You are thinking for yourself, aren’t you? Are you sure? I ask because many business owners are NOT thinking. Nor are they researching about AI Search. Here’s a preaching bit of help.
Google is a Trap
People swallow the hype so easily. It’s time to be cynical and its time to face the fact that Google, the almighty Google is not and never will be your friend (unless you believe their third-party account managers and bolster your Google Ad spend).
I teach people to be cynical about Google (strange, but I am not alone).
I could point to many Google products like Google Wave and Google+ that fail but that’s as easy dunking a biscuit.
Google is Old Hat
BUT! We have to use them. Even when they steal hand over mouse from everyone and see the web as their personal playground. Is plain old SEO relevant in 2026? Yes. And Google says…
Google’s answer is clear: yes, SEO remains fundamental. View the document ‘Optimizing your website for generative AI features’ [LINK BELOW].
AI-generated search results are built on the same core search principles that have powered Google Search for years. The AI still needs to find, understand, trust and reference content from websites.
That means the fundamentals still matter:
✅ High-quality, useful content
✅ Technical SEO that allows pages to be crawled and indexed
✅ Fast, user-friendly websites
✅ Clear site structure
✅ Strong local business information
✅ Images, videos and supporting content
What are the Differences in SEO and its AI Cousin?
Google is placing even greater emphasis on original expertise, first-hand experience and unique insights. Do investigate the E.E.A.T model from Google.
Did you hear that?
Google is saying that businesses should focus on creating genuinely useful content and maintaining solid SEO foundations.
Our world is hampered by so called Gurus trying to sell their unnecessary, unproven tools and expertise. There are no hacks to success. There are knowledge, experience and graft.
You may even have come across the LLM.txt file espoused by experts (a recent survey in Search Engine Land [I think] says 97% of websites with this file hoping to influence AI are ignored).
What you do need is a website that clearly demonstrates expertise and helps potential customers solve problems.
The businesses most likely to benefit from AI search are often those already investing in good SEO, strong content and a better user experience.
It’s become more important.
Never Trust a Corporation with a Motto, ‘Do no evil’, but do read their documentation.
Search is one aspect of online success. Even more important is Conversion Optimisation
Conversion Detectives Offer a Conversion Health Check – £250
30-minute discovery call, expert review of website, conversion frictions identified and quick wins prioritised by impact.
Take care,
[image: Dendy Darma Satyazi, unsplash.com]
About Conversion Detectives
Conversion Detectives is a full-service digital marketing agency in Hertfordshire.
We find the best quality traffic for your website and convert more of that traffic into sales or sales leads.
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