No, Google does not penalize content simply because AI wrote it. Its published guidance allows appropriate use of AI and automation. For a practice or local business owner, the next question is what a vendor wants to publish under your name. Ask what each page helps a reader do, who has checked its claims, and why it belongs on your site before you approve the work.
What Google says about AI content
Google says: "Appropriate use of AI or automation is not against our guidelines" in its February 2023 guidance. It also says using AI offers no special ranking benefit. Using automation mainly to manipulate search rankings violates its spam policies.
Google defines scaled content abuse around pages made to manipulate rankings instead of helping people, however those pages are made. The phrase "not helping users" is part of its spam policy definition.
Use that distinction when reading a proposal. Ask the vendor to explain the purpose of each planned page in plain words. A treatment page might help someone understand what to ask at a consultation. A location page might help someone choose the right office. Request that kind of explanation before discussing how many pages to order.
Look closely at batches of city pages
Google warns that generating many pages "without adding value for users" may violate its scaled content abuse policy. That warning appears in its guidance on generative AI content. Treat a proposal for a large batch of city pages as a reason to ask for a closer review.
Picture a practice considering pages for nearby towns. The proposed copy repeats the same service description and changes only the town name. Before approving it, ask what someone in each town would learn from that page. Can the vendor point to useful details beyond the swapped name?
For pages about real offices, request confirmed details about that office. Check the services available there, the people a patient can see, and the booking instructions. Do not approve wording that suggests an office exists where you have none.
This is a practical review example, not a ruling on a particular site. Use it to question the purpose of the proposed pages. If you cannot explain what a reader gains from each one, ask the vendor to revise the plan before publishing.
Check medical, legal and business facts
Google says generative AI can produce inaccurate information. It calls for manual review before publication, including titles, meta descriptions, structured data and image alt text. See its accuracy guidance. Ask to review those items alongside the page copy.
For a dental practice or med spa, have the treating professional check health claims. Ask them to review statements about expected results, risks, suitability and recovery. Remove claims that the practice cannot support. Do not approve a treatment description just because it sounds familiar.
Have your office team confirm prices, payment terms, insurance details and credentials. Check those details for the specific location named on the page. If a claim needs an answer from someone else, hold that claim until you get it. Avoid filling gaps with estimates that could be read as your actual terms.
For a law firm, ask an attorney at the firm to review legal explanations and statements about services. For questions about advertising rules or your state board rules, check with your own counsel. Treat that as a separate review from checking Google's guidance.
Keep a record of the facts you approved and the questions still open. Ask the vendor to return revised copy for approval when a correction changes the meaning. Give the reviewer enough context to check the claim, including where it will appear.
A checklist for any vendor's pages
Ask for a finished page and its supporting details before approving a batch. Use the questions below for work from any vendor. Make the answers part of your review, so that approval means more than agreeing that the text reads well.
- What question does this page answer? Ask the vendor to name the reader and the decision the page should help with. Read it from that person's point of view.
- Why does it need a separate page? Compare it with the pages you already have. Ask what it adds and which repeated passages could be removed.
- Where did the facts come from? Request support for treatment claims and confirmation of business details. Mark anything that still needs an answer from your team.
- Who checked the facts? Ask for the reviewer's name and what they reviewed. For clinical or legal copy, assign the relevant professional to check the substance.
- Does it describe your actual business? Confirm locations, services, credentials, prices and insurance wording. Look for promises your team has not approved.
- Can you review the full package? Request the title, search description, structured data and image descriptions along with the visible copy. Ask for unclear technical fields to be explained.
- Who will fix an error? Agree how you will report corrections, who will make them, and how you will confirm the revised page is accurate.
Do not accept a page count as the whole scope. Ask for the proposed topics, the reason for each page, and the review steps you will take before publication. Put unresolved questions in writing.
Who should be named as the author?
Google recommends accurate bylines where readers would expect an author. It also suggests disclosures where readers would expect an explanation of how content was made. Listing AI as the author is not its preferred approach. See Google's byline and disclosure guidance.
Ask your vendor to show the proposed author credit before publication. Use a credit that matches the person's actual role. If a clinician reviewed an article, describe that role accurately. Get their approval before attaching their name or credentials.
Avoid adding a name just to make the page appear more trustworthy. Ask the named person to read the final version, including any changes made after their review. If your vendor proposes a disclosure, check that it explains what happened in language your patients or clients can understand.
What if those pages are already live?
Start by asking your vendor for a list of the pages in question. Review them against the same checklist. Note inaccurate claims, repeated copy, unclear author credits and pages whose purpose you cannot explain. Keep those notes tied to the page address so the fixes are easy to review.
Choose corrections based on the claims and reader needs you find. Ask for unsupported health or legal statements to be reviewed promptly. For overlapping city pages, ask the vendor to explain which pages should remain and what useful information each will contain.
Before agreeing to removals or a wider rebuild, request a written plan for the affected pages. Our guide to planning a redesign around SEO can help frame that discussion. Also ask how the vendor will report the work and its results. Read how to tell if your SEO is working for questions to bring to that review.
How WTM handles it
WTM Studio writes the page copy, and copy is included in the website price. SEO is quoted per project. No one can promise rankings, and our 180-day guarantee is about new patients and leads, not rankings. When discussing a project, ask which pages the proposed work covers and what is included in the quote.
Questions before you approve the pages
Is AI-written content automatically against Google's rules?
No. Google's guidance permits appropriate use of AI and automation; using it mainly to manipulate rankings violates its spam policies.
Does AI-written content get a ranking advantage?
No. Google says using AI gives content no special ranking benefit.
Should I approve location pages with only the city name changed?
Ask the vendor what each page adds for the reader before approving it. Google's scaled content abuse policy targets pages made mainly to manipulate rankings without helping people.
What should my team check besides the article text?
Review the titles, meta descriptions, structured data and image alt text too. Google includes those items in its guidance on checking AI-generated content for accuracy.
Should I put my dentist's name on every page?
Use a credit that reflects the dentist's actual role, and ask for approval before publishing it. If the dentist reviewed the material, say that accurately rather than assigning a writing credit by default.
Should I delete every page a vendor wrote with AI?
Start with a page review. Identify what is inaccurate, unsupported or repetitive, then ask for a correction plan based on those findings before agreeing to broad removals.