Google has recently published a guide on optimising for generative AI features in Search. Released via Google Search Central on the 15th of May, 2026, the new document addresses AI Overviews, AI Mode and the shift toward generative search experiences.
For businesses wondering how to optimise for AI search, here’s what you need to know and what it means for your industry.
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What Google’s AI Optimisation Guide Says
SEO Is Still the Foundation
The most important takeaway from Google’s guide is that traditional SEO remains the foundation of AI search visibility. Google’s generative AI features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, are built based on its core search ranking and quality systems.
If your site ranks well in traditional search, you’re better positioned to appear in AI-generated responses.
Google uses two key techniques to power these AI features:
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): Google’s AI-featured responses are sourced from web pages retrieved from Google’s index.
- Query Fan-Out: When a user asks a question, Google’s AI generates multiple related queries to find comprehensive answers.
What Google Calls “Non-Commodity Content”
Google describes “commodity content” as material based on common knowledge that adds little unique insight. Non-commodity content reflects expertise and first-hand experience; this is the most likely to appear in Google’s AI-powered results.
For businesses, this means your content needs to reflect who you are, what you know and what makes your brand different.
Invest in Visual Content
Google’s guide also highlighted images and video as positive signals that offer opportunities to appear in AI-generated responses.
You should treat your content as an informational asset and ask what a user would benefit from seeing on the page, whether that’s original images, video guides or diagrams that illustrate the process.
Build a Clear Technical Foundation
According to Google, technical SEO remains essential for AI visibility. Key requirements include the following:
- Pages must be crawlable and indexed.
- Sites should load quickly and display correctly across all devices.
- Duplicate content should be minimised.
- JavaScript-heavy sites should follow JavaScript SEO best practices.
- Google Business Profile and Merchant Center data should be kept up-to-date for local and e-commerce businesses.
Busting the AI Optimisation Myths
Google’s guide has commented on some of the “hacks” circulating in the SEO industry. Specifically, they confirm that you do not need to:
- Create pages at scale primarily to manipulate rankings
- Create LLM.txt files or any special AI markup
- “Chunk” your content into tiny pieces for AI systems.
- Rewrite your content in a specific way for AI
- Seek artificial brand mentions across the web
- Add special schema markup specifically for AI (although structured data remains valuable for rich results in traditional search)
Google has confirmed these tactics are either ineffective or potentially harmful, and you risk going against Google’s spam policies.
What This Means for Your Industry
Destinations & Resorts
Google’s emphasis on first-hand, unique perspectives is especially relevant for destinations and resorts. Invest in detailed destination guides written from local knowledge, guest experience content and high-quality visual assets that Google’s AI may pull into the feature.
Your Google Business Profile is also important. Google’s guide highlights that AI responses can pull directly from local business data, so ensure your listing is complete, your reviews are actively managed and your categories and attributes are accurate.
E-Commerce
E-commerce is one of the sectors most directly affected by the shift to AI search. Google’s guide calls out Merchant Center feeds and product structured data as key tools for ensuring products appear in AI-generated responses. If you’re on Shopify, ensure your product data feed is complete and regularly updated.
The guide’s emphasis on non-commodity content is also important for e-commerce brands. Product descriptions that explain why a product exists, who it’s for, how it fits into a lifestyle and what makes it different are the kind of content Google’s AI features are designed to surface.
Food & Beverage
The food and beverage sector wins with great storytelling, and that’s exactly what Google’s AI systems are looking for.
For physical venues, local SEO and Google Business Profile management are essential. AI responses to “best coffee shops in [town]” or “restaurants near me” increasingly pull from GBP data, reviews and local signals. Ensure your profile is complete and you’re actively generating customer reviews.
There are also opportunities that lie in non-commodity content, such as your origin story, production methods, sourcing practices and the people behind your brand.
Outdoor
The outdoor sector is one where authentic expertise and community trust are everything, and Google’s AI systems are recognising them.
The outdoor sector offers multiple opportunities to produce non-commodity content that AI systems are designed to reward, such as in-depth gear reviews, destination guides built on local experience and technique tutorials.
For outdoor experience providers, the combination of strong local SEO, Google Business Profile management and rich destination content is particularly powerful. Consider layering in editorial content, trail guides, kit lists and seasonal advice that positions your brand as the authority in your niche.
What Changes, and What Doesn’t
Google’s AI optimisation guide reconfirms that authenticity and expertise offer a competitive advantage in search. What changes is the way that content is surfaced and consumed.
AI Overviews and AI Mode mean users can get answers without ever clicking through to a website, but they also mean that brands whose content is distinctive and expert-led have an opportunity to reach users at scale.
The winners in AI search will be the brands that invest in telling their story, build technically clean websites and maintain complete data profiles.
How Marwick Can Help
As a Premier Google Partner, Marwick is helping brands navigate the shift to AI-powered search.
We offer a free 6-month SEO strategy that covers your current technical foundation, content opportunities and how to position your brand for visibility in AI search.
Get in touch with our team to find out how we can help your brand grow in the age of AI search.
