First off, Google made it clear that you don’t need to create any new machine-readable files or AI-specific content like LLMs.txt or fancy markup. So if you’ve been tempted to start hacking together new files just for AI bots, well, don’t bother. It won’t make a difference.
What does matter? The same tried and true SEO fundamentals that have always helped with visibility. Here are the key reminders from Google:
- Crawlability: Make sure your site allows crawling—both in your robots.txt file and any settings in your CDN or hosting platform.
- Internal linking: Help search engines (and users) navigate your site by linking important pages together logically.
- Page experience: Fast loading, mobile-friendly design, and intuitive navigation all still matter.
- Text-first content: AI and traditional indexing alike rely heavily on text. So keep your key info available in plain text.
- Rich media support: When appropriate, back up your text with high-quality images and videos.
- Structured data: Your schema should accurately reflect the visible content on your page.
- Business info: Keep your Merchant Center and Google Business Profile info current.
These aren’t new tactics, and that’s kind of the point. Google’s advice essentially confirms what SEO pros and marketers have long been preaching: quality, accessible, well-structured content wins.
While there’s no magic bullet for getting into AI Overviews or “AI Mode,” following these fundamentals helps ensure your content is eligible to be surfaced in AI-powered results. It’s refreshing to see Google providing more transparency here and affirming that you don’t need to chase AI-specific gimmicks to stay relevant.
So, if you’ve been sticking to best practices all along, you’re already on the right track. And if you haven’t? Now’s a great time to start. Need help getting your content AI-ready but don’t have the time? Let’s chat today
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