We build websites with AI, so we get asked this a lot, usually by someone who has read that Google punishes AI content. The short answer is no. Google doesn't rank a page lower because a machine wrote the first draft. It ranks pages lower when they're generic, wrong or copied, and AI happens to be very good at producing all three if nobody checks its work.
Here's what Google says, where AI-built sites go wrong, and what to check before yours goes live.
What Google says about AI content
Google's own documentation on generative AI is fairly relaxed about the tools themselves. It says generative AI "can be particularly useful when researching a topic, and to add structure to original content." Its ranking systems look at whether content is helpful and trustworthy, not at how it was typed.
The same page draws two clear lines.
The first is scale. Using AI "to generate many pages without adding value for users" can breach Google's spam policy on scaled content abuse. That policy applies "no matter how it's created", so it covers people with keyboards too. AI just makes it much faster to do.
The second is accuracy. Google says it's critical to "manually factcheck and review all AI-generated content for accuracy and trustworthiness before publishing." That includes the parts of a page people forget about: page titles, meta descriptions, business markup and image descriptions, because those show up in search results too.
So the rule is the one that applied before AI existed. Write pages that help the person searching, and make sure everything on them is true.
Where AI websites go wrong
Copy that could be about anyone
"We are committed to delivering high-quality solutions to our valued customers." AI loves sentences like this, and they tell a customer and Google nothing. Compare that with "Blocked drains cleared across Brisbane's northside, usually on the same day, with a fixed price before we start." The second one is specific, so it can match a search and give the reader a reason to call.
Generic copy is the most common problem on AI-built sites. It doesn't break any rule. It just gives Google no reason to show your page instead of the ten others that say the same thing.
Facts that aren't facts
AI fills gaps with confident guesses. Ask it for a plumber's homepage and it might add "family owned since 1998", a licence you don't hold, a suburb you don't service or a glowing review from a customer who doesn't exist. Google's documentation points out why: generative models don't look facts up, they predict likely words.
Made-up details are worse than a ranking problem. Misleading claims in your advertising can breach Australian Consumer Law, and your website counts as advertising. Some professions have extra rules, like AHPRA's limits on testimonials for registered health practitioners.
A page for every suburb
It takes AI seconds to write "Plumber in Chermside", "Plumber in Aspley" and fifty more pages like them, each with the suburb name swapped in. Google's spam policies name this pattern directly, under doorway abuse: pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel people to one place. It might work for a while. When Google catches up, it can hurt the whole site, not just those pages.
One strong page per service, with the areas you cover described in plain sentences, does better over time. If you really do have something different to say about a particular area, that page can earn its place.
Missing basics
Some AI website builders produce a nice-looking page and stop there. No proper page titles, no business markup, slow images, everything on one page so there's nothing to match a specific search. None of this is about AI, but quick builds skip it more often.
What a good AI-assisted site does instead
The sites that do well use AI for the slow parts and people for the parts that need judgement:
- Real information goes in. Your services, your areas, your prices if you share them, your licence number, your photos, your reviews. The draft can only be as specific as the brief.
- A person edits every page. Generic sentences get rewritten or cut, and the copy gets checked against what the business owner actually said.
- The owner checks the details. You know your business. Nothing should go live until you've read it.
- One page per real service. Not one per suburb.
- The technical basics are done. A unique title and description for each page, business markup, fast loading on a phone, and a Google Business Profile that matches the site.
How we use AI at Workshown
AI writes the first draft of each page from your brief. A designer then edits every page, rewrites anything that sounds like it could belong to someone else, and checks each claim against what you've told us. We don't add reviews, qualifications or years in business you haven't given us, and we don't make a page for every suburb. You check the details before anything goes live.
That's how a three-page site can be ready in days without reading like a template. If you want to see what that looks like for your business, ask for a free homepage preview. It's free, and you only pay if you go ahead. For what happens after launch, our local SEO checklist covers the Google Business Profile, reviews and directories.
Common questions
Can Google tell my website was written by AI?
Sometimes, maybe. It doesn't matter much, because Google hasn't said it ranks pages lower for being AI-written. Its systems try to reward content that's helpful and original. Generic AI copy tends to do badly because it's generic, not because of how it was made.
Should my website say it was written with AI?
For service pages, nobody expects a note about how the copy was drafted, just as nobody expects to know who proofread it. Google does suggest considering a short note on how content was made, such as how automation was used, where readers might reasonably wonder. What matters more is that every claim on the page is true.
Are AI website builders bad for SEO?
Not automatically. Check what they produce: a separate page for each main service, a unique title on every page, real text rather than text baked into images, fast loading on a phone, and a way to take your content with you if you leave. If you're comparing options, our guide to choosing a web designer in Brisbane has more questions to ask.