Auto-generated content refers to the text or media, created automatically by software or algorithms, without human intervention. It is often produced to manipulate search engine rankings and violates search engine quality guidelines, especially Google’s.
Common forms of auto-generated content include:
- Nonsensical Text: Content containing search keywords but lacks coherent meaning.
- Automated Translations: Content that is translated by tools without human review.
- Markov Chains: Using algorithms to generate random text patterns for content.
- Synonymization: Replacing words with synonyms to alter text or spin text.
- Content Scraping: Extracting and reusing content from other websites without adding value.
- Content Stitching: Combining pieces of content from different sources without any proper value addition.
Why is Auto-Generated Content Harmful?
Search engines like Google can penalize auto-generated content. The search engine prioritizes valuable, user-friendly content and informative content. While it may provide short-term search ranking gains and can offer higher bounce rates, and poor user engagement, and can harm long-term SEO performance. Using auto-generated content risks content penalties, potentially leading to reduced visibility or sometimes website banning.
Is Auto-Generated Content Important for SEO?
Auto-generated content is generally harmful to SEO. Google’s algorithm is designed to detect low-quality, non-human, and duplicate content. Auto-generated content might work temporarily but not a sustainable strategy for achieving high search rankings and user experience.
