Google’s Gary Illyes confirmed that AI Search does not require specialized optimization, saying that “AI SEO” is not necessary and that standard SEO is all that is needed for both AI Overviews and AI Mode.
AI Search Is Everywhere
Standard search, in the way it used to be with link algorithms playing a strong role, no longer exists. AI is embedded within every step of the organic search results, from crawling to indexing and ranking. AI has been a part of Google Search for ten years, beginning with RankBrain and expanding from there.
Google’s Gary Illyes made it clear that AI is embedded within every step of today’s search ranking process.
Kenichi Suzuki (LinkedIn Profile) posted a detailed summary of what Illyes discussed, covering four main points:
AI Search features use the same infrastructure as traditional search
- AI Search Optimization = SEO
- Google’s focus is on content quality and is agnostic as to how it was created
- AI is deeply embedded into every stage of search
- Generative AI has unique features to ensure reliability
There’s No Need For AEO Or GEO
The SEO community has tried to wrap their minds around AI search, with some insisting that ranking in AI search requires an approach to optimization so distinct from SEO that it warrants its own acronym. Other SEOs, including an SEO rockstar, have insisted that optimizing for AI search is fundamentally the same as standard search. I’m not saying that one group of SEOs is right and another is wrong. The SEO community collectively discussing a topic and reaching different conclusions is one of the few things that doesn’t change in search marketing.
According to Google, ranking in AI Overviews and AI Mode requires only standard SEO practices.
Suzuki shared why AI search doesn’t require different optimization strategies:
“Their core message is that new AI-powered features like AI Overviews and AI Mode are built upon the same fundamental processes as traditional search. They utilize the same crawler (Googlebot), the same core index, and are influenced by the same ranking systems.
They repeatedly emphasized this with the phrase “same as above” to signal that a separate, distinct strategy for “AI SEO” is unnecessary. The foundation of creating high-quality, helpful content remains the primary focus.”
Content Quality Is Not About How It’s Created
The second point that Google made was that their systems are tuned to identify content quality and that identifying whether the content was created by a human or AI is not part of that quality assessment.
Gary Illyes is quoted as saying:
“We are not trying” to differentiate based on origin.”
According to Kenichi, the objective is to:
“…identify and reward high-quality, helpful, and reliable content, regardless of whether it was created by a human or with the assistance of AI.”
AI Is Embedded Within Every Stage Of Search
The third point that Google emphasized is that AI plays a role at every stage of search: crawling, indexing, and ranking.
Regarding the ranking part, Suzuki wrote:
“RankBrain helps interpret novel queries, while the Multitask Unified Model (MUM) understands information across various formats (text, images, video) and 75 different languages.”
Unique Processes Of Generative AI Features
The fourth point that Google emphasized is to acknowledge that AI Overviews does two different things at the ranking stage:
- Query Fan-Out
Generates multiple queries in order to provide deeper answers to queries, using the query fan-out technique. - Grounding
AI Overviews checks the generated answers against online sources to make sure that they are factually accurate, a process called grounding.
Suzuki explains:
“It then uses a process called “grounding” to check the generated text against the information in its search index, a crucial step designed to verify facts and reduce the risk of AI ‘hallucinations.’”
Takeaways:
AI SEO vs. Traditional SEO
- Google explicitly states that specialized “AI SEO” is not necessary.
- Standard SEO practices remain sufficient to rank in AI-driven search experiences.
Integration of AI in Google Search
- AI technology is deeply embedded across every stage of Google’s organic search: crawling, indexing, and ranking.
- Technologies like RankBrain and the Multitask Unified Model (MUM) are foundational to Google’s current search ranking system.
Google’s Emphasis on Content Quality
- Content quality assessment by Google is neutral regarding whether humans or AI produce the content.
- The primary goal remains identifying high-quality, helpful, and reliable content.
Generative AI-Specific Techniques
- Google’s AI Overviews employ specialized processes like “query fan-out” to answer queries thoroughly.
- A technique called “grounding” is used to ensure factual accuracy by cross-checking generated content against indexed information.
Google clarified that there’s no need for AEO/GEO for Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. Standard search engine optimization is all that’s needed to rank across both standard and AI-based search. Content quality remains an important part of Google’s algorithms, and they made a point to emphasize that they don’t check whether content is created by a human or AI.
Featured Image by Shutterstock/Luis Molinero