SEO Fundamentals for AI Search
AI search features draw on the same foundations as classic search: a crawlable, indexed page with useful, original content that is easy to reach through links. Google states a page needs to be indexed and snippet-eligible, with no additional technical requirements for its AI features.
Checklist
| Item | Why it matters | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Allow crawling in robots.txt, CDN and firewall | Blocked pages cannot be fetched. | Proven |
| Page is indexable and snippet-eligible | Required to appear in Google’s AI features. | Proven |
| Internal links to every important page | Helps discovery and shows relationships. | Proven |
| Key content as real text | Systems read text, not pixels. | Proven |
| Good page experience (fast, mobile-friendly, stable) | Part of Google’s recommendations. | Proven |
| Structured data matches visible text | Mismatches can mislead systems and break policies. | Proven |
| Search Console verified | Diagnose indexing and crawl issues. | Proven |
| Original, people-first content with a clear author | Spam policies apply to AI answers too. | Proven |
| Question headings with a direct answer first | Easier for readers and extractors. | Practice |
| llms.txt | Unconfirmed by major providers. | Experimental |
What does not help?
Google says you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup to appear in its AI features. Rewriting everything for AI or manufacturing brand mentions is not a shortcut.