Website copy from ChatGPT: what Google says, and how not to sound like everyone else
Google doesn't penalise text just because AI wrote it, but it does penalise mass-produced content with no value. How to make ChatGPT work for you, not against you.
Writing the copy is the part of a website project everyone puts off longest. So today nearly everyone opens ChatGPT first. Two questions follow on their own: will Google penalise me, and why does my copy sound like everyone else's?
What Google says
Google doesn't ban text written by AI. According to its guidelines, appropriate use of AI or automation is not against its rules. What gets judged is quality and usefulness to the reader, not the tool that produced the text.
What Google does penalise is called scaled content abuse: publishing large numbers of low-value pages in order to manipulate search. It makes no difference whether they were written by AI, a freelance writer or a template. Since mid-2025, Google has also been issuing manual actions for it.
For a small business, the most common trap looks like this: twenty pages called "Plumber in [town]", one per nearby town, with identical text and only the town name swapped. That's exactly what these rules target.
The real problem: you sound like everyone
Even when Google doesn't penalise you, generic copy doesn't sell. "Reliable partner", "quality and professionalism", "years of experience" appear on a thousand sites and say nothing. Customers look for specifics, and so do AI assistants when they put an answer together.
| Generic | Specific |
|---|---|
| "We provide quality services." | "We reply within 24 hours and work Saturdays until 2 pm." |
| "Years of experience." | "Since 2015 we've fitted more than 300 bathrooms in the region." |
| "Affordable prices." | "The site visit and quote are free, and the quote is written and fixed." |
The numbers in the right-hand column are an example. Put in your own, and only ones that are true.
How to use ChatGPT well
1. Give it facts, don't ask it to invent
Before it writes anything, give it a list: services, price ranges, location, turnaround times, the questions clients really ask, and two or three examples of your work. Without that, AI fills the gaps with phrases.
2. Let it produce the structure and a first draft
AI is excellent at layout: what goes on the home page, which sections, in what order. Its first draft is a good starting point, but not the final copy.
3. Check every claim
AI happily invents years of experience, certifications, awards and numbers of happy clients. Everything your site says about your business has to be true. To a customer, it's your promise.
4. Add what only you know
An example from a real job, a real photo, how you work, the answer to a question clients keep asking. That's the part of the copy nobody can copy.
5. Have a person read the translation
AI translation is a good start, but copy in another language should be read by someone who knows that language well. Customers notice straight away when text doesn't sit right.
6. Read it out loud
If you wouldn't say a sentence to a client in person, it shouldn't be on your site either.
Need a site with copy that sounds like you, not like a template? See my services or get in touch.