If you paid an SEO consultant in the last 18 months to "optimize your site for AIs," there's a good chance you were sold useless things. On May 15, 2026, Google published an official document that clearly states what matters, what doesn't, and puts an end to many myths sold as revolutions. Here's what to remember, without the jargon.
Where this new guide comes from
On May 15, 2026, Google published on its official developer site a document titled "Optimising your website for generative AI features on Google Search." The guide covers two things: AI Overviews (the AI-generated answers that appear above classic results when you search) and AI Mode (Google's new conversational search mode that answers your questions in chat mode).
This is the first time Google has formally written down what it expects from websites that want to appear in these areas. And suffice it to say, the guide's content is unexpected for anyone who followed the SEO conversation in 2025.
What Google explicitly says not to do
The guide is unusually direct. It specifically calls out several practices that SEO consultants have been actively selling for a year and declares them ineffective.
Here's the official list of what's useless:
- Create a
llms.txtfile on your site. Some present this file as necessary to be read by AIs. Google says no, it changes nothing. - Break your content into mini-blocks to supposedly "make it easier for AIs to read." No, your content can be written normally, in human paragraphs.
- Write in a special style reserved for AIs. No need for a special tone or special structure.
- Cover all possible variants of a keyword. Keyword stuffing already didn't work in classic SEO, and it doesn't work for AI either.
- Seek artificial mentions of your brand on other sites. Google calls these "inauthentic mentions" and states verbatim that they "are not as useful as one might think."
- Add specific Schema.org for AINo special markup is required for AI Overviews.
If you have a consultant who sold you one of these services as the miracle solution for 2026, now is the time to ask questions.
What Google says actually works
The guide is equally clear on what matters. And the overwhelming majority of these points are… classic SEO done well.
Unique content with a perspective that stands out.
Google uses the term "non-commodity content." Translation: don't just recycle what everyone else already says about a topic. If your page on "how to choose a WordPress host" repeats the same ten tips found on 200 other sites, the AI has no reason to cite you over them.
What Google wants islived experience, of original data, of harsh reviews, of field feedbackIn short, real expertise, not a Wikipedia summary.
A clear and readable presentation
Hierarchical headings, readable paragraphs, relevant images and videos when they add something. Nothing new, just editorial common sense.
A solid technical foundation
Your site must be indexable, performant, and free of major technical errors. If Google cannot properly load your page on mobile, the AI does not bother trying.
An up-to-date Google Business profile
For local businesses, Google explicitly states that the Google Business profile and Merchant Center feeds directly power AI responses. This is a lever that many overlook.
The most important sentence in the guide
In the middle of the document, Google literally writes:
« Optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO. »
Here is the translation of the user's French website string to English, keeping all HTML tags, entities, placeholders, and brand names unchanged: --- Translate the user's French website string to English. Keep ALL HTML tags/entities/placeholders exactly. Keep brand names unchanged (MogaCode, SEO Master, WordPress, WhatsApp, Essaouira...). Reply with ONLY the translation, nothing else. optimizing for AI is doing good SEO. Point.
This sentence alone puts an end to the nascent AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) industry that was being sold to you as separate disciplines. Google clearly states: they are the same principles. If your site is well-built for classic Google Search, you are well-suited for AI Overviews.
What has nevertheless changed for your visibility
If classic SEO remains the foundation, two things have nonetheless evolved and deserve our attention.
First of all: AI citations no longer follow the traditional ranking.
Before, the rule was "you rank on page 1 or you don't exist." With AI Overviews, Google can easily cite a site that only ranks on page 3 or page 5 for the main query, provided that site contains a particularly precise and well-written paragraph on a specific sub-aspect of the question asked.
In practice, that means a well-written page on a niche angle can be cited by AI even if it doesn't dominate classic search. It's a real opportunity for well-made SME sites against generic big media.
Secondly: content quality matters even more
Google reminds in the guide that anti-spam policies are tightened for mass-generated content. If you had a hundred articles automatically generated by AI to target a hundred keyword variants, you risk not only not being cited by AI Overviews, but also losing your classic ranking.
The era of mass content is officially over. Better ten polished articles than a hundred sloppy ones.
What this concretely changes for your site
If your site is already well done — original content, clear hierarchy, decent performance, up-to-date Google Business profile — you probably have nothing to change to benefit from AI Overviews. Keep doing what you're doing.
If your site suffers from any of these symptoms, however, it's time to act:
- Your articles were mass-written by AI without human review.
- You invested in "AEO" or "GEO" techniques that were just described to you as useless.
- Your content repeats what competitors say without adding anything original.
- Your Google Business profile hasn't been updated in months — a point we address in our maintenance methodology.
In these cases, a content and structure audit is the first step. The goal isn't to "stuff" your site with AI signals — Google said that doesn't exist. The goal is to bring your content up to the level Google has expected for ten years, and which becomes the main criterion for visibility in 2026.
For SEO agencies still talking about AEO and GEO in 2026
Let's be clear: any consultant who talks to you today about "AEO optimization" or "GEO" as a discipline distinct from classic SEO hasn't read the official guide published by Google. This isn't a detail. This person is out of touch with Google's current communication, and there's a significant chance the practices they're selling you are at best useless, at worst counterproductive.
Our advice: To verify our own commitments, you can check the agency's behind the scenes. Before signing or renewing an SEO contract in 2026, ask your provider what they took away from the official guide published by Google on May 15. If the answer is confused or evasive, you know what you need to do.
Questions we've been asked since the publication
Does my site need to be manually added to AI Overviews?
No. No registration procedure exists. AI Overviews draws from pages already indexed by classic Google Search. If your site is indexed and ranks well for a query, it's eligible to be cited by the AI. If your site isn't indexed, no "trick" will make it visible to AIs.
Has Schema.org markup become useless?
Not exactly. Google specifies that Schema.org isn't required for AI Overviews specifically. But it remains useful for getting rich results in classic search (stars, FAQ, breadcrumbs), and these results indirectly feed the AIs. In short: keep using Schema.org, it still serves you, just not for the purpose some believed.
Should I delete my file llms.txt then?
Google says it's useless. It doesn't hurt either, so you can leave it. Simply, don't pay anyone anymore to "configure" it or for services that depend on it.
How long does it take for an optimized site to appear in AI Overviews?
It varies. AI Overviews relies on the same index as classic search, so once a page is indexed and ranks well, it becomes eligible for AI citation. Count from a few days to several weeks depending on content freshness and domain authority.
Does MogaCode offer audits adapted to this new Google guide?
Yes. Since the publication of the official document, we've updated our audit methodology to integrate the new Google criteria. The audit remains free for WordPress sites, and now includes a specific analysis on compliance with the Google AI Search guide.
Want to know where you stand?
If you're not sure your site meets the new Google criteria published in May 2026, we offer you a free audit. You leave with a clear document listing what's working, what's not, and what should be prioritized.
Request the audit on WhatsApp →
Official source: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search — Google Search Central, May 15, 2026.