Google frequently updates its algorithm. Some changes are subtle, while others can impact your website’s visibility. The June 2025 Core Algorithm Update is one of the more impactful ones, especially for content-driven sites.

Well, What’s New in the June 2025 Update? This update reinforces Google’s long-standing focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). It brings stricter penalties for low-quality content, particularly that generated by AI without proper editing or refinement.

In short:

• Low-quality AI content is being de-ranked.
• Outdated and thin content is losing visibility.
• Sites with a poor user experience or subpar mobile performance are at risk.

If your website relies heavily on unrefined AI-generated content, you may already be seeing a drop in rankings. The days of pumping out mass content with little value are quickly fading. Google is rewarding well-written, human-reviewed, and genuinely helpful content that demonstrates real-world experience and expertise. If you haven’t yet adopted E-E-A-T principles in your content strategy, it’s time to start or risk falling behind.

Let’s take a look at how E-E-A-T and AI combine to affect Google rankings in 2025.

What is E-E-A-T?

E-E-A-T isn’t new, but it’s more important than ever. E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust. It is a set of quality guidelines that Google’s search engines use to assess content. This is particularly important for topics that can impact a person’s well-being, such as health, finance, and safety. E-E-A-T ensures that search results prioritize trustworthy and useful information in creating content for these YMYL (Your Money, Your Life).

• Experience: Has the creator personally encountered the topic?
• Expertise: Does the creator know what they’re talking about?
• Authoritativeness: Is the creator or site recognized as a go-to source?
• Trustworthiness: Can the content and its source be relied upon?

In 2025, Google wants to ensure that users get accurate, relevant, and trustworthy information from real experts. As a result, if you are a content writer or an SEO professional, now is the time to:

• Audit your existing content
• Remove or update outdated posts
• Refine AI-written content with a human touch
• Prioritize mobile responsiveness and user experience

Is AI Content Enough to Rank in Google in 2025?

A Big NO to Purely AI-Generated Content!

Let’s be clear, simply publishing AI-generated content is no longer enough to rank on Google.

With tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and others becoming widely accessible, anyone can spin up a blog post in minutes. Google knows this, and its June 2025 Core Update is cracking down hard on generic, low-quality AI content. If you're just copying and pasting AI drafts without refinement, don’t expect to see results.

Today, AI can be used to generate perfectly structured blog posts, product descriptions, and SEO-rich pages. However, what it can’t do is live a human experience, travel to Egypt, survive a car crash, raise a child with autism, or run a bakery through a recession. Google has caught on.

Sites that rely solely on generic or obviously AI-written content are seeing declining visibility. Those that embed personal stories, original insight, and firsthand evidence are rising in the ranks. 

However, if you’re using AI strategically, as a foundation, not a final product, you’re still in the game. When AI-generated content is edited for clarity, infused with real expertise, and aligned with E‑E‑A‑T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles, it can still rank and, of course, rank well!

So, What Should You Do?

• Review and refine every AI draft
• Add personal insights and real-world examples
• Fact-check and cite credible sources
• Demonstrate genuine experience and authority
• Align with search intent and user value

Remember, if your content doesn’t feel real, useful, or trustworthy to users, Google won’t trust it either.

How to Win Google Rankings with Authenticity and Human Experience in 2025

1. Prioritize Firsthand Experience

• Add real quotes, photos, and anecdotes.
• Showcase your personal journey or case study.
• Personalise your content. That is, use “I” or “we” when appropriate to humanize content.

2. Feature Verified Experts

• Bio sections matter more than ever.
• Include credentials, affiliations, and links to reputable sources.
• Consider bylines with expert reviews or contributions.

3. Build Author Profiles and Reputation

• Google evaluates who is writing.
• Maintain consistent author profiles across platforms.
• Earn mentions and backlinks from authoritative sites.

4. Human-AI Collaboration Greater Valued Than AI Content Alone

• Use AI to assist, not replace.
• Let AI help with structure, keyword strategy, and ideation. but inject your lived expertise and unique voice.
• Tools like ChatGPT can support human-led content creation without erasing authenticity.

5. Add Trust Signals

• Secure your site (HTTPS), update frequently, and avoid spammy practices.
• Include reviews, testimonials, and original data.
• Cite sources, add disclaimers when needed, and be transparent about AI usage.

Key Takeaways for Brands and Creators

• Google favors content from real people with expertise, so brands should highlight expert contributors, and creators should showcase their credibility through personal stories.
• Penalties apply for generic AI-generated content. Brands must refine AI blogs with human input, using AI as a tool rather than a content generator.
• Core Web Vitals, including page speed and mobile responsiveness, heavily influence rankings. Fast-loading, mobile-friendly websites are essential.
• Outdated or irrelevant content may be deindexed. Regular content audits are necessary to update or remove outdated pieces.
• Google favors original ideas and in-depth insights. Brands and creators providing unique perspectives will see the most benefit.