Part of Foundations: Understanding SEO and AI (Articles 1–5) in Launch and scale an SEO business using AI tools
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now:
Yes, Google knows you’re using AI.
And honestly? It’s fine.
It’s 2025 — ChatGPT writes resumes, your smart fridge reorders oat milk before you run out, and your aunt’s dog has its own TikTok. So, yeah… using AI to help with SEO content? That’s not exactly top-secret behavior.
But — and this is a big ol’ but — Google does care how you’re using it.
Are you cranking out 50 pages of fluff each morning, hoping they magically rank for “best crypto pillowcases”? Or are you crafting thoughtful, helpful content with AI as your sidekick?
That’s the line. That’s the vibe. And that’s what we’re gonna break down here.
So, How Does Google Actually Feel About AI Content?
Let’s clear up the confusion, shall we?
Google doesn’t hate AI content. What it hates is low-quality content — whether it’s written by a human, a robot, or your sleep-deprived cat.
As of 2025, Google’s stance is basically this:
“We reward helpful content made for people. Not for search engines.”
Boom. That’s it.
So the question becomes: Is your AI content actually helpful?
Or are you just keyword-stuffing and hoping for a miracle?
The Helpful Content System: Still Alive & Kickin’
Back in late 2022, Google dropped the “Helpful Content Update,” and let me tell you — it ruffled feathers.
Fast-forward to now, and the Helpful Content System is still a big part of how Google decides what to show on the first page (and what to bury in the internet’s graveyard… aka page 2).
Here’s what Google looks for:
- Is it written for real people? Not bots.
- Does it answer a genuine question? Or just dance around it?
- Is it unique and based on real experience? Or copy/pasted noise?
- Does it demonstrate expertise? Even if it’s not a “YMYL” topic.
The good news? AI can actually help you hit all those marks — if you use it right.
“But Wait… Can Google Tell If My Content Was Written by AI?”
Short answer: Probably.
Longer answer: It doesn’t really matter — as long as your content is good.
Look, Google’s crawlers are getting smarter. Machine-generated content often leaves little breadcrumbs: overly formal phrasing, weird repetition, robotic intros like “In this blog post, we will explore…” (you know the one).
But if you use AI to enhance your human-written content — with outlines, brainstorming, light drafting, or translation help — you’re well within safe territory.
Just don’t lean on it blindly. It’s a co-pilot, not the captain.
🧠 How to Use AI and Still Stay Compliant (and Actually Rank)
Alright, let’s break this into actionable stuff. Here’s how to work with AI, not against Google:
- Start with Real Expertise or Experience
AI doesn’t know your lived experience. It wasn’t there when you spent 6 hours fixing a Shopify bug, or when that supplier ghosted you during Q4. You were.
So infuse your content with you-ness — your weird metaphors, funny side stories, real feedback from clients, screenshots, voice memos, all of it.
That human touch? Google loves it. Readers love it. Win-win.
- Use AI for Structure, Not Soul
Here’s what AI is great at:
- Generating blog outlines
- Drafting SEO titles
- Giving you 10 intro ideas
- Rewriting things more clearly
- Summarizing data-heavy reports
Here’s what AI sucks at (sorry, buddy):
- Humor
- Empathy
- Emotional nuance
- Storytelling with heart
- Opinions with weight
So let AI build the skeleton — but you bring the flesh and blood.
- Edit Like a Real Human (Because You Are One)
Once AI gives you a draft? Don’t just hit publish.
Read it out loud. Add personality. Remove weird phrasing. Sprinkle in idioms and references from real life — like “ranking like a grandma on Red Bull” or “optimizing like it’s hot.” (Okay, maybe not that one.)
Seriously, your editing voice is what makes AI content sparkle instead of snooze.
- Cite Real Sources. Link to Experts. Add Trust.
AI can guess, but it doesn’t cite. So make sure to:
- Link to primary sources
- Reference experts (and give credit)
- Add quotes or stats from trusted sites
- Embed original thoughts or firsthand research
This not only helps with E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust), it also keeps you out of the “hallucination danger zone” that AI sometimes falls into.
- Focus on Usefulness, Not Word Count
There’s a myth floating around that Google only ranks long content. Nope.
Google ranks useful content.
If your post solves a question in 400 words — cool. If it needs 2,000, also cool. Just don’t add fluff for the sake of SEO.
And yes, readers can tell when you’re padding. So can Google.
Real-Life Story Time: The Blog That Bombed… and Then Blew Up
Let me share a quick one.
A student in my course — let’s call her Jenna — used ChatGPT to write a product review blog. She pasted it in, did zero editing, slapped on a clickbait title, and published.
Crickets.
Then she redid the post: added her personal opinion, a short story about how the product helped her mom, linked to Reddit threads with real feedback, and embedded a YouTube review.
That blog now brings in over 4,000 visitors/month.
Same topic. Same intent. One felt real. The other didn’t.
That’s the difference.
What About Google’s AI Watermarking or Content Detection?
It’s true that Google has been exploring tools to detect AI-generated content. But these aren’t designed to punish creators — they’re aimed at spam farms churning out thousands of junk pages.
As long as your AI-assisted content is genuinely helpful, you’re not the target.
Focus on quality, and you’re fine. Seriously.
TL;DR – Quick Survival Guide
Here’s your takeaway cheat sheet:
✅ Use AI to brainstorm, outline, and lightly draft
✅ Add your own stories, opinions, and weirdness
✅ Edit like a human, not a machine
✅ Link to trustworthy sources
✅ Write for people, not just search engines
✅ Don’t be shady, spammy, or soulless
Final Thoughts (a lil’ heart-to-heart)
Look — this AI wave is huge. And it’s easy to feel like you’re either riding it or getting totally dunked.
But here’s the thing:
You don’t need to write like Shakespeare or code like Zuckerberg. You just need to show up with real value, empathy, and a willingness to learn.
Use AI to enhance what you already know and feel. Let it support your work — not substitute it.
And always — always — remember: SEO isn’t about tricking Google. It’s about helping people. That’s never going out of style.