Free checklist
The copycat check: 6 questions before you publish an AI-written page
Google does not penalise a page just because AI helped write it. Its own guidance says that however content is produced, you should aim for original, high-quality, people-first content. The real risk is publishing a page that any competitor could publish word for word. These six checks help you spot that before it goes live.
The six checks
Each check has a prompt you can copy with one tap. Fill in the [BRACKETED] parts, then paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. The prompts ask the AI to look at your material or to ask you questions, not to make facts up.
Could a competitor publish this exact page?
Swap your business name for a competitor's. If every sentence is still true, it is a copycat page. Stop and add something only you know.
Here is a draft page from my website: [PASTE YOUR DRAFT HERE] My competitor is [COMPETITOR NAME] and my business is [YOUR BUSINESS NAME]. Do not guess any facts about my competitor. Using only the text above, list every sentence that could be copied onto any similar business's site with just the name changed, because it has no detail specific to my business (no real numbers, places, jobs, customer questions or first-hand experience). Do not rewrite anything. Just list those sentences and say in a few words why each one is generic.
What you should get back: A list of the sentences that have nothing specific to your business, with a short reason for each. It does not rewrite your page.
Limit: The AI only judges the text you paste. It cannot tell what your competitor really publishes, and it may miss sentences that sound specific but are not. Read the page yourself too.
Does it answer a question a real customer asked you?
Take it from your WhatsApp, emails or calls, in their words. Use that question as a heading and answer it in the first two sentences.
Below are real messages from my customers (WhatsApp, emails or call notes): [PASTE 5 TO 20 REAL CUSTOMER MESSAGES HERE] List the 5 questions that come up most, using my customers' own words as far as you can. Show each as a possible page heading. Do not add questions that are not in the messages. If the messages are too few to see a pattern, say so.
What you should get back: Up to 5 recurring customer questions, phrased the way your customers said them, ready to use as headings.
Limit: It only knows what is in the messages you paste. Remove names and phone numbers before you paste, and check that each question really appears in your messages.
Is there at least one number only you have?
Jobs done this year, your usual turnaround, your price range, the most common cause you see. A rough honest number beats a generic claim.
I run [YOUR BUSINESS TYPE] and I am writing a page about [YOUR TOPIC]. Interview me to find numbers that only I have, such as jobs done this year, usual turnaround, price range or the most common cause I see. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer. Do not suggest numbers or guess. After 5 questions, list my answers as a short bullet list and mark any answer that is only a rough estimate.
What you should get back: A series of short questions, one at a time, then a bullet list of your own numbers with rough estimates marked.
Limit: The AI is only an interviewer. It does not know your numbers, so every figure must come from you. Do not let it fill gaps.
Is there one thing you saw on the job?
A real case, a photo you took, a mistake you fixed. Other sites are unlikely to have the same example.
I run [YOUR BUSINESS TYPE] and I want to add one real example to a page about [YOUR TOPIC]. Interview me about one case from my work: what the problem was, what went wrong, and how it was fixed. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer. Then write 3 to 4 plain sentences using only what I told you. Do not invent details, names, places or outcomes. If something is missing, write [ASK ME].
What you should get back: A few questions about one real case, then 3 to 4 plain sentences built only from your answers.
Limit: Remove client names and anything private before you write it up. Check every detail against what actually happened, because the AI may smooth over gaps.
Does it say who wrote or checked it, and when?
Google suggests thinking about who created the content, how it was made and why. A name, a role and a date show who. Saying how you made the page, for example that AI drafted it and you checked every fact, answers how.
Write a short author note for the bottom of a web page, using only these facts: Name: [YOUR NAME] Role: [YOUR ROLE] Years doing this: [YEARS] Date written or checked: [DATE] How the page was made: [FOR EXAMPLE, AI DRAFTED IT AND I CHECKED EVERY FACT] Keep it to two sentences. Do not add qualifications, awards or claims I have not given you.
What you should get back: A two-sentence author note with your name, role, date and how the page was made.
Limit: Only say that you checked every fact if you really did. The AI will write whatever you tell it, so the honesty has to come from you.
Does every claim you did not measure yourself link to its source?
If a number came from somewhere else, link it. If you cannot find the source, take the number out.
Here are my own notes, then a draft page. My notes. Things I saw or did myself are marked ME. Facts from elsewhere are marked SOURCE with the link I got them from: [PASTE YOUR NOTES HERE] Draft page: [PASTE YOUR DRAFT HERE] List every number, statistic, quote or factual claim in the draft that is not in my notes, and every claim that comes from outside my own experience but has no SOURCE link in my notes. For each one, write the claim and mark it [NEEDS SOURCE]. Do not add links or sources yourself, and do not rewrite the page.
What you should get back: A list of claims in your draft that are not in your notes or have no source link, each marked [NEEDS SOURCE]. It does not rewrite or add links.
Limit: This prompt does not check sources. AI tools can invent links or misread sources, so open each source yourself and check that it supports the claim.
Copy this prompt: let AI write, but only from your facts
Once your page passes the six checks, or you have your notes ready, paste them into the brackets. The last line asks the tool not to guess.
You are helping me write a page for my business website. Customer questions, in their own words: [PASTE 2 TO 5 REAL QUESTIONS] My own numbers: [JOBS DONE, TURNAROUND, PRICE RANGE, MOST COMMON CAUSE] What I have seen on the job: [ONE REAL CASE, WHAT WENT WRONG, HOW IT WAS FIXED] Who I am and how I know this: [NAME, ROLE, YEARS DOING THIS] Write a helpful page that answers the first question directly in the first two sentences, then covers the others. Plain English, short paragraphs, no hype. Use only the facts in my notes. Do not add numbers, quotes, studies or claims I did not give you. If something is missing, write [ASK ME] instead of guessing.
What you should get back: A draft page that answers your first question in its first two sentences, using only your notes, with [ASK ME] where something is missing.
Limit: Check the draft against your notes before publishing. The AI can still reword a fact wrongly, so read every number and name.
Run the six checks, then publish with a clear conscience.
One practical SEO and AI visibility check when we publish one. No spam.
By subscribing you agree that Ranklore may email you these tips. Unsubscribe any time by replying "stop".Sources
Google Search Central: Google Search's guidance about AI-generated content, which says "however content is produced, those seeking success in Google Search should be looking to produce original, high-quality, people-first content".
Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, including the Who, How and Why questions.
Want us to run this check on your site? Try the free website check or say hello.