Answers

    Is SEO still relevant for Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode?

    Yes. Google says its AI features are built on its core Search ranking and quality systems, so SEO best practices still apply. Google even says that, from its point of view, optimising for AI search is still SEO, whatever name it goes by.

    What exactly does Google say?

    Google's guide for site owners answers the question directly. Its AI features pull pages from the Search index using the same ranking systems, then summarise them with links.

    "From Google Search's perspective, optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO."
    — Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features. Read the source

    Sources: Google Search Central: Optimizing your website for generative AI features

    So are AEO and GEO just marketing terms?

    Not quite. They're useful labels for the parts of SEO that matter most for AI answers. But Google asks site owners to judge third-party "AEO" or "GEO" advice carefully, and says many suggested "hacks" don't work on Google. Other AI tools, such as ChatGPT, use their own crawlers and sources, so some steps (like allowing OAI-SearchBot) matter outside Google.

    Sources: Google Search Central: Optimizing your website for generative AI features · OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers

    Which SEO basics does Google list for AI features?

    Allowing crawling in robots.txt and in your CDN or hosting, internal links that make content easy to find, a good page experience, important content in text form, high-quality images and video, structured data that matches the visible page, and up-to-date Merchant Center and Business Profile details.

    Sources: Google Search Central: AI features and your website

    Is there a guarantee if I follow all of it?

    No. Google says meeting every requirement doesn't guarantee that a page will be crawled, indexed or shown. AI Overviews also only appear when Google decides they add something, so many searches don't show one.

    Sources: Google Search Central: AI features and your website

    References

    1. Google Search Central: Optimizing your website for generative AI features
    2. OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
    3. Google Search Central: AI features and your website

    All sources checked on 6 October 2026. Studies cited show correlations, not guarantees. Results vary.

    Go deeper: the AI Search Flywheel and the 127-Point AI Search OS.

    Dr. Radhakrishnan KG

    Answered by Dr. Radhakrishnan KG

    Founder, WebNamaste · In search since 2006 · Updated 6 October 2026

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