Google’s AI Shy Approach to Sensitive Issues

Source: Wikimedia_Google_office_By Håkan Dahlström from Malmö, Sweden – Google office, CC BY 2.0

According to a new study by SE Ranking, Google has finally opened its sleeves and revealed its true intentions with AI-based content in sensitive “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) search results. The research analyzed more than 1,200 keywords in the health, finance, legal, and political categories, showing Google is surely very conservative about offering AIOs for these subjects.

The study managed to demonstrate significant variations across the percentage occurrences of AI Overviews with different categories of YMYL.

• Legal queries led to the majority occurrence of AIOs, that is, 77.67 percent.
• Health-related searches followed this figure at 65.33 percent.
• Financial topics indicated a moderate AIO presence of 41.67 percent.
• Political searches showed the lowest rate of 16.67 percent.
• The bottom line shows Google is not only keen on how it uses AI content while performing searches on YMYL but also hitting a balance between giving authoritative information and nudging users to seek professionals’ input.

Disclaimer and Sensitive Content

During my research, I discovered that Google included disclaimers in most of the AI Overviews created regarding issues involving health and finance matters:

• 83% of health AIOs contained a disclaimer asking users to seek experts
• 63.2% of finance-related AIOs contained identical cautionary warnings
• Moreover, it also appears that Google does not create any AIOs on the following subjects, including:

1. Mental illness
2. Eating disorders
3. Drug abuse
4. Prescription drugs
5. COVID
6. Abortion
7. Political Content: Avoidance Approach

The research discovered that Google is very cautious with their policy on content that presents a political theme. No AI Overviews were produced for search terms that contained words like “election,” “elections,” “president,” or “presidential.” Unlike other AI search engines, the study pointed out that OpenAI’s SearchGPT responds to this kind of query.

SEO and Content Creation Implications

The study’s findings have important implications in the fields of SEO and content creation. This means, as Google starts to increasingly depend on AI algorithms in generating results, the content creators also need to align their approaches according to Google’s preference and guidelines.

Here are a few important takeaways from the study for SEOs and content creators.

• Quality and accuracy from Google: The main emphasis is to be on content which has good research and is supported by proper sources.
• Optimize keywords: Use question-based queries. They are more likely to prompt AI overviews.
• Include disclaimers: It mainly comes into play in health and finance, especially using the lead of Google. Not only do you keep an eye on the safety and well-being of the users, but your content also appeals to them concerned by adding a disclaimer to your content.
• Niche it down: If you are targeting YMYL topics with low AIO prevalence, then niching down to an area where AI Overviews would seem more common
• Local SEO: Due to the geographic inconsistencies noticed in legal AI Overviews, local search optimization might be of high importance
• Content diversification: More videos should be included as YouTube often contains AI Overviews.
• Build topical clusters: Creating rich and interconnected content around the core topic may increase your chances for ranking on relevant AI Overviews.
• Audit regularly: Keep content fresh and updated as Google’s algorithms concerning AI are continuously evolving and being updated.
• Use schema: Using schema markup will enhance the understanding of search engines to your content, and potentially increase the chances of visibility in AI Overviews.
• Nail user intent: Your content must be able to answer the user’s search intent properly, just like a direct answer in the response returned by AI Overviews.

The E-E-A-T Factor

The most important lesson the research teaches is that Google favors content based on the principle of E-E-A-T, which means Expertise, Erudition, Authority, and Trustworthiness. It gives priority to content that has its basis from experts, at least in the ream of the publication or by some kind of credible source. Thus, it becomes indispensable that your content must meet those standards.

Establishing Expertise and Authority

The following are some ways to begin setting up expertise and authority in your niche:

• Be a thought leader in your industry: Start going to industry conferences, seminars, and online forums. Take your seat among the authors of blogs, articles, or even present with them.
• Collaborate with experts: Partner with other industry specialists in working on content or research projects.
• Publish in the right publications: Publish in premium industry journals or periodicals that will recognize your expertise.
• Industry-specific certification: Become certified so you can market that you have that knowledge and skill .

Sources Of Authority

Another very important aspect of E-E-A-T is that your content shall be backed up with credible sources. Your content should have reliable research, data, and statistics that support such claims. Proper citation of sources while mentioning the link back to the original content.

Building Trustworthiness

Building trustworthiness is the part of creating a positive reputation for your audience. It is achieved in the following ways:

• Be transparent: While having possible conflict of interest or bias, you must mention them.
• Consistency: Ensure that the message delivered is always consistent in tone and style.
• Responding to comments: Interact with your audience by responding to their comments or concerns.

Implications for Content Creation

The results of this study make a big difference in content creation. Because Google is relying on AI more, how high-quality content will be made to satisfy their stated guidelines and preferences has to alter.

Quality Content Creation

Use the intent of your users: Deliver to them exactly what they are looking for. Use natural language: Write in a ‘conversational’ tone which is easy to read. Optimize for readability: Use clear and concise language, as well as break up your content with headings, subheadings, and bullet points.

Use multimedia: In addition, add images, videos, and infographics to make it more lively.

Leveraging AI Tools

AI is also a great utility tool for content creation. However, this should be made in the right responsible use of the technology; do not allow AI to create work for you but take time reviewing and editing it as well.

Ethical Considerations

As more and more content is being created through AI, the ethics of AI content creation is a pressing issue. A person should make sure that their utilization of AI should be controlled and carried out ethically. It should not be adopted to create misleading or harmful things.

Conclusion

The recent SE Ranking research provided ways of understanding the Google approach towards AI-generated content in YMYL topics. In pursuit of E-E-A-T importance and high-quality content, SEO professionals and creators will stand a better chance at rankings when they apply them in recommendations and quality creations. Of course, there is an even bigger need to stay informed and adapt toward a changing digital landscape with this amplified role of AI.

Sources:

• https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-ai-overviews-avoid-political-content-new-data-shows/529244/
• https://codingclavetechnologies.com/our-blog-page/googles-ai-overviews-avoid-politics-new-data/
• https://twitter.com/sejournal/status/1843239849299526109
• https://seo.ctr.hk/blog/google-s-ai-overviews-avoid-political-content-new-data-shows-via-sejournal-mattgsouthern-1174.html

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