Have you been using AI tools to create content for your business? If yes, then you should be familiar with Google’s latest Search Quality Rater Guidelines. 

Google has recently changed how it evaluates AI-generated content. The bar is higher now, especially for content that feels mass-produced or says a lot without saying anything. 

You don’t need to stop using AI because of these changes. But you do need to change how you use it. Content that sounds robotic won’t do you any good, no matter how many keywords you stuff in or how clean the formatting.

In this blog, we’ll explain what “quality” looks like now and share some tips to keep your content from slipping into low-value territory.

What makes AI-generated content low-quality?

While AI can mimic tone and structure, it doesn’t think or feel what it’s writing. That’s where the cracks start to show. 

AI is a genuinely promising tool but it still needs a human touch to keep it grounded. On its own, AI tends to sound very… artificial. Some common AI writing patterns include repetitive phrasing, shallow insights and awkward tone shifts, among others. 

The best situation is when AI and human editors work together. You get the speed and structure of AI, and then you can add your context and storytelling.

So if you’re using AI to create content, don’t just let it do its own thing. Treat what it gives you as a rough draft that needs your editing eye. That’s when it will deliver real value to readers.

What’s Google doing about low-quality AI-generated content?

In March 2024, Google introduced a major update to clean low-quality pages that were stuffed with keywords but had no substance. Google clarified that it is going to be targeting “scaled content abuse”, which is the practice of publishing huge volumes of pages with little to no actual value. So if your content looks like it was mass-produced for clicks instead of genuinely helping readers, Google won’t like it. 

Since the update, Google claims that it has reduced the amount of “unoriginal or low-value” content appearing in search results by nearly 40%. This means that there’s now less room than ever for shortcuts.  

Does this mean you have to stop using AI? Not at all. But it does mean you should now focus less on how fast you can publish and more on the content’s purpose. 

What problem does it solve? Who is it really for? If you can answer these questions, you’re already ahead of the majority.  

What’s new in the 2025 Quality Rater updates?

The new changes sharpen how Google’s human reviewers (or “Quality Raters”) manually review search results. The big change is that there is now a bigger focus on originality and value.

These are the main takeaways from the update:

The September 2025 update brings clearer rules and more accountability.

In September, Google released a smaller update that clarified a few gray areas, especially around AI Overviews and Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) content.  

AI Overviews are those short summaries that appear at the top of search results. The new examples in the guidelines now show what makes a good AI summary. If you’re writing content that could appear in an AI Overview, you must now double down on accuracy and relevance.

Then there’s the YMYL category, which covers topics that affect people’s health, finances, safety, or understanding of the world. Google has expanded it to include “Government, Civics & Society.” So if your content can influence decisions or beliefs, it will be under Google’s microscope.  

The guidelines now use simpler language and more real-world examples.

The language throughout the Google Quality Rater Guidelines also got a refresh. Outdated examples were replaced by ones that reflect today’s internet dominated by AI tools and endless content recycling. 

The new examples show raters how to spot when content might look polished but lacks true value. The language is plainer, the tone more practical, and the message clearer.

Raters will also weigh how well content meets intent. So if someone searches “how to fix a dripping faucet,” and your article spends three paragraphs defining what a faucet is, that’s not helpful, even if it’s grammatically flawless.  

What’s the difference between “low” and “lowest” quality content?

Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines have drawn a sharper line between “low” and “lowest” quality content. Understanding that difference can save your site from slipping down the rankings while you wonder what went wrong.

“Lowest quality” is at the bottom of the barrel. This is the kind of content that exists purely to manipulate, mislead, or waste the reader’s time. Two common examples are clickbait headlines that overpromise but underdeliver and those thin affiliate posts that exist only to promote a link. In Google’s eyes, content like that drags down search results for everyone, which is why the algorithm works so hard to bury it.

“Low quality” is simply content that isn’t very good. It might be accurate but dull, or useful but very generic. It could be missing sources, depth, or a sense of real expertise.  

The difference between the two usually comes down to intention. 

Why does the content exist? If the answer is “to help someone,” it’ll probably be safe. If it’s “to rank for a keyword” or “to fill the calendar,” that’s when you slip into dangerous territory. Google’s raters are trained to spot that kind of hollow motivation.  

So how do you stay on the right side of that line? For that, you need to review your older content with a critical eye. Does it actually inform readers or teach them something new? Update or remove anything that doesn’t hold its own.  

5 ways to use AI without violating Google’s guidelines

Google isn’t out to punish you for using AI. What it’s really cracking down on is lazy AI. So you can absolutely use AI and still create content that earns trust and ranks well. Here are five ways to do it right:

1. Always make sure a real person edits the AI-generated content.

AI can do in seconds what used to take hours. But speed alone doesn’t make something worth reading. 

It’s tempting to skip the edit when the AI version looks “fine.” But read it again and notice how every sentence sounds a little too clean and the rhythm never breaks. That’s the problem. 

So when AI gives you a draft, don’t just skim and post. Good writing has texture. It has opinions, pauses, and the occasional imperfect sentence. Make sure your content has all of these. 

2. Make sure your content follows Google’s main quality standards.

If your main goal is to “rank for keywords,” you’ll be writing for robots. And ironically, Google’s robots don’t like that anymore. 

So make sure every content has a reason to exist. Does it help someone or teach something new? If not, you need to go back to the drawing board.

3. Use AI to support your voice, not take it over.

AI doesn’t know what it’s talking about, but you do. That’s why it’s a mistake to let it speak on your behalf without adding your experience. 

Use AI to structure your ideas or brainstorm ways to explain complex things more clearly. But the real authority has to come from you.  

4. Write like a human talking to another human.

There’s something about AI writing that feels too neutral and too forgettable. Readers can now pick up on that and they tune out. So add some personality to your content to pull readers in and build their trust in you.

5. Be intentional.

At the end of the day, the question is why the content exists. If your answer starts with “Because I needed to publish something this week,” you’re already on thin ice. Google can spot that kind of content, and so can your audience.

Treat AI as a tool and let it handle the outlines, phrasing, basic structure, etc. Then proofread it and add the insight that only experience can teach. That’s what separates “good enough” content from content that actually earns attention.

How to spot AI-generated content?

AI has gotten really good at pretending to be human. Sometimes even professional writers have to take a second look to tell the difference. Still, no matter how polished it sounds, AI-generated writing has a few telltale signs if you know where to look.

You can use detection tools to flag sentences that seem statistically “AI-like.” But the subtler problems only show up under a human editor’s review. 

These are the three best ways to catch AI-written text:

Step 1. Read it out loud. The human ear can catch what the eye glosses over.  

Step 2. Look for these red flags:

• Shallow insights: Statements that sound profound but say nothing. Phrases like “In today’s fast-paced digital world…” or “It’s important to leverage innovation…” are textbook AI fillers.
• Awkward phrasing: Sentences that look grammatically correct but sound weird when you say them out loud.
• Repetitive wording: If a key phrase appears ten or twelve times in a single article, an AI probably wrote it. AI tools tend to cling to the same phrasing when they don’t know what else to do. Humans, on the other hand, naturally vary their language.

Step 3. Trust your editors. Some editors have an almost supernatural ability to spot AI-generated text. So instead of relying on detection software, rely on professional writers.  

4 tips to use AI while maintaining high quality

It’s not easy to keep up with an internet that never sleeps. You’re expected to post more, rank faster and be everywhere, all while Google keeps tightening its rules.  

AI was supposed to make things easier, and in some ways, it has. You can brainstorm headlines on demand and draft a blog post in minutes. 

But faster doesn’t always mean better. The more the web fills with AI-generated text, the harder it is to stand out.

So how do you move quickly without losing your voice or your rankings? The answer is balance. Here’s how you can find it: 

1. Get your ideas out quickly, then take your time refining them.

Let AI brainstorm angles, structure outlines and generate the first draft. Then take your time editing. Rewrite the stiff parts and include something specific that only you could know. These small refinements are what give your content gravity.

2. Always double-check your facts before publishing.  

AI has a dangerous level of confidence in its wrongness. Therefore, every statistic or quote in your content must be verified. Readers will forgive typos but not misinformation.

3. Focus on quality over quantity.

Publishing twelve mediocre posts won’t outrank one original, well-researched one. Google’s algorithm is getting very good at recognizing effort. When it sees that you’ve done your homework, it rewards you.

4. Keep improving your content even after it’s published.

After publishing, watch how readers interact with the content. Where do they stop scrolling? What do they share? Use that feedback to adjust and improve your content.  

Partner with TechGlobe IT Solutions to improve your content strategy

By now, you’ve probably understood that Google’s new guidelines aren’t about punishing AI but about rewarding effort. It’s a wake-up call for anyone relying too heavily on automation. 

The days of generating a hundred near-identical blog posts and hoping for good SEO results are over. If your content doesn’t feel like it came from a real person with real experience, it will become invisible.

This is where the team TechGlobe IT Solutions can help. 

When creating content, we start with intent. Is it supposed to build trust, attract backlinks, convert readers, or educate your audience? Once we know that, we bring AI into the mix to build a structure. Every blog, every landing page, every piece of outreach is reviewed and rewritten by a human editor.  

If you’re tired of guessing what Google wants this month or rewriting your entire content strategy every time there’s an update, stop playing defense. Create content that lasts and sounds like it came from someone who’s actually done the work. 

We can help you do that. So if that sounds like what your brand needs, let’s talk.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

What are Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines and how do they affect my content?

Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines are the set of rules Google provides to its human reviewers. These are real people who read search results and rate their usefulness. Their feedback doesn’t directly change rankings, but it changes how Google tweaks its algorithms over time. These raters help teach Google what “quality” actually looks like. If you understand what they’re looking for, you know what Google’s systems will start valuing next.

How do the 2025 Quality Rater Guidelines updates affect AI-generated content?

The January 2025 update formally defined “generative AI” and added new sections on scaled content abuse. Then, the September 2025 update added real-world examples involving AI Overviews and tightened up definitions around YMYL topics. So if you’re using AI, you need to show originality, effort, and a human pulse.

How does Google define “scaled content abuse”?

Imagine someone flooding search results with near-identical pages stuffed with keywords and zero insight. That’s scaled content abuse. It doesn’t matter who wrote those pages. If the only purpose is to rank, not to help, Google is coming for it.

What’s the difference between “Low” and “Lowest” quality content?

“Low” is content that might have potential but falls short. It could be bland, unoriginal, or light on credibility.  “Lowest” is content that’s actively harmful or manipulative. Examples are clickbait scams or fake medical advice. Google is not subtle about this and may remove “lowest” quality content from the search results immediately.

Does Google penalize AI-generated content?

Google doesn’t care who wrote it but how good it is. If your AI-assisted content is accurate and offers real value, it’s fine. If it’s shallow or repetitive, it’ll get buried in search results.

How can I check if my AI-generated content meets Google’s standards?

Start with a detection tool if you must. Then run a human edit. Look for giveaway signs like generic phrasing and overly neat conclusions. Then, add your own personality to turn machine output into something people actually want to read.

What exactly is “filler content,” and why does Google hate it so much?

Filler content is fluffy and very unsatisfying. It’s there to take up space and not to add value. The 2025 Quality Rater Guidelines calls out “filler” as a signal of lower quality. If a reader can skip half your article and still understand it perfectly, that’s a red flag.

How do the new YMYL definitions affect my business content?

Does your site cover health, finance, safety, or civic topics? These are high-stakes categories, and Google expects accuracy and transparent sourcing here. If you’re using AI to write this kind of material, double (or triple) the fact-checking.

What’s the trick to keeping both speed and quality high with AI?

Use AI to brainstorm, outline, and draft. Then verify everything and inject your brand’s actual voice into the content. Keep refining your published content for the best results.