Google says GEO is still SEO and lists AI tactics to skip

Google says the work some agencies sell as GEO or AEO is “still SEO” when the goal is Google Search. Its Search Central guide to generative AI features lists AI tactics site owners do not need, from llms.txt files to chunked content. Search Engine Journal reported the guide on May 15, 2026 Search Engine Journal .

For a business weighing a separate “AI search” package, the guide doubles as a list of questions to ask.

What Google’s guide says about GEO and AEO

The guide covers generative AI features in Google Search, “such as AI Overviews and AI Mode” Google Search Central . It names the industry labels AEO and GEO. Then it says that from Google Search’s perspective, the work is “still SEO.” Google last updated the page on July 10, 2026.

Google’s reason is how the features work. It says its generative AI features are “rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems.” A page must be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet before it can appear in them.

The guide goes a step further. It says “plenty of content thrives in Google Search (including generative AI experiences) without any overt SEO at all.”

The AI tactics Google says you can skip

One section of the guide takes on common AI search myths Google Search Central . For Google Search, it says site owners do not need:

• New machine-readable files, AI text files, markup or Markdown. Google says Search ignores llms.txt files, so they neither help nor harm a site’s visibility.
• Content broken into tiny pieces, a tactic often called chunking.
• Special schema.org markup for AI features.
• A special writing style for AI.

The guide adds that chasing inauthentic “mentions” across the web “isn’t as helpful as it might seem.” Search Engine Journal noted that Google’s Danny Sullivan made similar remarks against chunking in January 2026 Search Engine Journal .

Structured data is a separate case. Google says it is not required for generative AI search. But the guide calls it “a good idea to continue using it” as part of an overall SEO plan. Search Engine Journal noted that standard structured data still counts toward rich results Search Engine Journal .

What Google says to do instead

Google asks for “non-commodity content,” and the guide gives an example Google Search Central . A generic post titled “7 Tips for First-Time Homebuyers” is commodity content. A first-hand account titled “Why We Waived the Inspection & Saved Money: A Look Inside the Sewer Line” is not.

The guide tells owners to “create the content yourself based on what you know about the topic.” It points to standard technical work: crawlable pages, a good page experience and less duplicate content. For stores and local businesses, it names Merchant Center feeds and Google Business Profiles.

Google warns site owners directly. It says to “be wary of third-party tools that promise ranking success or claim to use ‘internal’ Google metrics” Google Search Central . It adds that no third-party tool has access to Google’s internal ranking or AI systems.

To measure results, Google points to Search Console. Its Generative AI performance report shows how often a site’s pages appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode Google Search Central . Google says the report reached all websites worldwide as of August 31, 2026.

What the guide does not cover

The guide speaks for Google Search only. Search Engine Journal noted that it does not settle the question for ChatGPT or Perplexity Search Engine Journal .

Those tools reach a large audience. Pew Research Center found in a February 2026 survey that 44% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT Pew Research Center . But they send little traffic so far. SE Ranking studied 101,574 websites and found AI platforms sent 0.32% of all website traffic in 2026 SE Ranking . ChatGPT drove 74.78% of those AI visits. Google sent 134 times more visitors than AI platforms.

So for most businesses, Google is still the bigger source of visits. And Google says standard SEO covers its AI features. Our report on AI chatbot use and website traffic has the full numbers.

What this means if you pay for a GEO package

Some agencies sell GEO or AI search packages on top of standard SEO. Google’s guide gives buyers a simple test. A package that charges for llms.txt files, content chunking or special AI schema aimed at Google is charging for work Google says it does not need.

A GEO package can still hold useful work. First-hand content, pages Google can crawl and index, a good page experience and an accurate Business Profile all match Google’s advice. The test is whether the agency can name the task, the page and the result it expects. A vague promise of AI visibility fails that test.

Work aimed at ChatGPT and other assistants is a separate question, and Google’s guide does not speak to it. Ask for AI referral traffic in your own analytics, before and after the work. Then compare the visits and leads with the fee.

Clicks from Google matter here too. For what AI Overviews do to those clicks, see our report on four studies.

Questions to ask your agency

1. What does your GEO package include that standard SEO does not? Ask for a task-by-task list with prices.
2. Do any fees cover llms.txt files, content chunking or AI schema aimed at Google? Google’s guide says Search does not need them.
3. How will you report our visibility in Google’s AI features? Ask for the Generative AI performance report from Search Console each month.
4. How much traffic do ChatGPT and other assistants send us today? Ask for referral numbers from your own analytics, before and after the work.
5. Which of our pages offer first-hand information competitors cannot copy? Google’s guide favors that kind of content over generic tips.

If you are comparing firms for this work, start with our AI search agency shortlist. Every firm on it is scored on the same public rubric. Our guide to SEO and AI search explains what to look for before you sign.