AI content that does not sound like AI: what Google thinks and how to rewrite it

Google does not penalize AI content: it judges whether a text is useful and original, however it was made. The real problem is your visitor. A text that sounds like AI says the same thing as your competitors’ texts. Then a customer has no reason to choose you.

What does Google think of AI content?

Google is fine with AI content, as long as it really helps the reader. On February 8, 2023, Google published an explanation of AI content. It says Google aims to reward original, high-quality content, however it is produced. Using AI mainly to manipulate your ranking in Google is spam.

The Q&A under the same post is even drier. Using AI gives a text no advantage. Is it useful and original, and does it show experience and expertise? Then it can rank well. If not, it will not.

Three Google documents together show where the line is:

What Google says	What it means for your site
Quality counts, however the text was made (explanation of AI content)	An AI text that really helps your customer may rank
Using generative AI to make many pages without value for the reader is scaled content abuse (spam policies)	A hundred posts that help nobody are spam, even if AI writes them neatly
Check AI content for accuracy, including titles, meta descriptions, structured data and alt text (guidance on generative AI)	If AI writes a meta description for you, read it before it goes live

Should you mention that AI helped write it? Google finds such a disclosure useful when a reader might wonder how a text was made. Listing AI as the author of an article is something Google advises against. Our advice: on a service or product page, mention nothing. On a blog post under your name, you are the author. You check the content and stand behind it.

Why an AI content detector tells you nothing

An AI detector gives a score, not proof. The strongest evidence comes from OpenAI itself. In January 2023 the maker of ChatGPT released its own tool to identify AI text. In its own test, the tool identified 26 percent of AI texts as likely AI. And it wrongly flagged 9 percent of human texts as AI.

OpenAI itself wrote that the tool was very unreliable on texts shorter than 1,000 characters. On July 20, 2023, it went offline because of its low accuracy.

An average paragraph on a service page is shorter than 1,000 characters. That is exactly the case where OpenAI did not trust its own detector.

We advise against using a detector as a quality check. Google looks at the content and never sees your tool’s score. Rewriting a text until a detector says “human” does not make it better for your customer. Use the reading test below instead.

How to recognize an AI text

The strongest signal is a text that could apply to any business. Empty words and predictable sentences stand out too.

Words that give away that ChatGPT helped

ChatGPT uses these words so often that readers recognize them as AI. They are listed here as examples of what to cut:

Word or phrase	Why it stands out	What to put instead
“crucial”, “essential”	Says something matters without saying why	What goes wrong if you do not do it
“In today’s digital world”, “in this day and age”	An opening that says nothing	The answer to your customer’s question
“seamless”, “hassle-free”	A promise without content	What you arrange: “we bill your dental insurance directly”
“a wide range of”	Hides that no choice was made	The three treatments people ask for most
“tailored solutions”	Every supplier says it	How you tailor: “we take a 3D scan of your jaw first”
“plays a key role”	Abstract, no action	What the thing does
“Moreover” or “Additionally” at the start of every paragraph	Lists without explaining	Start the paragraph with the content
“In conclusion” above the last paragraph	Repeats what was already said	Cut the paragraph or end with a next step

Sentence patterns that keep coming back

AI text also stands out by its rhythm. The sentences are about the same length. Every paragraph has three or four sentences, and everything is grammatically tidy. Four patterns appear almost every time. Here they are with a dental practice version before and after:

Pattern	Before	After
The list of three	“We work carefully, personally and painlessly.”	“With pain or a broken tooth, you can be seen the same day.”
The contrast that contrasts nothing	“It’s not just about beautiful teeth, it’s about a healthy mouth.”	“An implant replaces one tooth without grinding down the teeth next to it.”
The sentence for everyone at once	“Whether you need a checkup or are considering an implant, we’re here for you.”	“Missing a tooth? At the first consult we discuss whether an implant or a bridge fits better.”
The question that answers itself	“Why is oral hygiene important? Because it prevents problems.”	“Do your gums bleed when you brush? You can see our hygienist within two weeks.”

Also watch for the long em dash in the middle of a sentence. Language models use it strikingly often. A comma or a new sentence almost always reads better.

A structure that fits any business

The strongest clue is what is missing. An AI text written without input has no price, no timeframe, no place name, no brand and no example. You can swap your business name for a competitor’s and the text still holds.

A fixed form goes with it. The introduction repeats the question. The subheadings are all built the same way. Lists start with a bold word and a colon. And the last paragraph sums everything up.

The fastest test to recognize a ChatGPT text: underline every sentence that could also be on your competitor’s site. If less than half is left, the text is not yours.

Rewriting an AI text in six steps

You rewrite by filling the text with what only you know. Swapping in synonyms does not help. Google’s spam policies even name automated rewriting with synonyms as a way to disguise copied content.

1. Put the answer to the question people come to your page for in the first sentence. No run-up needed.
2. Search with Ctrl+F for the words from the table above and cut them. Often the whole sentence can go.
3. Turn every claim into a fact. “Fast” becomes a timeframe, “affordable” a price and “experienced” a number of years or treatments.
4. Add one example from your own work, such as a question patients often ask. That is the experience Google talks about in E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. How to show it is in showing experience with E-E-A-T.
5. Mix long and short sentences and read the text out loud. Whatever you would not say on the phone to a patient goes.
6. Finally, check every fact, including your title and description in the search results. Google explicitly asks for that with AI content.

Example: a dental practice in Charlotte

Ask ChatGPT only for “homepage text for a dentist in Charlotte” and you get this:

In today’s world, a healthy and radiant smile is more important than ever. At our dental practice in Charlotte, we understand that better than anyone. Whether you need a routine checkup or are considering an implant, our experienced team is here for you. We offer a wide range of tailored treatments, delivered with care, attention and an eye for detail. What’s more, we ensure a seamless experience, so you can smile with confidence. In short: you are in good hands with us.

The same paragraph after the six steps, with the dentist’s own input:

At our Charlotte practice, the same dentist handles your implant from start to finish. We take the 3D scan of your jaw in the office, so you do not need a referral to a hospital. Placement takes about an hour, under local anesthetic. The implant then heals for three months before the crown goes on. Up front you get a written estimate with a fixed price that you can submit to your dental insurance.

What changed:

	Before	After
Words	82	74
Concrete facts (place, method, duration, timeframe, pricing)	0	6
Sentences that also fit a competitor	7 of 7	2 of 5
Empty words from the table	7	0

The facts in the second version came from the dentist. AI was welcome to smooth the sentences.

Writing with AI: you supply the facts

Let AI do the structure and the first draft, and supply the facts yourself. In its guidance on generative AI, Google calls AI mainly useful for research and for structuring original content. That is our experience too. AI is good at order and wording. Knowing what your business does differently, it cannot.

So paste your facts into the chat first: your prices, your wait times and three questions from patients. Only then ask for a text. Ready-made prompts are in ChatGPT for SEO: 20 prompts.

What we advise against: do not let AI make a series of pages per town with the same text each time. Think of dentist Matthews, dentist Huntersville and dentist Mint Hill. Google’s spam policies call city pages that funnel visitors to one page doorway abuse. One good page about your service area, with real information per town, does more.

Do you also want ChatGPT and Perplexity to quote your text in their answers? They add requirements on facts and structure. Those are in the article on content that AI search engines cite.

A blog post for a question your site does not answer yet

GreatCompany works the other way around from a text generator. It measures your rankings in Google and whether ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity name your business. If there is a question your site has no answer to, GreatCompany writes a blog post. Blog posts are off by default; if you turn them on, they come for approval first.

The method for a whole blog post is in having AI write your blog.

Say many people want to know what an implant costs and your site has no page on it. Turn blog posts on, and first a proposal comes for approval, titled “What does a dental implant cost?”. You add your own prices and a treatment from your practice. Read how GreatCompany applies improvements to your WordPress site every week.

What else AI can do for your visibility is in AI SEO.

Where do you start today?

Open Search Console and pick the page with the most impressions. Read it out loud and underline every sentence that could also be on your competitor’s site. Then go through the six steps. One page a week is enough to make your most important pages your own within a quarter.

Want to know which pages come first? Read how to improve your SEO, page by page. If your site runs on WordPress, the rest of the work is in WordPress SEO from start to finish.