May 18, 2026 • Google has finally published guidance for AI optimization. Yet “Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search,” published May 15, offers nothing beyond traditional search engine optimization basics. The guidelines apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode, but not necessarily to Gemini, Google’s standalone genAI platform, and certainly not to other models such as ChatGPT and Claude. SEO The guidelines start with confirming that traditional SEO remains as relevant as ever because AI answers rely on search results, as do fan-out queries. To Google, there’s no difference between “optimizing for AI” and “SEO,” stating: From Google Search’s perspective, optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO. The guidelines list traditional SEO tactics, mainly: Create original, helpful, people-first content with a unique point of view. Structure content and pages for humans, not AI agents. Use quality, helpful images and videos.…