The AI Content Glut and How It’s Driving More Google Algorithm Updates

Influencer Daily Staff

When it comes to the Search division of its business, Google’s goal is to provide users with the most valuable experience possible by delivering the most helpful, high-quality search results with minimal navigation required.

However, that grew more challenging as generative AI tools became publicly available over the past few years. Unfortunately, many continue to abuse AI tools, creating content and pages at scale to achieve higher organic rankings without any intent of delivering genuine value to users.

Google is addressing the issue through more frequent algorithm updates.

There’s More Low-Quality Content on the Web Than Ever Before

The widespread use and misuse of AI for content creation has led to an incredible volume of low-quality, unhelpful content cluttering Google SERPs—a space that the search giant itself, advertisers, and SEO professionals would like to see protected from would-be manipulators.

Like it or not, most of the digital marketing industry depends on people finding what they’re looking for when they use Google. If spammy sites and unhelpful content get in their way, they’re less likely to use Search, which means reduced ROAS and ROI for sites investing in SEM.

Content is king, and Google has made no secret of this fact.

But no matter how much guidance Google publishes on the importance of creating helpful, high-quality content—and even specific steps to create and evaluate such content—there are still those who view SEO as a volume problem that can be solved by pushing out as much content as possible, as quickly and cheaply as they can.

How Google Preserves SERP Quality

This low-quality content is designed to manipulate search rankings and does nothing to benefit users, which is why Google wants to keep it out of search results.

Google makes no distinction between content created by humans and AI-generated content. Poor quality is poor quality, regardless of the source.

But in practical terms, it’s much faster and costs far less to use AI for the production of such content, which is why there’s so much of this content on the web these days.

To filter low-quality, unhelpful, and unoriginal content out of search results, Google regularly updates systems and policies. Algorithm updates targeting ranking quality, like the March 2024 core update, have become more common.

Paired with this latest update were three new and improved spam policies targeting three forms of abuse: scaled content, site reputation, and expired domain.

Combined with prior updates and enhancements, Google expects the March 2024 core update to reduce low-quality content on SERPs by 40%. It’s an impressive figure, and Google will certainly continue to work toward a better search experience for users.

Do Google Updates Make SEO More Challenging?

Each time Google releases an update to its algorithms and systems, SEOs all over the world hold their heads in their hands. Then, they take to industry forums to vent and seek guidance from colleagues.

These are the reactionaries. Despite repeated and frequent guidance not to, they focus on the algorithm and how that impacts their website performance.

Sure, Google’s updates can throw a wrench in the works now and then, especially the unconfirmed updates. But if website traffic takes a hit, it’s unlikely that the revised algorithm simply and suddenly no longer likes that site.

Instead, the site probably needs to be optimized with higher-quality, more helpful content built around a thoroughly researched keyword strategy, as well as a better user experience and technical improvements.

The best way to avoid traffic drops is to take a proactive approach to quality content creation and site optimization. Brands don’t have to wait to act until conversions have fallen by 45%.

Getting started involves performing market research, developing a strategy, and identifying opportunities for site improvements that can drive KPIs.

Stay Ahead of The Curve by Focusing on Users

Simply reacting to SEO industry chatter or Google updates is a good way for a business to end up chasing its tail.

Focusing on users is the key to staying ahead of the SEO curve.

As mentioned above, Google continues enhancing Search in order to meet users’ needs and deliver the most valuable search experience. Websites that are clearly aligned with Google’s goals stand a better chance of performing well on SERPs.

Users don’t want to bounce from result to result in order to find the helpful content they’re looking for. They don’t want to waste time on low-quality, AI-generated content that was only created with search engines in mind.

Yes, SEO is more challenging than ever. But it’s even tougher for those who remain ignorant to user intent and Google’s beyond-adequate guidance.

Businesses will continue to err by hitching their brands to deficient content that was generated by AI and hastily slapped onto pages with little to no human review. And they will continue to wonder why they see subpar returns from digital channels.

But those who focus on user intent and how to satisfy it with high-quality, helpful, original content are far more likely to position themselves as top organic search performers.

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