The question focused on situations where the written material is accurate and relevant, yet the accompanying visuals are all produced by artificial intelligence. Illyes explained that this setup does not lead to direct ranking changes. He mentioned that image hosting uses server resources, which site operators should factor in, but said there is no negative ranking effect tied to the origin of the images.
Illyes also pointed out that image-based content can sometimes appear in Google’s image or video search results, which could influence site traffic patterns.
He did not comment on how authenticity affects user trust, though the issue remains significant in fields where accuracy of imagery is expected. For example, product photos and recipe images often shape user expectations about what they will receive or create.
Google’s public advice on content creation continues to focus on meeting user needs. While technical signals drive ranking decisions, user perception of accuracy and relevance can influence how a page performs over time.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools. Image: DIW-Aigen.
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