Google's latest algorithm update finished last week, and it’s been making serious waves in SEO circles due to its no-nonsense approach. Read on to find out how the algorithms are cracking down on generative AI content.
On March 20th 2024, Google's latest update finished, and since then there has been some pretty serious conversation around what that means for the future of AI written content. According to the Google team, the latest update aims to tackle 'spammy' content and to provide a more human-centred search experience.
This update involves refining some of our core ranking systems to help us better understand if webpages are unhelpful, have a poor user experience or feel like they were created for search engines instead of people.
So why did they make this update now, and how will this affect businesses using AI to write their content?
According to Google, they’re aiming to oversee a "40% reduction in unhelpful content". Specifically, this means de-indexing low-quality, unoriginal content to provide better, more valuable results for search users. Or in other words, to make sure you don’t get spammed by generic AI content when you type a search query into Google.
Google has an AI-based spam system lovingly called SpamBrain (sounds like the kind of insult my siblings and I would hurl at each other in the 90s).
SpamBrain has been responsible for weeding out "scaled content abuse" for a while, but has now been updated to explicitly mention generative AI.
So, great news for the end user, but terrible news for businesses who have been pumping out robot-written content at a faster rate than the Aldi checkout for the past year. Because they may have found themselves (or be about to find themselves) disappearing from the search results page altogether.
How can I make sure my website content provides value?
The aim of this article is not to scare you or shame you. I get it: writing good content takes time, research and resource. The temptation to outsource it to a willing, eternally enthusiastic and, more importantly, free employee can be huge, especially if you’re a small business with limited budgets.
But, as the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you’re getting something for free, you’re probably going to end up paying for it somewhere else down the line.
And as long as your customers are human (robots don’t have credit cards yet, at least not as far as I’m aware!) the best way to connect with them is by speaking to them on a human to human level.
How can I make my website content sound more human?
Struggling to write copy that summarises your business and connects with potential customers? You don't have to turn to AI and risk the reputation of your website. Luckily, there are ways to make sure your website passes the spam check and sounds human.
Use colloquial language that your customers would use in everyday life
Avoid cliche, meaningless AI’isms such as unleash, unlock and supercharge
Ditch overly formal language, particularly if this doesn't fit with your field
Include anecdotes and storytelling to create a unique, human point of view
And of course, if you want to save time by outsourcing your content writing to a pro, drop your details in the contact form below and let’s talk - human to human!* *human only available after 2 x morning coffees. 🫠
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