Artificial intelligence is booming — and it’s not just on social media. Blogs, portals, e-commerce sites and apps are already using AI to create content on a large scale. But don’t worry: Google is watching, and the search engine’s so-called “quality raters” already have new and very specific guidelines for evaluating AI-generated content.
If you use AI to scale your content production and monetize with Google AdSense, ADX or other programmatic networks, this news directly affects your pocket. Let's understand what's going on and how to protect yourself to continue making money safely?
What are Google quality raters?
For those who are not familiar, the quality raters are real people hired by Google to manually evaluate the quality of the results that appear in searches. They follow a super detailed guide, called Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, and help Google train and calibrate its ranking algorithms.
They do not decide directly the ranking of websites, but they influence how the algorithm learns to prioritize quality content. And guess what has become a strong part of their guidelines now? AI generated content.
AI in the spotlight: what is Google watching?
With the explosion of texts created by tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Jasper and others, Google has updated its guidelines so that raters should be aware of some points:
- Shallow, generic or repetitive content, even if it is “well written”, it can be classified as low quality.
- Texts without clear intention, without defined authorship or without experience, authority and trustworthiness (EEAT) tend to receive negative grades.
- Material that looks like it's made just to rank and generating traffic (and not to help the user) also comes into play.
Major spoiler: a problem it's not the AI itselfbut how it is being used. In other words: using AI intelligently, strategically and with human review is still a good practice — but overdoing it or using it automatically and without curation can end up taking you out of the top positions.
And the impact for those who monetize?
Now comes the part that interests you, publisher: How does all this impact your advertising revenue?
Lower traffic = lower revenue
If your website content is identified as low quality, it could lose rankings in Google. And less organic traffic means fewer impressions, fewer clicks, and… yes, less ad revenue.
Risk of penalty
Sites with automated and poorly reviewed content may even be subject to manual penalties — which can result in loss of monetization via Google AdSense or ADX. This has already happened to several publishers in 2023 and 2024.
More demanding advertisers
Big brands are increasingly concerned about safety brand. If your content is seen as shallow or inaccurate, your URL may be excluded from premium campaigns, reducing your average CPM and earning potential.
How to continue using AI without putting your monetization at risk?
It’s not all drama, okay? AI is still a great ally — as long as it’s used strategically and consciously. Here are some practical tips to avoid losing space (or revenue):
Use AI as a support, not a shortcut
AI should be a starting point, not a magic button. Use it to generate ideas, structure texts or create drafts. But always review, add context, data and human perspectives.
Enhance the voice of your website
People who read your content want more than generic answers. Create an editorial identity, bring real experiences, testimonials and unique opinions. This helps build authority — something that AI alone cannot yet do.
Invest in EEAT
EEAT = Experience + Expertise + Authority + Reliability. Show that you or your authors understand the subject, have practical experience and are reliable sources. This can be done with biographies, source citations and links to actual studies.
Use comments and interactions
Content with active audience participation tends to be better evaluated. Leave space open for comments, update posts based on readers' questions and encourage engagement.
AI yes, but with intelligence!
The era of AI-generated content is here to stay — and it could be a game-changer for those looking to scale production and boost monetization. But Google has made it clear: quality and relevance remain at the heart of the game.
If you want to continue growing with your website or app, the tip is simple: use AI as an ally, but keep the strategic mind in command.
Here in Join ADS, we believe in valuable content, intelligent optimization and sustainable monetization. Do you want to scale your audience and increase revenue without falling into the traps of shallow content? Talk to us!
