The short answer: in May 2026, Google published its own official guidance on generative AI search. It names four tactics site owners can ignore, including the file format ("llms.txt") that a lot of AI-search sales pitches are built around. A good chunk of what gets sold as "AI SEO" is Google telling you, in writing, not to bother. Here is what the guidance actually says, what still matters, and what we charge to do it properly.
Key takeaways
- Google's guidance names four tactics to ignore: chunking content into small pieces, rewriting content specifically for AI, creating AI-only files such as llms.txt, and chasing inauthentic mentions across the web.
- What it says still matters: pages that are indexed and crawlable, content with a genuine point of view rather than recycled summaries, structured data that matches what is actually on the page, and business details that stay current.
- ChatGPT and Perplexity are not Google, and are not covered by that guidance. Consistency of your business facts across the web is still the practical lever there.
- Real numbers, as always: we run this as a monthly plan from £169 a month, because the work that does move the needle is ongoing, not a file you add once.
What Google actually published
On 15 May 2026, Google Search Central announced a new guide dedicated to "optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search." Its own summary calls part of it "mythbusting common AEO/GEO misconceptions." The guide names four specific things to stop doing:
- Chunking content into small pieces. Google's systems read whole pages and pull the relevant part; there is no requirement to pre-slice your content for AI.
- Rewriting content specifically for AI systems. Writing one good page for a human reader is the same job as writing for Google's AI features.
- Creating AI-only files like llms.txt. The guide states plainly that this is not required and not supported by Google Search.
- Pursuing inauthentic mentions across the web. Manufactured citations are treated the same way manufactured backlinks always were.
If an agency's AI search pitch is built mainly around adding an llms.txt file or "AI-optimised" rewrites of your existing pages, that pitch is selling you the two things Google specifically told the industry to stop doing.
What Google says still matters
The same guide is direct about what does move the needle for its AI Overviews and AI Mode features, and none of it is new:
- Meet the normal technical bar. A page has to be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet in ordinary Google Search first. There is no separate AI pathway around that requirement.
- Write something only you could write. Google's own phrase is "non-commodity content": a first-hand account or a specific answer beats a generic summary that could have come from anywhere.
- Keep structured data honest. Schema still helps, but the bar is that it matches what is visibly on the page, not that you have added more of it.
- Keep your Business Profile current. Google names this directly as one of the things that feeds its AI features.
That is a shorter, cheaper list than most "AI SEO" packages imply, and it is close to what good technical and local SEO has asked for all along.
Where ChatGPT and Perplexity are different
Google's guide only covers Google Search. ChatGPT and Perplexity are separate companies running separate systems, and neither publishes anything as detailed as Google's guidance on what earns a citation. What is not in dispute is more basic. A crawler that is blocked cannot read your site. A system pulling together an answer has no way to pick between two different phone numbers, or two different sets of opening hours, for the same business. Keeping your website, Google Business Profile and directory listings saying the same thing is the one lever here that is within your control. It is also genuinely unglamorous, which is probably why it gets skipped in favour of selling you a file.
What we actually do, and what it costs
On our Found plan, the monthly work follows Google's own list rather than the add-on version: technical and schema upkeep that matches your real content, two blog posts a month written around the questions your customers actually type, Google Business Profile upkeep so your details agree everywhere, and rank tracking with a plain-English report of what moved.
| What you get | Price |
|---|---|
| Found plan (AI search and SEO, monthly) | £169 a month |
| Growth plan (Found plus social and email) | £449 a month |
| One-off technical setup and measurement pack | £199 |
No contracts, cancel monthly. Every other price is on the pricing page, and the full detail on the plan is on the AI search page.
How long before it works
Technical fixes, indexability, schema accuracy, consistent details, can be live within weeks. Citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity or an AI Overview typically take three to six months of steady work, because these systems build confidence in a source over time rather than the moment a page changes. Anyone promising a citation in a fortnight is selling you something else.
Common questions
Should I remove the llms.txt file if I already have one?
No need. Google's guidance says it is not required, not that it does harm. It costs nothing to leave in place; the point is not to pay someone to add one as if it were the thing that gets you found.
Do I need a new website before this works?
Not always. We can optimise a site you already have. If it loads slowly or has no real page structure to index, we will say so plainly, and a website rescue will get more from the same budget than layering AI search work onto a broken foundation.
Is this the same as normal SEO?
Almost entirely, per Google's own guidance. Technical SEO, genuine content and Google Business Profile work help your ranking and your AI visibility at the same time. The gap is small, and it is not the gap most "AI SEO" packages are selling.
Can I check where I stand right now?
Yes, for free. Run the 30-check scan on your current site. It covers the technical, structure and consistency basics this whole post is about, and the report is instant.
Want the version of this with your name on it?
Run the free 30-check scan on your current site, or ask for the free homepage mockup. Both free, neither with any obligation.