allows it but doesn’t promise how any page will rank. It says appropriate use of AI is not against its guidelines. It warns against using AI to make many pages without adding value for readers. So check every claim against your own records and add real jobs, prices and photos before you publish.
Does Google care whether a person or AI wrote my content?
Google says it focuses on the quality of content and not on how it was produced. It wants original, helpful, people-first pages. It also says its spam rules apply whether people, software or both make the pages. So the question that matters is whether the page helps a customer, not who typed it.
What should I check before publishing an AI-written page?
Check every claim about your services, prices, licences and past jobs against your own records. Delete anything you can’t back up. Then check the page title, the search description and the image descriptions, because Google says the same review applies to them. Finally add real details an AI tool can’t know, such as your jobs and suburbs.
How do I make AI-written content sound like me rather than a robot?
Start with your own notes, such as job diary entries, quotes you have sent and questions customers ask. Give the AI tool those facts and ask for a plain first draft. Then read it aloud and rewrite anything you would never say to a customer. Cut vague praise and add the suburb, the price range and what you actually did.
Can I use AI to write pages for the different suburbs I service?
Only if each page tells the reader something the others don’t. Google’s spam policy covers many pages made mainly to rank and pages for similar searches that funnel people to one place. Use real jobs, local details and honest coverage for each suburb. If a page only swaps the place name, combine it with another or leave it out.
Is AI-written content good enough or should I pay a writer?
AI is useful for outlines, first drafts and spotting gaps. It can’t supply your jobs, prices, licence or voice. Google also warns that AI tools can produce mistakes. Either way someone who knows the business has to check the page. Pay a writer where you need a distinct voice or a long article and use AI for the routine drafts.
Does Google penalise AI-written content?
Google hasn’t said that using AI alone lowers a page. It can lower or remove pages that break its spam policies, such as many pages made mainly to manipulate rankings. Google says its systems look for spam patterns however a page is produced. AI detector tools are not proof because the maker of one large study says they can give false positives.
Sources
- Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated contentGoogle Search Central Blog. Accessed .
- What web creators should know about our March 2024 core update and new spam policiesGoogle Search Central Blog. Accessed .
- Spam Policies for Google Web SearchGoogle Search Central. Accessed .
- Google Search’s Guidance on Generative AI Content on Your WebsiteGoogle Search Central. Accessed .
- Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First ContentGoogle Search Central. Accessed .
- SEO Starter Guide: The BasicsGoogle Search Central. Accessed .
- AI-Generated Content Does Not Hurt Your Google Rankings (600,000 Pages Analyzed)Ahrefs. Accessed .
- Building trade advertisementsNSW Government. Accessed .
- Check a builder or tradesperson licenceService NSW. Accessed .
