Writing is hard. There’s a reason “writer’s block” is a universal phrase. We’ve all been there, staring at a blank screen, willing words to appear. Now, content demand is only growing. Businesses need blog posts, landing pages, social captions, email sequences, and more—all at a pace faster than audience consumption.
Enter AI. Tools like ChatGPT and others have quickly become indispensable for marketers looking to save time and streamline content creation. But a big question lingers: If we lean too heavily on AI, will it hurt our search engine rankings?
That’s the heart of the debate. After all, one of the main objectives of a content marketing strategy is to rank for SEO. Pumping out content quickly is great, but is it really benefiting your business if it never ranks, drives traffic, or converts?
In this blog, we’ll answer that question, examine how Google actually treats AI content, and share best practices for blending AI and human writing into content that ranks, resonates, and drives results.
Does Google penalize you for using AI?
The short answer is no. Google has been clear on this point. In its Search Quality Rating Guidelines, the company states:
“The use of Generative AI tools alone does not determine the level of effort or Page Quality rating. Generative AI tools may be used for high quality and low quality content creation.”
Basically, Google doesn’t care if you used AI, as long as the content is helpful, reliable, and people-first.
In fact, a recent Semrush study compared the search rankings of AI-generated versus human-written content. The findings were practically identical. About 57% of AI-generated content and 58% of human-written content appeared in the top ten Google search results.
The takeaway for marketers is that content created with AI assistance can rank, drive traffic, and even generate conversions. The deciding factor isn’t the tool you use—it’s the value of the information and how well it serves your audience.
How can you optimize marketing copy for Google rankings?
If Google isn’t penalizing AI, what does it prioritize?
At the highest level, Google’s ranking systems are designed to show helpful, reliable content written for people—not search engines. That means focusing on a few specific things:
- Quality matters more than method. Whether content is human-written, AI-assisted, or a mix of both, Google rewards material that actually helps readers solve problems and answer their questions. That means shallow, repetitive, or keyword-stuffed posts won’t perform well—even if they’re written entirely by people. On the flip side, thoughtful AI-assisted content that’s reviewed and enriched by humans can perform just as strongly as traditional copy. The focus should always be on creating content that provides genuine value, not simply hitting a word count or publishing frequency goal.
- Focus on E-E-A-T. Google’s quality guidelines emphasize Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Content that demonstrates these qualities—through first-hand insights, cited sources, clear author attribution, and up-to-date information—will consistently outperform generic material. For marketers, this means weaving in case studies, client examples, expert commentary, or personal stories that AI cannot replicate. Even something as simple as including a byline with your credentials can help boost perceived authority and trust in Google’s eyes.
- Deliver a great user experience. Rankings aren’t just based on the text; they also consider how users interact with a page. Google thinks about factors like page load speed, mobile responsiveness, navigation, and overall readability when deciding what to show at the top of search results. A blog post that’s beautifully written but takes too long to load on mobile will struggle to rank. Likewise, overly long paragraphs or poor formatting can discourage readers from engaging. Marketers should think holistically: strong copy paired with a seamless, user-friendly experience will always win out.
Google does implement spam policies, which target manipulative practices like keyword stuffing, content scraping, or mass auto-generated posts that add no real value. AI misuse could fall into this category—but so could human misuse. As long as you’re creating thoughtful, unique, and people-first content, you’re on the right side of the line.
What are some best practices for using AI in marketing copy?
So, if Google doesn’t penalize AI, marketers should feel free to embrace it—right? Yes, but with a major caveat: AI is a tool, not a replacement.
Think of AI as today’s version of spellcheck on steroids. It can make your writing sharper, faster, and more organized. But, just like spellcheck, it isn’t perfect and it can’t replicate your unique perspective or brand voice.
Here are a few best practices for marketers to keep in mind when using AI for creating marketing copy:
- Always apply human oversight. AI can get you most of the way there, but the last few miles—fact-checking, tone, brand alignment, insights—require a human touch.
- Add unique value. Share personal experiences, data from your business, or industry expertise that AI can’t generate. This is what elevates your content, creating differentiation from your competitors and value to your audience.
- Use AI for support, not shortcuts. Let it help with outlining, research, editing drafts, or rephrasing for clarity. Don’t just copy-paste outputs.
- Maintain a consistent brand voice. AI tends to sound generic; it’s your job to refine it into something authentic.
- Optimize naturally. Use internal links, cite credible sources, and weave in keywords in a way that feels organic.
According to Semrush, 73% of marketers already use a mix of AI and human input in their content strategy. The most successful ones see AI as the smartest assistant they ever had and a great help IF given the right guidance. Marketers must move past the notion of being passive prompt writers who copy and paste. Instead, consider yourself as the active conductor of the orchestra as you work to direct AI generators and other helpful tools to work together with your own discretion to help craft the best marketing content for your company.
AI + human insight = Marketing content that wins
AI content can absolutely rank on Google and bring meaningful results when used wisely. But if your entire strategy is to copy-paste AI outputs, you’re missing the point. The brands that succeed will be the ones that use AI as a productivity booster without losing the human touch.
By combining AI efficiency with human creativity and oversight, you can produce content that ranks, builds trust, and drives organic growth—faster and easier. AI will continue to evolve, but one thing won’t change: marketing is about people. As long as businesses stay people-centric and committed to understanding their customers, they’ll succeed—no matter what tools they use.
For help developing and implementing your content marketing strategy, Get in touch with us for a free 60-minute consultation.
