SEO has been flooded with new buzzwords over the past 12 months. AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), AI Search Optimisation, with every week seeming to bring in another acronym claiming traditional SEO is dead.
Yet, according to Google itself, that’s simply not the case.
In a recent update published by Google Search Central, Google finally addressed the growing conversation around generative AI search and how businesses should optimise for it. And the biggest takeaway was surprisingly simple:
“From Google Search’s perspective, optimising for generative AI search is optimising for the search experience, and thus still SEO.”
Generative AI Search isn’t the death of SEO, it’s the evolution of it.
What Is Generative AI Search?
Generative AI search can best be described as AI powered search experiences that “generate” answers in search results. The most obvious example of this is Google’s AI Overviews, but AI chatbots like Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Edge and Bing Copilot all fall under this umbrella.
Generative AI searches attempt to summarise information and provide users with direct answers in a conversational style. Instead of listing links, AI answers may include recommendations to visit certain pages if users want more information.
The rise of these technologies has left many businesses wondering if AI will kill the need for SEO, and will users still click if they get the answer they need right away?
Google’s latest guidance strongly suggests the answer is yes, they will still click.
Here’s Why You Don’t Need To Stress
One of the most interesting parts of Google’s guidance is actually what they say isn’t necessary for AI search optimisation.
According to Google, businesses do not need to:
- Create llms.txt files
- Rewrite all content specifically for AI tools
- Add special AI-specific schema markup
- Chase artificial mentions across forums and blogs
- Completely reinvent their SEO strategy
That's important as over the last six months we’ve seen a huge wave of “AI SEO hacks” being sold online. Businesses have been told they need entirely new strategies or risk becoming invisible in AI search results.
The truth? Google’s advice cuts through a lot of this nonsense.
Providing value through high-quality content is still going to be the foundation of your SEO strategy. Sure, certain strategies may change when trying to optimise for AI, but the fundamentals of doing good SEO will always matter most.
Get AI-Ready By Focusing On the SEO Fundamentals
All of Google’s advice circles back to foundational SEO principles:
Excellent, Valuable Content
AI still relies on credible sources of information.
Publishing trustworthy content that’s useful for people has never had a better chance of showing up in search results (AI-assisted or not). Websites with thin content created for the sake of rankings won’t perform well with generative search as AI wants to point users to expertise, relevance, and readability.
That means brands should focus on:
- Providing content that provides value and answers questions
- Showcasing expertise
- Creating comprehensive content around topics
- Writing clearly and naturally
- Maintaining accurate, up-to-date information
Sound familiar? It’s really just basic SEO practice.
Earned Authority is More Important Than Ever
Search results filled with AI-generated content will mostly pull from trusted websites. As a result, signals of authority are more important than ever.
Google mentions several examples of what constitutes as a “trusted source”:
- Strong website reputation
- Reliable information
- Clear expertise
- Good user experience
This means building your authority within your industry is still essential. Creating content that showcases your expertise, acquiring trustworthy backlinks, gathering reviews, and maintaining a credible online presence are still core parts of visibility online.
If anything, AI search may increase the importance of trust because AI systems need confidence in the sources they reference.
Technical SEO Isn’t Going Anywhere.
There is no mention of AI changing core technical SEO factors. Google reiterates the importance of:
- Sites that can be crawled
- Fast loading pages
- Mobile-friendly sites
- Structured data
- Accessible content
Again, AI can’t make use of your content if your website can’t be crawled, or if it doesn’t provide value to users.
Local SEO is Still Crucial.
For local businesses, Google also points toward maintaining a strong Google Business Profile as a key part of visibility. This is important because many AI generated local results still pull heavily from existing Google Business Profile Information, reviews and local SEO signals.
If you run a local business, the priorities remain familiar:
- Keep your Google Business Profile updated
- Collect genuine customer reviews
- Ensure contact details are consistent
- Create location-focused content
- Optimise for local search intent
Again, this is traditional SEO best practice.
Ecommerce Sites Should Prioritise Clean Product Data.
Google references Merchant Centre feeds as being key to optimising ecommerce sites. Many of the components Google mentions here relate to accurate product data. With things like:
- Title
- Description
- Price
- Images
- Availability
All these factors allow search engines to better understand your products. As AI driven ecommerce experiences improve, optimising your product data should still be priority number one.
So What Has Changed?
Although we shouldn’t panic and start preparing for the worst, generative AI search will introduce some changes.
Search is becoming more conversational
Search engines are continually getting better at recognising natural language as users are asking longer, more conversational questions in search. Instead of searching “best seo tips”, users might ask “what are some good SEO tips?”
This means businesses should think more carefully about:
- Question-based content
- Conversational phrasing
- Topic depth
- User intent
Content that directly answers real questions is more likely to be referenced by AI-generated responses.
Visibility May Look Different
If AI satisfies a user’s query without them having to click through to a website, we may see a decline in clicks for certain types of searches.
While this may seem discouraging, there’s a good chance visibility will shift towards things like:
- Brand awareness
- Building authority
- Being referenced as a trusted source
- Capturing highly-intent searches
Businesses that can establish themselves as leaders in their industry will be most likely to benefit from this.
Prepare for AI With Good SEO
The moral of the story is, if you’re doing SEO right, you’re probably already ahead of the game.
The businesses most likely to succeed in AI search are the same businesses that have always performed well organically:
- Solid website technical foundations
- Established, genuine authority
- Helpful, trustworthy content
- Good user experience
The SEO industry often loves dramatic headlines about “the death of SEO,” but history shows search simply evolves over time.
Generative AI search is another evolution, not a replacement for SEO itself.
The fundamentals still matter.
And for businesses already investing in quality SEO, that’s probably the most reassuring news possible.
