Mueller: Some Sites Should Start Over

Google’s John Mueller has advised that websites overwhelmed with poor-quality AI content may be better off rethinking their direction altogether rather than trying to repair each page. In some cases, starting again could be quicker than attempting to restore a struggling domain.

He explained that simply rewriting pages does not automatically return a site to good standing. A human edit alone does not guarantee value, authenticity, or improved performance in search results.

Mueller emphasised that improving a site involves much more than replacing one style of writing with another. Recovery depends on whether the website genuinely offers something useful, not on whether the content was generated by AI or written manually.

His comments were made in response to a Reddit post from someone whose site was stuck in “Crawled – currently not indexed”. The owner wanted to swap AI-written English articles for original Portuguese content, hoping this would solve the problem.

Instead of focusing on AI versus human authorship, Mueller shifted the question to a more fundamental issue: the overall purpose of the website. If a site has not been adding value, rewriting content won’t suddenly make it meaningful.

He made it clear that authenticity comes from substance, not from the identity of the writer. Changing the language or rewriting AI content word-for-word won’t address underlying quality issues.

Mueller recommended viewing a complete content overhaul as a clean slate. Rather than editing every individual page, site owners should consider what the website aims to achieve and rebuild with that purpose firmly in mind.

He advised thinking of the process as launching a new project, even if it remains on the same domain. This mindset allows for a more strategic and thoughtful approach instead of becoming stuck in a task-based editing routine.

Mueller also compared recovery timelines. Websites already in a poor state may take a long time to regain trust in search results. The effort required can be significant and the results slow to appear.

By contrast, creating a brand-new domain might sometimes deliver progress sooner. When a domain’s history is weighed down by previous low-value content, the recovery journey can be lengthy.

That said, Mueller acknowledged that rebuilding an existing domain can still be worthwhile in certain cases. Some site owners may prefer to preserve what they have rather than begin from scratch.

His guidance highlights an important point: content quality is only part of the recovery process. A site must also have a clear purpose and offer real benefit to its audience to regain visibility.

This aligns closely with Google’s focus on helpful content. Sites that demonstrate expertise, originality, and relevance are more likely to earn trust over time.

For domains with a troubled history, patience is crucial. The effects of low-value content can linger, making it harder to recover even after improvements are made.

In the end, anyone facing indexing issues after publishing weak or repetitive content should assess whether the site’s long-term potential justifies the wait. In some situations, wiping the slate clean may lead to better and faster results.