If you run an Australian business, you have probably heard a new promise: install an llms.txt file, rewrite every page for AI, add special schema, and your company will suddenly appear in Google AI Mode, ChatGPT and other answer engines.

Google’s own 2026 guidance is much less dramatic. Its message is that AI search visibility still begins with strong SEO, crawlable pages, useful content and clear information about your business. Google also says there is no special AI markup required for its generative search features.

That does not mean generative engine optimisation is meaningless. It means the useful part of GEO is disciplined digital marketing, not a collection of shortcuts.

What Google actually said

Google explains that AI Overviews and AI Mode use its existing Search index and core ranking systems. Its systems retrieve relevant pages, sometimes through multiple related searches, and use those sources to construct a grounded response.

The implication is important: if Google cannot crawl, understand or trust your site in ordinary search, an AI-specific trick is unlikely to repair the underlying problem.

Google’s new guidance specifically says:

1. SEO best practices remain relevant to generative AI search.
2. Useful, original, non-commodity content is more valuable than recycled summaries.
3. Pages must be crawlable, indexable and eligible to appear with a search snippet.
4. Product feeds and Google Business Profiles can help local and ecommerce businesses appear accurately.
5. High-quality images and video can create additional discovery opportunities.

Four GEO myths Australian businesses can stop chasing

Myth 1: An llms.txt file improves Google AI rankings

Google says it does not use llms.txt to determine visibility or rankings in Google Search. Other services may choose to use such a file, but adding it is not a substitute for fixing indexing, site structure or content quality.

Myth 2: Every paragraph must be broken into tiny AI-friendly chunks

Clear headings and readable structure help people, but Google says there is no requirement to fragment useful writing into artificial blocks. A page should be as short or detailed as the reader’s question requires.

Myth 3: Special AI schema guarantees a citation

Structured data remains useful when it accurately describes visible page content and supports an eligible Google rich result. However, Google says there is no special schema required for AI Mode or AI Overviews. Adding irrelevant markup can create complexity without improving performance.

Myth 4: Publishing hundreds of AI-written pages creates authority

Scale is not the same as expertise. Google warns that using automation to generate many low-value pages may breach its spam policies. A smaller library of useful pages built from real experience, original examples and current evidence is a stronger long-term asset.

What to do instead

1. Fix discoverability first

Confirm that your important service, location and product pages are indexable. Check canonical tags, robots directives, XML sitemaps, internal links and mobile performance. Use Google Search Console to identify exclusions and indexing problems.

2. Publish information only your business can provide

Generic definitions are easy for any competitor or AI tool to reproduce. Strong content adds first-hand detail: real project constraints, local pricing factors, before-and-after evidence, mistakes observed in the field, original photos, comparison tables or a named expert opinion.

For a Brisbane service business, that might mean explaining how summer weather, local approvals, Queensland buying cycles or a real customer decision changes the recommended approach.

3. Strengthen entity and local signals

Keep your business name, services, address, contact details and opening hours consistent across the website, Google Business Profile and reputable directories. Connect author profiles to relevant experience. For ecommerce, maintain accurate product data, availability, images and shipping information.

4. Answer the next question, not every possible keyword

AI search often expands a user’s question into related sub-questions. Build pages that resolve the natural decision journey. A useful service page may explain suitability, process, timing, cost drivers, risks and the next action. Do not create a thin page for every slight wording variation.

5. Make claims easy to verify

Link material claims to current, authoritative sources. State the date and geography of statistics. Explain assumptions. Use a visible author and update date. This improves human trust and makes the page more useful as a reference.

6. Measure business outcomes

Track qualified enquiries, calls, booked consultations, assisted conversions and branded search, not only keyword positions. Search behaviour is becoming more fragmented, so a useful measurement system should combine Search Console, analytics, lead quality and sales data.

The practical conclusion

The right response to AI search is not to abandon SEO. It is to make SEO more useful, more original and more accountable.

Arashk helps Brisbane and Australian businesses improve technical SEO, content, local visibility and their readiness for AI-assisted discovery. If you want a clear view of what is helping or limiting your website, request an SEO and AI visibility audit.

Editorial note: No agency can guarantee inclusion or ranking in Google AI features. Google states that crawling, indexing and serving are not guaranteed.

References: Google’s guide to optimising for generative AI features; Google Search Central announcement, 15 May 2026; Google guidance on generative AI content