SEO challenges in times of AI
Google prefers high-quality content, whether it comes from humans or machines.
The key is not so much who creates the content, but mainly how valuable that content is to the user.
What matters is that the content is useful, meets the needs of the audience and is a trustworthy source of information. Google therefore encourages publishers to create content that is focused on people and conveys a combination of expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness, or EEAT.
Looking for more quality and relevance
Simply using AI or automated tools to rank higher in search results without providing real added value falls under search engine manipulation. And that is what Google considers a serious violation of their spam policy. Automation may be used to improve the efficiency of the writing process, but the content should always serve the reader and not the algorithms.
In other words, the focus is not on 'pleasing' Google, but on delivering relevant content that adds value to the internet and actually helps users.
Google Core update from March 2024
The March 2024 Google Core Update focuses on improving the quality of search results, with an emphasis on so-called 'helpful content'. We have heard this before, but now there is a big difference.
The update is a comprehensive overhaul of the search algorithm system that judges websites on helpful content is now a core component. In addition, Google not only looks at the actual content of individual pages, but also at signals from the entire website. Aspects such as readability, navigation and loading speed have therefore become even more important.
One thing is certain: this is one of the most sweeping updates since the birth of SEO - an update that will greatly change the search environment. Google is finally tackling obsolete domains, massive content abuse, clickbait, misuse of site reputations (aka Parasite SEO) and AI-generated content a lot more severely with this update.