Ever since Google Search started answering with AI Overviews and AI Mode, there has been a sense of fear sweeping through the industry. Everywhere you look, people are saying that SEO is dead, and that anyone who doesn’t adopt these mysterious new tricks now will disappear from the web. I see things differently, and interestingly, Google sees things differently too. In June 2026, the company updated its official guide to AI search and the message is much calmer than the noise out there.
I’ve read the guide for you and am putting it into plain language. First, the good news: I’ve actually been doing most of this for my clients for ages anyway.
SEO isn’t dead, far from it
The fear that everything is now different is unfounded. Google makes it clear that the AI features of the search function run on the same ranking and quality systems as the traditional search. The AI draws its answers from the standard search index and displays clickable links to the sources. So, anyone who performs well in traditional search is also well placed to do so in AI-powered search results.
And all these new acronyms, AEO and GEO, that some consultants try to sell you as a separate discipline? Google makes it crystal clear: from a search perspective, optimising for AI is simply optimising for search, and therefore just standard SEO. There is no secret second discipline that you have to pay extra for.
What Google actually advises
There are three key elements, and all three are pleasantly down-to-earth.
Unique content rather than run-of-the-mill text. According to Google, this is the most powerful lever of all. The AI analyses countless sources, and mere summaries of what’s already out there everywhere won’t get you anywhere. What counts is your own perspective, genuine experience and first-hand knowledge. A first-hand account is far better than seven run-of-the-mill tips that even a machine could have churned out.
A well-organised technical structure. Your website must be crawlable and indexable, load quickly, look good on any device, and clearly distinguish the main content from the rest. None of this is new, and that is precisely the point. The technical foundations, which have always been important, remain the bedrock upon which AI visibility is built. A slow, cluttered website will not be rewarded by AI either.
Your local business details. This is an underestimated factor, particularly for businesses in the region. A well-maintained business profile on Google ensures that your services also appear in AI-generated results when someone searches in your area. It requires little effort and has an immediate impact.
What you can safely ignore
Almost even more valuable is the list of things that Google explicitly describes as unnecessary. After all, that is precisely what is currently generating a lot of money, without actually serving any purpose.
- Special AI files such as llms.txt. Google does not use them and simply ignores them.
- Chopping content up into tiny nuggets so that the AI supposedly understands it better. There’s no need for that; the systems can handle longer pages just fine.
- Rewriting texts just for the machine. The AI understands synonyms and meaning, so you don’t need to cover every conceivable search variant.
- Generating artificial mentions and paid-for references online. It achieves nothing and tends to attract negative attention.
- Getting lost in structured data. Useful for other purposes, but not essential for AI search.
So if anyone tries to sell you expensive AEO packages built on exactly these kinds of tricks, you now know you can save your money.
This is precisely where the difference lies
And now comes the part that’s important to me. Artificial intelligence can now get anyone to about fifty per cent of a finished website or text in an astonishingly short time. The problem is that it is precisely this generic fifty per cent that Google devalues in its AI search. Interchangeable content that a machine could generate itself does not appear in the results.
What counts is the other fifty per cent: your own experience, a trained eye, and the solid technical skills behind the scenes. I call this ‘Vibe Perfection’ rather than ‘Vibecoding’. The AI handles the execution, but the quality that makes you stand out comes from the fine-tuning and the genuine expertise behind it.
In other words, Google’s official guide rewards precisely the approach I have always taken: fast, technically flawless websites, content with substance rather than filler, and a foundation built not on short-lived gimmicks but on what works in the long term.
What this means for your website
You don’t need to panic, nor do you need to start all over again. But you should answer two questions honestly. Is my website technically sound and fast? And does my content offer something that isn’t already out there a thousand times over on the internet?
If either of these questions gives you pause for thought, let’s talk. In a short, no-obligation conversation, I’ll take a look at your website and show you where you can really gain ground in AI search. No sales pressure and no expensive gimmicks that don’t work anyway.
Just get in touch. Search is currently undergoing a transformation, and this presents an opportunity for anyone who approaches it in the right way.