Direct answer: SEO still matters in AI-powered search, but the way businesses earn visibility is changing. UK companies should focus on useful, evidence-led content, a technically accessible website, clear product or service information, and a joined-up search strategy rather than chasing so-called AI ranking shortcuts.
Google’s own guidance is clear: generative AI features in Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, are rooted in its core Search ranking and quality systems. In practical terms, that means the fundamentals of SEO have not disappeared. However, the search journey is becoming more conversational, more comparative and more fragmented across summaries, supporting links, maps, shopping surfaces and follow-up questions.
For UK business owners and marketing managers, the opportunity is not to “rank number one in AI”. That is the wrong frame and no agency should guarantee it. The opportunity is to make your website more likely to be found, understood, cited, surfaced or recommended when people ask more detailed questions about the products, services and problems you solve.
What has changed in search?
Traditional search often started with a short keyword, such as “accountant Leeds” or “commercial cleaning company Manchester”. AI-assisted search encourages longer prompts: “Which accountancy firm is best for a growing ecommerce business in Leeds?” or “What should I ask before hiring a commercial cleaning supplier for a medical practice?” These are still search queries, but they reveal more context, objections and decision criteria.
In May 2026, Google described its latest Search developments as a move towards bringing together the best of a search engine with the best of AI. It also said AI Mode had surpassed one billion monthly users globally. Those are Google’s claims, not independent UK market-share numbers, so they should be treated as platform-reported information rather than a guarantee of behaviour in every sector.
The confirmed direction is still important: users can now ask more complex questions, continue a conversation from an AI Overview, and receive answers supported by links. That changes how content should be planned. A page written only to repeat a keyword may struggle to answer the fuller question behind the query.
SEO is still the foundation
Google Search Central’s guidance on generative AI search says the best practices for SEO remain relevant because AI features use content from the Search index. It also says there are no additional technical requirements, no special schema required for AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no need to create new machine-readable AI files for Google Search.
That does not mean “do nothing”. It means avoid panic tactics and invest in the work that improves both traditional and AI-assisted visibility. Your website needs to be crawlable, indexable, fast enough to use comfortably, internally linked, and written in a way that genuinely helps the buyer make a decision.
A practical SEO process for AI-powered search
1. Build pages around real decisions, not just keywords
Start with the decision your customer is trying to make. A facilities manager might not only search for “office cleaning”. They may compare contract lengths, insurance requirements, cleaning standards, sector experience and disruption to staff. A useful page should address those practical questions in one coherent resource.
For service businesses, this often means improving core service pages before adding more blog posts. Explain who the service is for, what is included, how the process works, what affects pricing, what evidence you can show, and what makes your approach different. AI systems and human readers both benefit from clarity.
2. Add original experience and evidence
Google’s generative AI search guidance places emphasis on unique, valuable, non-commodity content. A generic article that could have been written by anyone is easier to ignore. A page that includes first-hand observations, case context, sector-specific advice, original comparisons or expert commentary is more useful.
For example, instead of publishing “Five benefits of SEO”, a regional professional services firm could publish a practical guide to how long it usually takes to build search demand for different local service lines, what data should be reviewed monthly, and which lead quality signals matter most. That is more specific, more credible and more aligned with the way people ask AI tools for recommendations.
3. Make key facts easy to extract
This is not about writing for robots. It is about making useful information obvious. Use descriptive headings, concise summaries, comparison tables, FAQs where helpful, and plain-language explanations. If a human reader can quickly understand your offer, location, process and evidence, search systems are also more likely to interpret the page correctly.
| Content element | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Short summary near the top | Helps users and AI systems understand the answer quickly | “We help UK B2B firms improve qualified organic enquiries through technical SEO and content strategy.” |
| Clear process section | Shows how the service is delivered | Audit, strategy, implementation, measurement |
| Evidence and examples | Builds credibility beyond generic claims | Sector experience, anonymised results, practical scenarios |
| Updated details | Reduces the risk of stale information | Current service areas, pricing factors, platform changes |
4. Keep technical SEO clean
AI search still depends on accessible web content. Check that important pages are not blocked from crawling, that internal links point to priority pages, that page titles and meta descriptions are purposeful, and that the main copy is available as text rather than locked inside images or inaccessible design elements.
For ecommerce sites, keep product information, availability, structured data and merchant feeds accurate. For local service businesses, keep Google Business Profile details, location information and contact routes consistent. These are not glamorous tasks, but they help search systems connect your business to relevant local and commercial intent.
What UK businesses should avoid
Avoid advice that promises guaranteed AI citations, instant ChatGPT rankings or secret files that will make a website dominate AI search. Google explicitly says there is no special schema required for its AI features and that it does not use llms.txt for Google Search visibility. Other AI platforms may develop their own discovery methods, but unsupported claims should not drive your strategy.
Also avoid producing dozens of thin pages to capture every possible AI prompt variation. That can create a poor user experience and may conflict with quality-focused search policies. A smaller library of genuinely useful, expert-led pages is usually a better investment than a large collection of repetitive content.
How SEO, paid search and AI visibility work together
SEO is not separate from the rest of digital marketing. Paid search data can reveal which search themes convert. SEO content can improve landing pages used in Google Ads. AI visibility work can highlight gaps in brand clarity, product data and authoritative mentions. The best results usually come from treating these channels as one visibility system rather than separate campaigns.
At Red Rabbit Digital, that means looking at technical SEO, content, Google Ads, landing pages and emerging AI visibility together. The aim is not to chase every new acronym, but to make a business easier to discover and easier to choose across the places customers now research.
Useful primary sources
- Google Search Central: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google: A new era for AI Search
Final thought
AI search is not a reason to abandon SEO. It is a reason to improve it. Businesses that publish genuinely useful content, maintain sound technical foundations and present clear evidence of expertise are better placed for both traditional search and AI-assisted discovery.
