If you are a medical professional, it is very likely you rely on AI-generated content for your medical website. You have very limited time and understand how time-consuming medical websites can be. However, they are extremely effective for the growth of a medical business. With all of the demands a successful medical website has, it almost seems impossible to keep up with it yourself, especially the content. Anyone that is familiar with online marketing strategies knows how important consistent content posts are, but content creation requires a significant amount of time and effort. This is why medical professionals — dentists, physicians, doctors, med spas, chiropractors, etc. rely on AI-generated content. If you are a medical professional who relies on AI-generated content for your medical website, it is time to reconsider this strategy as it is a strategy that is against Google’s guidelines. Any AI-generated content will be flagged and the website owner will be penalized.
What is AI-Generated Content?
AI-generated content, or AI-written content, is content that an artificially intelligent program writes for a website. Essentially, it is a computer-based program that generates content for its users. Website owners utilize AI for their written content because it is a time-consuming task, and may require additional help to complete. It is a job within itself, and automatically generated content usually spares the website owner money and time. It’s fast, cheap, and effective.
Is AI-Written Content Against Google’s Guidelines?
AI-written content is against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. AI writing tools are against Google’s guidelines because it is considered to be auto-generated content, and auto-generated content is indeed spam content. As you may know, spam content is also against Google’s guidelines.
Will Google Penalize for AI-Written Content on My Website?
You will be penalized if Google detects AI-generated content on your website. A Google manual actions report will be filed. Web users are able to submit a manual action report if they feel your website is violating Google’s guidelines. There is no say in if Google will detect AI-written content on your website, however, it may not be worth the risk.
What Will Happen if My Website is Penalized by Google?
If your medical website is penalized by Google, it will negatively impact your growth. The pages that have AI-generated content, or possibly even your entire medical website will either receive a lower ranking or be completely omitted from search results. This means web users will not be able to see your website on search result pages, which can significantly decrease the visibility of your medical website. As a result, your entire search engine optimization (SEO) will be affected.
Will I be Notified if My Website is Penalized by Google?
Google will notify web owners who are receiving a penalization as a result of violating Google’s guidelines. This notification can be seen in the manual actions report, and in the search console message center.
Why is AI-generated Content Against Google’s Guidelines?
John Mueller, a Google search advocate, explained that AI-generated content is against Google’s Guidelines because it is essentially spam content on the pages of your website. AI-generated content was not created for the sake of its viewers. Instead, it is normally created to dominate competitors in the search engine ranking systems.
Why am I being Penalized for Auto-generated Content?
Google will penalize website owners for auto-generated content because it can affect rankings on search engines. It is unfair to receive a high search engine rank if the content throughout your website is AI-created. Alternatively, there are website owners that dedicate hours, time, and money to their website content and create thorough, efficient content that will still be beaten by websites that use artificial intelligence for content creation. In order to improve search, and defeat spam content, Google has come forth with the decision of penalizing websites that have auto-generated content.
What will be Flagged as AI-generated Content?
There is a list of reasons why your website may be flagged for AI-generated content. Here are a few reasons why you will be flagged and penalized:
- Text that has keywords, but has no purpose, meaning, or doesn’t make any sense
- Text translation from an automated tool that wasn’t reviewed or edited by a human prior to publication
- Text that was created and generated by an automated process
- Text that does not have value to its readers
Read more about which content will be penalized here.
How is AI-generated Content Beneficial?
AI-generated content is beneficial because it is an effective marketing strategy. The more content you have on your website and its pages, the better chance it has to reach its targeted audience. Additionally, website owners save money by relying on a writer, as well as time by receiving the content instantly.
How does Google Detect AI-generated Content?
AI-written content is very easy to find. Though artificial intelligence has come a long way, it still has quite a way to go when it comes to writing. AI-generated content is difficult to understand because it does not make sense. The flow of AI-written content is messy and unclear. Additionally, it is low quality and contains grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
How do I Avoid Penalties from Google because of AI-written Content on my Website?
In order to avoid penalties on your website, you will need to revise and edit all AI-written content on the pages of your website. This can be very beneficial for more reasons than one. Not only will you avoid penalties and the risk of decreasing your chances of visibility, but you will also be updating your website which looks good to website visitors and to Google as well. This can take a lot of time but will be worth it. Here are suggestions for website owners who want to improve their AI-generated content:
- Proofread: Read the content on your website that was AI-generated. Ensure it makes sense and correct the content that does not make sense. You will most likely discover a lot of irrational and unreasonable content.
- Fix grammatical issues: AI-generated content will most likely create content with grammatical and punctuation errors. Fix all of these errors and use spell check.
- Format: Adjust the format of each AI-created article to make it appealing and an easy-to-read article.
- Check the statistics: AI-generated content will include statistical and factual information. For any statistical or factual information, you can remove it, ensure it is correct, or update it.
- Research: Do research on necessary topics to make the best headlines and receive a high rank on search engines.
- Expand: Expand paragraphs on your articles and blogs with information you already know or have learned through research.
Can AI-written Content Really Affect My Ranking on Search Engines?
Though it may not be nearly as effective as human-created content, it is possible for AI-written content to affect your ranking on search engines. This is why many medical professionals utilize AI-generated content for their websites, it’s an easy way to create more content, which is important when trying to reach the top pages of search engines. The more content your website has, the better. Additionally, the more keywords throughout the pages of your website, the better. AI-generated content can distribute a lot of content that contains keywords in a quick manner. Keep in mind that the content AI-generators create is poorly structured and written, and could result in penalties such as losing your spot on search engines.
How do Medical Facilities Run their Business while Creating Content for their Website?
There are many ways you can maintain your medical website, but what really matters is if you are using effective methods. If you are contributing some time to your website, but have noticed it does not have a purpose, it is because you are not using the correct methods and strategies. In fact, your medical website can significantly increase the number of website visitors with efficient content, which leads to more business for your medical facility. This is why many medical professionals rely on AI-generated content. It’s cheap and efficient, but since it is no longer permitted, now is a good time to explore alternate options. Fortunately, there are many other ways to create quality content for your medical website.
If you were relying on AI-generated content or recently considered it and now feel lost on what to do without it, do not panic. There are several approaches to consider for content creation. The easiest way to ensure your website is staying consistent with content is by hiring an online marketing agency. Hiring the correct online marketing agency will allow you to focus on your medical facility, while they create and upload content for your medical website. Though marketing agencies may cost more than AI-generated content, the content they create is written by a professional who will write, upload, maintain, and edit the content if necessary. This means the content is created by a human rather than a robot, and the content has a significant meaning. Furthermore, you don’t run the risk of losing visibility on search engines.
The alternative option is to create your own content for your medical website. This requires a lot of time and effort if it were to be done yourself. Here are the main points to keep in mind if you are going to create content yourself:
- Creating content is extremely time-consuming
- You may find it difficult to find topics to write about
- An effective blog post is lengthy
- Some blogs require an extensive amount of research
- You will need to give up a lot of your free time
- The blogs need to be interesting and meaningful
- You need to have proficient writing, grammar, and punctuation skills
Consider how effective blog posts can be for your medical website. It increases the chances of reaching your intended audience and introduces your medical facility to your targeted audience. For this reason, it’s important that the content is well-written, purposeful, and free of errors. Additionally, blog posts should be posted weekly, bi-weekly, or more, in order for search engines to present your website as a result. If you are going to create content yourself but are unsure where to start, here are some tips on how to create content for your medical website.
1. The title of the blog matters
The title of the blog is what will reel web searchers and potential clients in. Essentially, it should infer that you have an answer to their question, and set the tone and the mood of the article. For the sake of medical professionals, consider common questions patients ask and use these as a title. Expand on this topic and answer the question within the article. For example, If you run a fertility clinic, one question you might be asked often is — How long is the IVF process? This question could be the title of a blog post and the blog would include the process of IVF and any noteworthy points regarding this topic. Alternatively, you could write ‘How to’ blogs. For example, if you run a med spa that offers chemical peel facials and have noticed a common question is — What do I do after my chemical peel? You could write a blog titled: How to care for your skin after a chemical peel. The title should be interesting enough for potential patients to feel inclined to click on it.
2. Identify your targeted audience
Identifying your intended audience may seem like a given, however, your targeted audience should be more than just your practice patients. For example, you should be more specific if you are an ear nose, and throat doctor (ENT) and have come up with “ENT patients” as your targeted audience. You need to consider geographics, age, gender, etc. As an ENT doctor, you have a much larger audience to target as opposed to a fertility clinic, or varicose vein treatment facility. This will help you choose what to write about, and how to write it. An elderly varicose vein patient will not want to read about varicose veins in adolescents. Furthermore, you won’t receive a lot of website traffic because a majority of patients will be elderly. Ensure you are targeting the correct audience to increase website traffic.
3. Write meaningful and effective content
If you don’t know how to write meaningful and effective content, research the topic prior to writing the blog. This will spark some ideas and allow you to expand on the information you are already knowledgeable of. Offer your audience meaningful info they have not yet read about before. Many blog writers just rewrite blogs they have read. If you are going to do this, ensure you add more valuable information so it isn’t a piece that users have read before.
4. Captivate your audience with the intro
This is something AI-generated content lacked. Make sure the first few sentences or the first paragraph leave the reader wanting to learn more. Ask a question, or point out statistical facts. Point out something they can relate to and a topic most patients seem to discuss. This will lead the reader to feel like they want to read more, and possibly even lead them to your website to explore for more information.
5. Use keywords effectively
We are all aware of how important keywords are. However, you don’t want to use keywords just to have them in your article. Use keywords if they fit into the sentence, title, and headings. Many blog writers will throw them in a sentence even if they don’t make sense. This may also lead to penalties as Google might think it was AI-written.
6. Be organized
Web searchers will not want to read an article if the page looks unorganized. It is more likely for users to stay on a page if it is organized. A lot of web users skim articles and will easily become uninterested if an article is just one huge paragraph. Break the paragraphs into pieces and use bullet points, headings, and subheadings to break down the article. For example, if you own a med spa and are writing a blog about the best drugstore skincare products, break it down with headings and subheadings. Each product is discussed under its own heading. This creates a more organized, easy-to-read article.
7. Use images
Kids prefer to read books with visuals, and so do adults. Inserting images into your blog post is similar to a reading break. It also adds emotion to the article and catches the reader’s attention. Choose images that convey the text and article. Be sure you are using images that do not have a copyright to avoid further penalties.
8. Insert links
Inserting links throughout your article allows both users and Google to determine whether it’s spam or not. If you briefly discussed a topic you do not want to expand on, you can link a page that does further expand on this topic, making it easy for the readers to understand your article. Additionally, you can link websites you have used for statistical information, which creates trust and credibility for the user. Ensure the links you insert are relevant to the article. If you are a dentist who is writing about cavities, you don’t want to insert a link that takes readers to a page about Botox. The links need to be relevant, and direct readers to a site with more information or resources.
9. End your blog strongly
Though the title and introduction to the blog are very important, the ending paragraph is equally as important. This is where you create a call to action and sell your services, or products, to readers. Remind the readers about why they clicked on the article in the first place and end with a solution to their problem. The solution should be a service or product you offer, so it leads them directly to the main page of your website. For example, if you are a chiropractor, encourage them to contact a chiropractor to alleviate their pain.
10. Get an opinion
If you are new to writing content for your website, it is best to get a second opinion for each article or blog that you write. This can just be from a friend or a family member. Ask them to read over the article to see if there is anything you can expand on, or fix. It never hurts to get a second opinion and another pair of eyes will do more good than harm. You’ll be surprised with how many errors you did not catch even after rereading the article several times.
11. Create a schedule
Creating a consistent schedule for blog posts is key. This will allow your website to increase organic traffic and bring awareness to your brand. You should be posting content on a regular basis. The more blogs you post a week, the better. However, for starters, one to two blog posts a week is recommended.
Recap
We hope that this article has relieved your panic and stress caused by Google’s content announcement. Discovering that AI-generated content or AI-written content is against Google’s guidelines is frightening. It means you not only need to create content yourself, but it also means you need to review previous content that was written by AI and adjust it accordingly. Don’t panic about the news regarding AI-generated content. Read Google’s Guidelines to get a better understanding and learn more about how an online marketing agency can help.