“Didn’t Google say it was fine with AI content—as long as it was helpful?”
Well… that didn’t seem to hold up in March 2024.
That month, Google rolled out a Core Algorithm Update and a Spam Update—
and for the first time, we saw what looked like direct penalties targeting AI-generated content at scale.
Here’s the backdrop:
Google is in the middle of a spam crisis.
This is the first time in years that normal users—people outside of SEO—are openly saying:
“Google’s results are getting worse.”
And while AI content is technically undetectable through automation,
the March update didn’t rely on detection tools.
Instead, Google went manual.
They targeted high-profile AI case studies shared by SEO influencers.
People like Julian Goldie—whose public experiments had been thriving—
saw their entire site portfolios get wiped out.
How?
- Google staff monitored Twitter and YouTube,
- Identified SEO influencers running public AI sites,
- Located their GSC accounts,
- And then deindexed or penalized everything.
The message was clear:
“We see you. We want the SEO community to panic.”
And let’s be honest—it worked.
Fear is the result. And in Google’s eyes, mission accomplished.
“Didn’t Google say it was fine with AI content—as long as it was helpful?”
Well… that didn’t seem to hold up in March 2024.
That month, Google rolled out a Core Algorithm Update and a Spam Update—
and for the first time, we saw what looked like direct penalties targeting AI-generated content at scale.
Here’s the backdrop:
Google is in the middle of a spam crisis.
This is the first time in years that normal users—people outside of SEO—are openly saying:
“Google’s results are getting worse.”
And while AI content is technically undetectable through automation,
the March update didn’t rely on detection tools.
Instead, Google went manual.
They targeted high-profile AI case studies shared by SEO influencers.
People like Julian Goldie—whose public experiments had been thriving—
saw their entire site portfolios get wiped out.
How?
- Google staff monitored Twitter and YouTube,
- Identified SEO influencers running public AI sites,
- Located their GSC accounts,
- And then deindexed or penalized everything.
The message was clear:
“We see you. We want the SEO community to panic.”
And let’s be honest—it worked.
Fear is the result. And in Google’s eyes, mission accomplished.
