{"id":2971,"date":"2025-06-17T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/websites-using-ai-content-grow-5-faster-new-research-report\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T09:00:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:00:21","slug":"websites-using-ai-content-grow-5-faster-new-research-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/websites-using-ai-content-grow-5-faster-new-research-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Websites Using AI Content Grow 5% Faster [+ New Research Report]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>We surveyed 879 marketers to understand how generative AI is changing content marketing: the workflows, the costs, the results\u2026and the\u00a0risks.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019re looking at the performance of AI content. Does it rank? Does it perform better or worse than human content? Is it riskier than human content?<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Read the full research report<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>Download and read the full PDF report here (no email required): <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-by-Ahrefs.pdf?utm_source=blog_post_2&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=state_of_ai_in_content_marketing&amp;utm_content=intro_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The State of AI in Content Marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It includes extra research and analysis on AI content performance and costs, expert commentary from a dozen content and AI experts, and the full research methodology.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-by-Ahrefs.pdf?utm_source=blog_post_2&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=state_of_ai_in_content_marketing&amp;utm_content=intro_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-by-Ahrefs.pdf?utm_source=blog_post_2&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=state_of_ai_in_content_marketing&amp;utm_content=intro_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-188499 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-680x397.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-2048x1195.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Websites using AI content <strong>grew 5% faster<\/strong> than those not using\u00a0AI.<\/li>\n<li>Human content was <strong>4% more likely to be negatively impacted<\/strong> by a Google update than AI content.<\/li>\n<li>AI and non-AI users<strong> rated their content strategy effectiveness almost equally<\/strong>: 6.4\/10 vs. 6.3\/10.<\/li>\n<li>Only <strong>14% of respondents believe AI content is better quality<\/strong> than human content.<\/li>\n<li>34% believe AI and human content <strong>rank roughly the same in search<\/strong>; 32% are unsure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cLack of accuracy\u201d is the top barrier to AI use<\/strong>, cited by 60% of non-users.<\/li>\n<li>62% of respondents view <strong>misinformation as the greatest risk<\/strong> of using AI content.<\/li>\n<li>3.8% of AI users <strong>reported a manual penalty from Google<\/strong> vs. 2.7% of non-AI users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"AI and non-AI content strategies are regarded as equally effective\" data-section=\"ai-and-non-ai-content-strategies-are-regarded-as-equally-effective\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_19tiwgca2vhl\"\/>AI and non-AI content strategies are regarded as equally effective<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>From a subjective standpoint, our respondents seem equally happy with AI and non-AI content strategies.<\/p>\n<p>There was almost no difference in the self-reported efficacy of respondents\u2019 content strategies. AI users reported an average score of <strong>6.4<\/strong> out of 10, while non-AI users reported an average of <strong>6.3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how the responses were distributed. The most extreme ratings (0 and 10 out of 10) were both more prevalent among non-AI users, suggesting that human content strategies have the potential to be both very good, and very\u00a0bad.<\/p>\n<p>The most common (modal) score for AI users was 7, slightly lower than the most common score for non-AI users, at\u00a08:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1735\" class=\"wp-image-188568\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1-392x425.png 392w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1-768x833.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1-1416x1536.png 1416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1735\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188568\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1-392x425.png 392w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1-768x833.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-1-1416x1536.png 1416w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Similar results came from asking respondents to rate the effectiveness of their content marketing strategy in attracting organic search traffic. For non-AI users, the average score was <strong>6.1<\/strong>\/10, compared to a slightly higher average of <strong>6.5<\/strong> for AI\u00a0users.<\/p>\n<p>Looking at the distribution of these responses, the modal score for AI users was 8, lower than the modal score of 10 for non-AI users:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1735\" class=\"wp-image-188569\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2-392x425.png 392w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2-768x833.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2-1416x1536.png 1416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1735\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188569\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2-392x425.png 392w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2-768x833.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-2-1416x1536.png 1416w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"65% of respondents believe human content is better quality than AI content \" data-section=\"65-of-respondents-believe-human-content-is-better-quality-than-ai-content\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_v8xxgncy7cyn\"\/>65% of respondents believe human content is better quality than AI content<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most people believe that human-written content is better quality than AI content.<\/p>\n<p>A total of 65% of respondents reported that human-written content was better quality than AI content, with 29% reporting that it was \u201cslightly better\u201d and 36% reporting that it was \u201cway better\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>14% of respondents reported that AI content was better quality (6% \u201cslightly better\u201d, 9% \u201cway better\u201d), while 21% reported that they were \u201croughly the same\u201d quality:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1627\" height=\"1592\" class=\"wp-image-188570\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3.png 1627w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3-434x425.png 434w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3-768x751.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3-1536x1503.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1627px) 100vw, 1627px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1627\" height=\"1592\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188570\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3.png 1627w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3-434x425.png 434w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3-768x751.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-3-1536x1503.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1627px) 100vw, 1627px\"\/><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-188567-_jeu7iyysrhgq\"\/>What the experts think<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<p> \u201cI\u2019ve tested the majority of \u201cAI writing tools\u201d out there on the market and they struggle to compare to human written content. This is the case especially when it comes to content that requires subject matter expertise. While AI writing may evolve over the years, it\u2019s still in the stone age in comparison to what a top level writer can produce.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Connor Gillivan,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Founder &amp; Owner, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/connorgillivan\/\" target=\"_blank\">TrioSEO<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<p> \u201cFrom my experience, the average AI output is usually more consistent, logical and well-structured than the average human-written article. But crucially, there is still a big gulf between the quality of the best human-written content and AI outputs. For now, skilled human writers still have a sizeable edge\u2014especially when they use AI as an input into their writing process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"quote-author\">Ryan Law,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Director of Content Marketing, Ahrefs<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Most people think that AI content and human content rank roughly the same\" data-section=\"most-people-think-that-ai-content-and-human-content-rank-roughly-the-same\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_lodtao553foy\"\/>Most people think that AI content and human content \u201crank roughly the\u00a0same\u201d<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although most respondents believe human-written content is better quality, they were less confident in human-written content\u2019s ability to <em>outrank<\/em> AI content.<\/p>\n<p>Most respondents reported that they either <em>\u201crank roughly the same\u201d<\/em> (34%) or else they didn\u2019t know (32%). 23% believed that human-written content ranks better, compared to 11% reporting that AI-written content ranks better.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1688\" class=\"wp-image-188571\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4-403x425.png 403w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4-768x810.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4-1456x1536.png 1456w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1688\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188571\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4-403x425.png 403w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4-768x810.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-4-1456x1536.png 1456w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-188567-_h2ht0hxieq1a\"\/>What the experts think<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<p> \u201cIt\u2019s important to look at this data over a 12 month period. AI written content may start to rank initially and gain traction, but in my experience, Google eventually figures out that the site is abusing AI content writing and traffic for the site plummets.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Gillivan\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Connor-Gillivan.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Gillivan\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Connor-Gillivan.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p><em>\u201cA reminder that here, we don\u2019t have the test of time yet in many cases. Much of this content is fresh, at a time when Google is reshuffling its SERPs, algorithms and even pushes manual penalties aggressively after many years. So just a let\u2019s-wait-before-we-make-up-our-minds-on-this moment is needed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIt could also be a result of transitioning to AI-generated from human-written content that wasn\u2019t great to begin with. For example, your typical \u201cSEO content\u201d people (and Google) used to love and put out but after a point stopped working. In this scenario, maybe AI content doesn\u2019t perform better, but the initial threshold was low to begin with. (And in this comparison, at least AI content has cost less and was produced faster.)\u201d<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Varangouli\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Erika-Varangouli.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Varangouli\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Erika-Varangouli.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Websites using AI content grew 5% faster than websites not using AI\" data-section=\"websites-using-ai-content-grew-5-faster-than-websites-not-using-ai\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_rqd7ny6zug1w\"\/>Websites using AI content grew 5% faster than websites not using\u00a0AI<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>To add extra context to these figures, we used the Ahrefs API to look at the estimated organic traffic growth for each respondent\u2019s domain between January 2024 and January 2025.<\/p>\n<p>In this simple analysis, websites that reported using AI content saw a median year-over-year growth rate of 29.08%, compared to a median of 24.21% for sites that didn\u2019t use\u00a0AI.<\/p>\n<p>The trend was positive for both segments, but AI content users (with their increased publishing frequency) seemed to experience stronger growth, to the tune of about\u00a05%.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"475\" class=\"wp-image-188572\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5-680x202.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5-768x228.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5-1536x456.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"475\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188572\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5-680x202.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5-768x228.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-5-1536x456.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a histogram of growth rates with the top 5% most extreme outlier values excluded for legibility:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1078\" class=\"wp-image-188573\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6-680x358.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6-768x404.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6-1536x809.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1078\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188573\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6-680x358.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6-768x404.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-6-1536x809.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-188567-_91birwnmuwzr\"\/>What the experts think<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p><em>\u201cThis data gap is telling\u2014is significantly more content production actually doing that much more for these companies? It may feel good, but it\u2019s barely creating more performance.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>My hunch is that the sweet spot comes from people that are slightly more productive on a volume basis, but are still heavily emphasizing quality over volume.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ross Hudgens\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ross-Hudgens.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ross Hudgens\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ross-Hudgens.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\"> \u201cAbout \u2018AI generated content\u2019 performing the same as AI generated\u2026 I would add a \u2018so far\u2019 here. It\u2019s clear that quality, uniqueness, and real experience is something that Google have openly shared that they\u2019re looking to reward, and the AI generated content that don\u2019t follow these standards will be definitely have a harder time ranking in the future.<\/p>\n<p>The key for leveraging AI for content, should be to use AI to accelerate content production workflows, rather than replacing humans; avoiding \u2018AI content on autopilot\u2019 without comprehensive human expert edition.<\/p>\n<p>In fact AI could be used to integrate data and insights in content generated at scale, helping to make the content more meaningful and useful for example, rather than just raw content production too. Creativity and the addition of an expert layer and validation will become key in the next few months.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Aleyda Solis\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Aleyda-Solis.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Aleyda Solis\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Aleyda-Solis.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>AI Content Helper from Ahrefs<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>We\u2019ve built a content tool that uses AI in all the right ways: <strong>AI Content Helper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>AI Content Helper marries human creativity with AI efficiency and Ahrefs\u2019 competitor intelligence. It\u2019s designed to help content and SEO teams scale their content production and improve their search rankings\u2014without sacrificing human creativity and\u00a0skill.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1176\" class=\"wp-image-188574\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7.png 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7-680x390.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7-1536x882.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1176\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188574\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7.png 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7-680x390.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-7-1536x882.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>AI Content Helper\u2019s features include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>AI content creation.<\/strong> Ask a state-of-the-art AI writing copilot to write paragraphs, fill content gaps, and edit and improve your article content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Content scoring.<\/strong> Score the search optimization of your content (and your competitors) from 0\u2013100, and get actionable recommendations for improving optimization for your target keyword.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Topic optimization. <\/strong>Use AI to identify \u201ctopic gaps\u201d: missing information to add to your article to help readers answer their questions and Google rank your content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Multiple intents.<\/strong> Many SERPs contain multiple intents, so AI Content Helper lets you pick the exact articles you want to compare with.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Competitor insights.<\/strong> See content scores, word counts, referring domains, and more for your competitors\u2019 articles, along with the full HTML of each competing page\u2014perfect for seeing how the top-ranking articles are written.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/app.ahrefs.com\/content-helper\">Get started with AI Content Helper now<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/ai-content-helper\/\">learn more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"'Lack of accuracy' is the biggest barrier to AI use\" data-section=\"accuracy-is-biggest-barrier-to-ai-use\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_yrc2jn61ejkw\"\/>\u201cLack of accuracy\u201d is the biggest barrier to AI\u00a0use<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We asked the 111 respondents <em>not <\/em>using AI to share the concerns that had stopped them from adopting it.<\/p>\n<p>The most popular reason for rejecting AI use was a concern about the accuracy of AI-generated content (60%), followed by plagiarism concerns (57%), and bias contained within AI content (36%).<\/p>\n<p>Only 8% of respondents were concerned that AI could not deliver a positive ROI:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1875\" height=\"1897\" class=\"wp-image-188575\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8.png 1875w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-420x425.png 420w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-768x777.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-1518x1536.png 1518w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1875px) 100vw, 1875px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1875\" height=\"1897\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188575\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8.png 1875w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-420x425.png 420w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-768x777.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-1518x1536.png 1518w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-8-120x120.png 120w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1875px) 100vw, 1875px\"\/><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-188567-_h4qweb8okxqe\"\/>What the experts think<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p>\u201cThese concerns help signpost the role we, as humans\/content creators, should take nowadays. Expert and peer reviews ensure inaccuracies and biases are addressed. Editor reviews ensure plagiarism and brand consistency (and, to a degree, compliance with industry regulations). Expert insights and interviews can ensure originality. And so can writing based on data your content writer or team has gone out to collect.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Varangouli\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Erika-Varangouli.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Varangouli\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Erika-Varangouli.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Misinformation is the greatest risk of AI content\" data-section=\"misinformation-is-perceived-as-the-greatest-risk-of-ai-content\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_tz2kunfpd30o\"\/>\u201cMisinformation\u201d is the greatest risk of AI content<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Many companies are concerned that AI poses additional risks to their business.<\/p>\n<p>When we asked our respondents to share their fears, the biggest perceived risks of using AI content were sharing misinformation (62%), creating a worse user experience (56%), and worsening the company\u2019s reputation (37%).<\/p>\n<p>37% of respondents were also concerned with the risk of receiving a Google penalty:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1417\" class=\"wp-image-188576\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9-480x425.png 480w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9-768x680.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9-1536x1360.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1417\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188576\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9-480x425.png 480w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9-768x680.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-9-1536x1360.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Human content was 4% more likely to be negatively affected by a Google update compared to AI content\" data-section=\"human-content-was-4-more-likely-to-be-negatively-affected-by-a-google-update-compared-to-ai-content\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_uqah3e23eyg9\"\/>Human content was 4% more likely to be negatively affected by a Google update compared to AI content<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>37% of respondents reported being negatively impacted by a Google algorithm update in the past\u00a0year:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1644\" class=\"wp-image-188577\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10-414x425.png 414w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10-768x789.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10-1495x1536.png 1495w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1644\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188577\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10-414x425.png 414w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10-768x789.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-10-1495x1536.png 1495w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Many of Google\u2019s recent updates have aimed to reduce the visibility of <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/updates\/spam-updates\">low-quality AI content<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But if we segment these responses by AI use, we see a different picture: companies who did not use AI were 4% <em>more likely<\/em> to be negatively impacted by an algorithm update than those who did use AI (40% vs\u00a036%):<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1644\" class=\"wp-image-188578\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11-414x425.png 414w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11-768x789.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11-1495x1536.png 1495w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1644\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188578\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11-414x425.png 414w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11-768x789.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-11-1495x1536.png 1495w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Judging by this data alone, Google is not trying to demote the type of AI content created by the companies in our survey (or else, they\u2019re not very good at identifying it).<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-188567-_e5ixa0vx8xua\"\/>What the experts think<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<p><em><br \/>\u201cMany people believe that there\u2019s a huge risk from AI content, but the truth is that prior to the popularization of AI, many sites were using terribly writtten content produced by non-native English speaking freelancers. Google and other search engines aren\u2019t necessarily opposed to AI as the means to create content, but they are pretty explicit in that all content whether created by humans or algorightms should be useful and helpful for the end user and not just be search engine content.\u201d<br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Eli Schwartz\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Eli-Schwartz.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Eli Schwartz\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Eli-Schwartz.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<p> \u201cArguably, many people don\u2019t detect algorithmic impact correctly. In the last 12 months beyond confirmed updates the impact of AIOs, forums promotion, and SERP volatility have impacted massively domains\u2019 performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Varangouli\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Erika-Varangouli.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Varangouli\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Erika-Varangouli.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"AI content was more likely to receive a manual penalty than human content\" data-section=\"ai-content-was-more-likely-to-receive-a-manual-penalty-than-human-content\">\n<h2><a id=\"post-188567-_tsuiyd3eio61\"\/>AI content was more likely to receive a manual penalty than human content<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although AI content doesn\u2019t seem to suffer particularly from Google updates, companies using AI are more likely to be hit with a manual penalty.<\/p>\n<p>2.70% of non-AI users reported receiving a manual penalty from Google in the past year, compared to 3.78% of AI content users.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1644\" class=\"wp-image-188579\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12-414x425.png 414w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12-768x789.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12-1495x1536.png 1495w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1644\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-188579\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12-414x425.png 414w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12-768x789.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-image-188567-12-1495x1536.png 1495w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-188567-_xhg93qnfb2nb\"\/>What the experts think<\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<p> \u201cGoogle is apparently agnostic to AI use\u2014but it is not agnostic to bad content or bad actors. And AI makes it very easy to make bad content.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ryan Law\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ryan-law.jpeg\"\/><\/noscript><img class=\"lazyload\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ryan Law\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ryan-law.jpeg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Want to learn how marketers use AI for content creation, or how much companies spend on AI content?<\/p>\n<p>You can download and read our full PDF report here (no email required): <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-by-Ahrefs.pdf?utm_source=blog_post_2&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=state_of_ai_in_content_marketing&amp;utm_content=outro_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The State of AI in Content Marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-by-Ahrefs.pdf?utm_source=blog_post_2&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=state_of_ai_in_content_marketing&amp;utm_content=outro_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-188499 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-680x397.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AI-in-Content-Marketing-Social-2048x1195.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\nif(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','1511271639109289');fbq('track','PageView');<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/websites-using-ai-content-grow-faster\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We surveyed 879 marketers to understand how generative AI is changing content marketing: the workflows, the costs, the results\u2026and the\u00a0risks. In this article, we\u2019re looking at the performance of AI content. Does it rank? Does it perform better or worse than human content? Is it riskier than human content? Read the full research report Download [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}