SEO for AI Overviews and AI Mode: What Google Really Recommends in May 2026
On May 15, 2026, Google published a separate guide for generative features in Search. The most important message is not that a new secret discipline has emerged. Quite the opposite: high-quality SEO remains the foundation. Greater emphasis is placed on unique “non-commodity” content, technical accessibility, good internal linking, image and video content, and a clear reason why Google should include that particular source in its answer.
May 15, 2026: Google Finally Put AI Search Recommendations in One Place
Google describes the new material as a resource for website owners, SEO specialists, and developers who want to understand visibility in generative Search features. The main topics include unique and valuable content, local, shopping, image and video content, myths around AEO/GEO, and the first recommendations for AI agents.
For companies, it is essential that Google simultaneously emphasizes continuity: SEO best practices remain relevant and form the foundation of success even with generative features. This is an important brake on marketing that sells “AI SEO” as a completely separate service without technical SEO, a quality website, and real content.
What "non-commodity" content means in practice
Commodity content is text that could be published by ten other websites without any loss of meaning. Typically, it is a rewrite of general definitions, generic lists, and articles without an original point of view. If AI can choose its answer from many almost identical sources, the website does not provide a strong reason to be cited.
This does not mean that every article has to present scientific research. Information gain can be practical: a proprietary pricing framework, a local process, implementation experience, a measurement screenshot, a comparison of two options, a checklist, a specific decision tree, or a precise explanation of what the company provides and what already belongs to a partner or client.
Query fan-out is not a guide for creating a hundred micro-sites
Generative search can, with a more complex query, work with multiple related searches. In the SEO community this is often referred to as query fan-out. A wrong interpretation is to create a separate page for every hypothetical way the question could be phrased.
In its new guidelines, Google warns against producing content for every possible fan-out variation that has no unique value. A better approach is to cover the topic naturally and in depth. One well-structured page can have a clear primary intent and, through H2/H3 headings, answer important related questions without creating an army of thin URLs.
Technical SEO has not disappeared – quite the opposite
The AI feature does not have a magical side door to content that Google cannot correctly find and process. An indexable website is still needed, with logical internal links, key content available in text form, a reasonable page experience, and a consistent technical structure.
That is why an SEO audit in 2026 has the same importance as before the rise of AI. If there are bad canonical URLs, orphan pages, blocked content, or chaotic architecture, the new acronym GEO will not fix it. For SEO, the technical and content foundations are checked first; AI visibility makes sense to address on top of them, not instead of them.
Images and video are part of the answer, not decoration
In its materials, Google explicitly emphasizes high-quality image and video content. For a service website, this does not mean overloading every page with stock photos. It means using visuals that genuinely complement the topic: a demonstration of the process, an authentic situation, a comparison, a diagram, a video tutorial, or a product context.
For the SKCompanies blog, it is therefore recommended to use a custom hero visual for every article, descriptive alt text, and compressed WebP/AVIF. The photograph should reinforce the meaning of the page. An abstract blue “AI brain network” is visually interchangeable and adds almost nothing for the user.
FAQ remains useful, but from May 7 no longer as a rich-result trick
As of May 7, 2026, Google has stopped displaying FAQ rich results. This is a good example of the difference between a content feature and a SERP feature. An FAQ section can still be very useful for visitors, long-tail queries, internal navigation, and conversion. It just should not be sold as a guaranteed way to achieve better visibility in search results.
Questions should therefore be based on real customer barriers, not on mechanical keyword expansion. If every article ends with five artificially created questions that repeat the same sentences from the text, it does not add value.
What is changing in copywriting for AI Search
Strong copy must be easy to understand for both humans and machines, but it should not be chopped into unnatural one-sentence fragments. What matters more is a clear heading hierarchy, specific answers, precise naming of entities and facts, and understandable connections between topics.
For copywriting, credibility is becoming increasingly important. Include dates, distinguish facts from recommendations, acknowledge limitations, and do not promise the impossible. In SEO, the phrase “we guarantee first position” is weak not only ethically, but also commercially: an experienced client knows that the result is influenced by competition, technical condition, content, authority, and changes in the search engine.
Practical framework: SEO 2026 in seven steps
- Focus on crawlability, indexation, canonical URLs, and technical errors.
- Map search intent and the business value of topics, not just keyword volume.
- Build strong service and pillar pages before producing dozens of articles.
- Add unique informational value to articles: local context, experience, data, or a decision-making framework.
- Interlink related pages so that the user understands the next step.
- Use high-quality visuals and, for relevant topics, also video.
- Measure organic traffic and conversions; track AI visibility as an additional layer, not as a replacement for business KPIs.
Questions and Answers | FAQ
1. Do I need a separate geo-strategy that is completely distinct from SEO?
Not in the sense of a parallel world without SEO fundamentals. On May 15, 2026, Google emphasized that SEO best practices remain the foundation even for generative features. It is especially necessary to enhance quality, originality, and methods of measurement.
2. Should I create a page for every long-tail query because of AI Mode?
No. Creating a large number of almost identical pages can reduce quality and create duplicate intents. It is better to have thematically strong content with a clear structure.
3. Do FAQs still make sense?
Yes to the user, decision-making, and long-tail questions. However, as of May 7, 2026, FAQ rich results stopped appearing in Google, so there is no need to implement FAQs for this SERP effect.
4. Is technical SEO less important for AI Overviews?
No. If Google cannot find the page, index it, or understand its structure, AI features will not bypass this. A solid technical foundation remains a requirement.
5. Is GEO a substitute for classic SEO?
No. For Google, the basic SEO principles remain relevant even for generative features. GEO and AEO are perceived as an extension of the strategy with new forms of answers, measurement, and content behavior.
6. Is there a special schema for AI Overviews?
No special AI markup is required. Structured data is used according to supported types and only when it matches the visible content of the page.
7. What happens after submitting a non-binding order?
After sending the non-binding order, all necessary information and instructions will be sent by e-mail. Depending on the nature of the request, a phone call may also be made to go through everything together. Once all the necessary details are received, all documents will be prepared and sent by e-mail along with instructions.
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WANT TO BE VISIBLE IN SEARCH AND AI ANSWERS WITHOUT MARKETING MYTHS?
Before that, we combine technical SEO, search intent, content architecture, and measurement. First, we fix the foundations and then build content that has its own value for both people and generative search.
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