Ahrefs Study Finds Most Top Rankings Now AI Generated

Ahrefs has released a new study that challenges one of the most debated topics in SEO: whether AI-generated content negatively impacts Google rankings.

While the story is billed as 'AI Content Doesn't Hurt You', we felt the bigger results here are that they found most of the top ranking pages include AI generated content.

Ahrefs created two separate websites, each one populated with articles on random topics. Both sites were filled entirely with AI-generated content using GPT-based LLM tools. The key variables were:

• One site used "raw" AI output with no human editing.
• The other site edited the AI output for clarity, coherence, and depth.

Each website had around 100 pages of content, all published within the same window of time and hosted on similar-quality domains with minimal backlink profiles.

What They Found

Surprisingly, both sites saw rankings and organic traffic from Google—even the unedited, purely machine-written one.

Takeaways:

• Google indexed and ranked AI content. There was no indication that the presence of AI-written material triggered a penalty or suppression in search results.
• The edited content site performed better, with higher engagement and traffic, but not because of AI detection—rather, because the content was simply more helpful.
• Over time, the quality of the content—not the method of creation—determined how well the pages performed.

What It Means for SEOs and Site Owners

This experiment directly contradicts the fear that AI content is inherently penalized. According to Ahrefs, Google doesn’t care if content is AI-written—so long as it’s useful.

This aligns with what Google has publicly stated. In 2023 and 2024, Google emphasized a “content-first” approach and clarified that its systems reward helpful content regardless of whether it was created by humans or machines.

"Our ranking systems aim to reward original, high-quality content that demonstrates qualities of what we call E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness." – Google Search Central

Caveats and Warnings

Ahrefs is careful to point out that AI content is not a shortcut to ranking. While the study shows it’s not punished, that doesn’t mean all AI content will perform well. In fact, low-effort, generic AI content is still unlikely to rank—not because it’s AI, but because it’s not helpful.

Obviously, they also warn that manual penalties could still apply if AI is used to generate spam at scale, or if sites violate other parts of Google's guidelines.

Final Verdict

AI is a tool, not a ticket to the top. As the study makes clear:

• AI content doesn’t violate Google’s guidelines by default.
• Quality is everything—edited, thoughtful content performs better.
• SEOs should focus less on the source of content and more on its usefulness.

In short, AI won't get you penalized—but low-quality content still does.