Earlier this month, Google released an update to Search called the ‘helpful content update’ which introduces an automated ranking system that promotes original and helpful content in search results. According to Business Insider, however, many content creators are complaining that their original content is being pushed down the results in favour of AI-created content.
As large language models like ChatGPT were developed using information from the web in the first place, it’s more likely that rehashed content will be included in and AI-generated content. This seemingly flies in the face of the aim to promote original content.
Summarizing the update, Google wrote:
‘Google Search's helpful content system generates a signal used by our automated ranking systems to better ensure people see original, helpful content created for people in search results. This page explains more about how the system works, and what you can do to assess and improve your content.’
Business Insider pointed to a thread on the WebmasterWorld.com forum for website owners with one person complaining that their ‘long-form, well-written, well-researched, filled with original image content’ was losing out on Google Search to ‘500 word AI generated c***’. The user suggested that Google was forcing people to publish ‘AI spam or die’.
Google publishes new updates for its search engine on a frequent basis to improve the experience and to stop people manipulating the search results with their worse content. These changes can cause users to lose traffic temporarily until they update parts of the website to better fit the requirements of the new search algorithm updates.
With the latest update, Google recommends that website owners check out its self-assessment guide to see if their websites meet the latest requirements. If you are a website owner that has been negatively impacted then that guide is the place to start looking for a solution.
Source: Business Insider
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