Google advises to seek third-party feedback and evaluate your AI translation quality before publishing.
John Mueller, a Google Search Quality team member, discussed the impact of AI-generated content on SEO during a Google office-hours Q&A session.
Part of the Q&A session focused on two questions: Using AI tools to create first-draft content and AI translation.
Here’s what Mueller advised.
AI-generated translations and non-indexing
The first question asked was, “How can one be transparent in the use of AI translations without being punished for AI-heavy content?”
John Mueller began by saying:
- “There’s no special markup that you can add to your pages to label them as automatic translations.”
He added that content creators should decide whether their content aligns with the quality standards they set for themselves.
Mueller explained further:
- “If the pages are well-translated, if it uses the right wording for your audience, in short, if you think they’re good for your users, then making them indexable is fine.”
John also advised that if you’re unhappy with a specific page translation, you can tell the search engines not to index them by including the noindex robots meta tag.
And finished by saying:
- “Ultimately, a good localization is much more than just a translation of words and sentences, so I would definitely encourage you to go beyond the minimal bar if you want users in other regions to cherish your site.”
Using AI to create initial content drafts
The second question hit on a topic many content creators are asking, especially since Google rolled out its Helpful Content Update last September.
The question was: “Is it against webmaster guidelines if we use AI tools to generate initial content drafts but have hired editors to humanize and review them?”
Since Google’s Helpful Content Update, Mueller has repeatedly emphasized that quality content is essential, not the tools you use to create it.
John explained:
- “What matters for us is the overall quality that you end up publishing on your website; if you’re using tools to help with spelling and formulations, that’s not a problem.”
But he added that doing so doesn’t mean you’ve created something Google will consider as high-quality content and advised creators to check out Google’s guidance on the subject:
- I’d recommend checking out our guidance about AI-generated content and going through the questions in our Helpful Content page.”
Mueller finished by encouraging content creators and website owners to seek third-party opinions, saying:
- “I realize it’s more work, but I find getting input from independent third-party folks on these kinds of questions extremely insightful.”
Google’s AI advice sounds familiar!
Mueller’s advice on using AI for first-draft content creation and translation is similar to what he advises for human content creation, I.E., Google doesn’t care if you use AI to create or translate; it cares about the quality you publish on your website.
That said, what Google’s mantra of “focus on quality” means is still anyone’s guess. As usual, Mueller didn’t elaborate on it or give any actionable advice.
The irony is that Mueller’s acknowledgment that AI creations aren’t inherently “high quality” was proven by Google’s disastrous AI Overviews launch in May.For now, content creators should evaluate the risks for themselves when using AI for content and translations, as it appears Google is still skeptical of the technology.
When he is not writing content, Terry can be found on his boat in Italy or chilling in his villa in Spain.
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