AI Search · SEO Myths
If you’ve scrolled LinkedIn lately, you’ve probably seen someone declare that SEO is finished. Google now shows AI Overviews at the top of many searches, people are asking ChatGPT for recommendations, so why bother with your website?
It’s a fair question for any Adelaide business owner watching their marketing budget. So let’s skip the hot takes and look at what Google itself says.
The myth: AI answers have replaced websites
The idea goes like this: if Google’s AI writes the answer, nobody needs to visit your site, so search engine optimisation is pointless.
The fact: Google’s AI answers are built from web pages that rank
Google’s documentation on AI features is surprisingly direct. It says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that there are no additional requirements to appear in them.
In other words, the same work that helps you show up in normal search results is the work that makes you eligible to show up in AI answers.
How AI Overviews choose what to show
Google explains that AI Overviews and AI Mode surface relevant links to help people find information, and can use a “query fan-out” technique, running several related searches across subtopics to build a response. That means AI answers are pulling from pages Google has already crawled, indexed and judged to be helpful.
To be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. If Google can’t find or index your page, it can’t cite it. That’s SEO.
What actually changed
It would be silly to pretend nothing is different. A few things genuinely have shifted:
- People ask longer questions. Google notes that in its AI experiences, users are asking longer and more specific questions, plus follow-ups. Pages that answer real, specific questions clearly have more chances to be useful.
- Generic content has less room. Google’s advice is to focus on unique, non-commodity content. If your page says the same thing as a hundred others, there’s little reason to cite yours.
- Clicks may look different. Google says that when people click through from results pages with AI Overviews, those clicks tend to be higher quality, with visitors more likely to spend time on the site. It encourages site owners to look at conversions, like enquiries and bookings, not just raw clicks.
What didn’t change
Here’s the part the “SEO is dead” crowd skips. Google lists the fundamentals that still matter for AI features, and they will sound familiar:
- Letting Google crawl your site (not blocking it in robots.txt or at your host)
- Making content easy to find through internal links
- Giving visitors a good page experience
- Having your important content in text form, not just inside images
- Supporting your text with good images and video
- Keeping structured data accurate and matching what’s on the page
- Keeping your Business Profile information up to date
That last one matters a lot for local businesses. If you’re a physio in Mawson Lakes or a mechanic in Edwardstown, your Google Business Profile and your website are still the foundation Google draws on.
Do you need a special “AI file”?
Google’s own page says you don’t need to create new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup to appear in its AI features, and there’s no special schema.org structured data required. So if someone tells you a single file is the secret to AI visibility on Google, treat that with caution.
So what should an Adelaide business do now?
Rather than chasing every new acronym, focus on the things Google keeps repeating.
1. Make sure Google can find and index your pages
If a page isn’t indexed, it can’t rank or be cited in AI Overviews. A quick check in Google Search Console will show you which pages are in and which aren’t.
2. Write content only you can write
Google’s guidance asks whether your content shows first-hand experience and original information. Your real jobs, your local knowledge, your prices, your process and your opinions are things an AI tool can’t make up on your behalf.
3. Answer the specific questions your customers ask
Think about what people ask you on the phone: “Do you service the Barossa?”, “How long does a bathroom reno take?”, “What’s included in a first visit?” Clear answers to real questions are exactly what longer, more conversational searches are looking for.
4. Keep your Business Profile sharp
Accurate categories, hours, photos and review replies help both local results and the AI features that rely on that information.
5. Measure what matters
Track phone calls, form fills and bookings, not just traffic. Google itself suggests looking at the overall value of your visits from Search, not only the number of clicks.
The verdict
SEO isn’t dead. It has grown up. The shortcuts are less useful than ever, and the basics of being findable, helpful and trustworthy matter more than ever, because they now feed both classic search results and AI answers.
AI and SEO FAQs
Does Google penalise AI-written content?
Google says it rewards high-quality content however it’s produced. What breaks its rules is using automation to churn out pages mainly to manipulate rankings without adding value for people.
Will AI Overviews stop people visiting my website?
AI Overviews only show on some searches, and Google says they’re shown when its systems decide they add something beyond classic results. They include links to supporting websites, and Google reports that clicks from these pages tend to be higher quality.
How do I know if my site appears in AI Overviews?
Google includes traffic from AI features in the overall Search Console Performance report, under the “Web” search type. It’s not broken out separately, so it’s best to watch your overall search traffic and enquiries together.
Keep reading
Sources
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website
- Google Search Central Blog, Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google’s AI experiences on Search (May 2025)
- Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
- Google Search Central Blog, Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated content
- Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search
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