SEO and AI search: a website owner's checklist for September 2026
Start with a website that answers real customer questions and works reliably. GEO usually means improving visibility in generative search answers; it does not give anyone control over whether an AI service mentions your business. Use this checklist when reviewing a repaired or recently updated site.
1. Can search engines reach the right page?
- Ask your developer to check the public service page, its HTTP response, canonical URL and indexing settings together. A working homepage does not prove that an important internal page is discoverable.
- In Search Console, compare the indexed URL with the page you want customers to find. Record the result before changing anything so you have a useful baseline.
- robots.txt controls crawling; it is not a privacy control. Keep private information behind proper access controls.
2. Would the answer help a potential customer?
- Name the problem you solve, what the service includes, what it excludes and how someone can contact you. Only state locations, response times and qualifications that you can support.
- For example, explain whether a repair includes testing an enquiry's delivery. That helps an owner compare services more than repeating ‘expert website solutions’.
- Link a relevant repair guide from the service page. Keep translations useful in their own language and make cited evidence easy to follow.
3. What matters for Google's AI answers?
- Google says its existing SEO foundations apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode. Supporting pages must be indexed and eligible for a search snippet; inclusion is not guaranteed.
- Google does not require a special AI file or special schema. Treat an llms.txt file as an optional reading aid, not proof of rankings or citations across AI services.
- Keep structured data consistent with the visible page. Do not add hidden claims, fabricated reviews or unverified credentials.
4. What should you measure next month?
- Record the update date and affected URLs. Compare Search Console clicks, impressions and relevant enquiries over comparable periods, allowing for seasonal demand.
- Google includes its AI-feature traffic within the Web performance report. A single AI answer or a changed position is not enough to attribute a result to this update.
- Update dates when the content changes meaningfully. Add missing answers or correct old information; merely making a page look recent does not make it more helpful.
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Central — AI features and your website
- Google Search Central — Helpful, reliable, people-first content
- Google Search Central — Introduction to robots.txt
Prepared with AI assistance and checked against the linked primary documentation on 9 September 2026. Practical guidance, not a claim of a new platform release or guaranteed results.
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