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SEO with AI search: what to fix first
SEO still matters for Google's AI search features. Start by improving one page for a service you want to sell: make it accessible, answer the questions buyers ask, and give visitors a clear way to contact you. No page format or technical add-on guarantees an AI citation.
Google's AI results still depend on search basics
AI Overviews and AI Mode are Google Search features. Google's current AI optimization guide says its core search ranking and quality systems remain central. A page needs to be indexed, which means Google has added it to its search database, and eligible to appear with a snippet.
Google says you do not need special schema markup, AI text files, or a prescribed page length. It explicitly says that llms.txt files neither help nor hurt Google Search visibility. Meeting the requirements still does not guarantee inclusion.
This guidance describes Google. Other providers publish their own guidance and reports. For example, Bing's AI Performance reporting covers Microsoft Copilot, Bing, and selected partner experiences. Its citation measurements do not represent traffic share. Treat claims of universal “AI rankings” with care.
Choose one service and one useful page
Pick a service you can deliver well and have room to sell. Find the page a prospective customer should read before contacting you. If several pages repeat the same offer, choose the clearest existing page to improve first.
Write down three questions people ask before buying. Use recent calls, emails, and quote requests. Good questions expose a decision: whether you serve their area, what changes the price, or what happens during the first visit.
For each question, mark whether the page gives a specific answer. “Contact us for more information” leaves the research to the customer. If you cannot publish a fixed price, explain what you need to prepare a quote and which factors change the scope.
This page is your first project. Set aside broader blog plans until you can explain what this page needs and how you will check the result.
Follow a customer to your page.
Choose a step to see what the page needs to do.
Who? Independent retail shops using QuickBooks Online.
What? Account reconciliation and monthly reports.
Limits? Payroll and tax filing stay with you.
A useful page needs to be accessible to search engines. Check indexing and link to it from your own site.
Check that Google and customers can reach it
- Inspect the exact page address in Search Console. Google's URL Inspection tool shows its indexed status. After a fix, use Test live URL to check the current page. A successful live test does not guarantee indexing.
- Check your AI inclusion setting. Under Settings in Search Console, review Search generative AI. Google's inclusion control defaults to include, though a property can inherit a parent's setting. Confirm the effective choice matches what you intend.
- Try the page on your phone. Read the service details, use the navigation, and send a labeled test inquiry. Confirm it reaches the right person.
If Inspection reports a blocked or excluded page, save the exact message for whoever maintains your site. Fix that cause before rewriting everything. Also add a clear link to the service from a relevant page on your site. Google's SEO starter guide explains how links help people and search engines find pages.
Replace broad claims with details a buyer can use
Illustrative example
A small bookkeeping firm wants more monthly clients. Its existing page says, “We provide tailored financial solutions for growing businesses.” That sentence does not explain who should inquire.
The owner could replace it with accurate details such as:
We handle monthly bookkeeping for independent retail shops using QuickBooks Online. You keep responsibility for payroll and tax filing. We reconcile your accounts and send monthly reports after we receive the records listed in your agreement.
Before quoting, we ask how many accounts you use, your approximate monthly transaction count, and whether earlier months need cleanup.
These details are invented for the example. A real firm should publish only services and commitments it can support.
The revision helps an owner judge fit before calling. Add a real sample deliverable with private data removed, an explanation of your process, or photos of your work when useful. Do not invent client results to make the page look established.
Use headings that match the decisions visitors need to make. Keep important answers in readable page text. If you use AI to draft, have someone who knows the service check every claim, limitation, and promise before publishing.
Examples for different businesses
These illustrative page edits answer different questions about project fit, scope, and what a customer can request.
ContractorExplain which remodeling jobs fit
A contractor’s remodeling page shows attractive rooms but leaves visitors unsure whether the crew handles whole kitchens, small repairs, or both.
- Start here
- State the project types and service area. Explain the estimate process, who supplies materials, and what information helps you assess a project. Add real project photos with permission.
- Keep a person involved
- The owner should check every claim about licenses, scheduling, and scope. A page should reflect the work the crew can take now.
- Check the result
- Compare new inquiries with the project types listed. Note recurring questions the page still fails to answer.
Bookkeeping firmExplain what catch-up bookkeeping includes
A bookkeeping firm wants catch-up projects, but its page does not distinguish overdue bookkeeping from tax preparation or ongoing monthly work.
- Start here
- Describe which records the firm can organize, which software it supports, and what it needs before quoting. Explain any separate work a customer must arrange elsewhere.
- Keep a person involved
- The owner checks the scope and avoids promising a completion date before reviewing the records. Use a clearly labeled fictional sample if showing what a finished report looks like.
- Check the result
- Review new inquiries for the requested service. Note whether prospects still confuse bookkeeping cleanup with filing a tax return.
LandscaperShow what a seasonal cleanup covers
A landscaper’s website uses one page for lawn care, planting, and fall cleanup. Customers cannot tell whether cleanup includes hauling away leaves and branches.
- Start here
- Improve the cleanup page with the actual tasks, disposal arrangements, service area, and quote process. Explain which jobs need a site visit and show relevant project photos with permission.
- Keep a person involved
- The crew lead confirms exclusions and seasonal capacity. Avoid promising that every yard can be priced from a photo.
- Check the result
- Ask someone to find what will be removed and how to request an estimate. Track the questions that still need a phone explanation.
Measure visibility and inquiries separately
Save the page's baseline before editing. In Search Console's Search results report, record clicks and impressions for that page and the date range. Record qualified inquiries separately: people asking for a service you offer in an area you serve.
Google's newer Generative AI performance report shows impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode. An impression means a link was shown, not that someone visited or became a customer. The report may be absent when a site has too few impressions.
Review the same measures after several weeks, allowing longer when the page gets little traffic. Note seasonal changes, promotions, and other site edits. A before-and-after comparison cannot prove that your edit caused the change.
If visibility grows but inquiries do not, review the offer and contact process. If suitable inquiries grow, check which questions those customers still ask. Use those gaps to choose the next edit. Our inquiry tracking guide provides a starting point.
Finish the first page before expanding
Sources
Find the next useful SEO fix
We can review a service page, the questions it leaves unanswered, and how you track inquiries.