Is my website optimised for AI?

A client has just asked me: “Is my website optimised for AI?” It’s not the first time I’ve been asked. In fact, it’s the fourth conversation I’ve had about AI optimisation over the past few weeks. So I thought I’d write a blog about it, in case it’s useful to others.

The good news

If you’ve started hearing phrases like AI optimisation or AI-ready websites, it’s easy to wonder whether your website has suddenly become outdated. Google recently published guidance about AI-powered Google Search, so I thought it was worth seeing what it actually says. The first thing to say is that Google isn’t introducing a completely separate set of rules for AI. In fact, one sentence stood out:

There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary.

That doesn’t mean nothing is changing. AI-powered search is changing the way people look for information. What it does mean is that Google isn’t saying every business suddenly needs a new type of website or a brand-new “AI optimisation” service.

What Google does focus on

Google’s guidance focuses on useful, original content based on genuine knowledge and first-hand experience. It also emphasises clear page structure, accurate information and making sure important content can be found and understood. These are all things good SEO should already involve.

So should you be worried?

You don’t suddenly need a completely different type of SEO because AI has arrived. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing worth checking. Your website still needs useful, original content, clear information, sound technical SEO and pages that both visitors and search engines can understand. Those things may affect whether your business appears in AI-powered search, but they are not a mysterious new layer of “AI optimisation”. They are what good websites and good SEO should already involve. So if you’ve been wondering whether AI has suddenly changed the rules, Google’s own guidance suggests otherwise. For now, at least, it’s business as usual.