Google has been actively developing its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and its latest advancements have sparked significant interest in the search engine optimization (SEO) community. The recent Google Search Central Live conference in Madrid brought together industry experts and provided valuable insights into the future of SEO in an ai-powered world.

No Special Optimization Required for ai features

Google made it clear that no extra tweaks are needed for AI features. The key points include:

• AI tools are still new and will continue to change.
• User behavior with ai search is still growing.
• AI data appears with traditional search data in Search Console.
• There is no separate breakdown, much like with featured snippets.

These points highlight the importance of adapting to the changing landscape of AI-powered search. As Aleyda Solis, a well-known SEO expert, noted on Twitter, “Google: No optimization is necessary for Google AI features: they’re too new, user behavior is changing a lot, they’re taken into account in GSC but not broken out.”

structured data Remains Essential in an AI World

Despite advances in AI, structured data remains crucial. Google advised that you should:

1. Keep using supported structured data types.
2. Check Google’s documentation for the right schemas.
3. Understand that structured data makes it easier for computers to read and index your content.
4. Even though AI can work with unstructured data, using structured data gives you a clear advantage in search results.

These points emphasize the importance of incorporating structured data into your SEO strategy. As Google explained, using structured data “makes it easier for computers to read and index your content.”

Controlling AI-Driven Presentations of Content

For site owners who are cautious about how their content shows up in AI features, Google explained several ways to control it:

• Use the robots nosnippet tag to opt out of AI Overviews.
• Add a meta tag like .
• Wrap certain content in a

  .

• Limit the amount of text shown with .

These options work just like the controls for traditional search snippets. As Aleyda Solis noted on Twitter, “You can opt out from AI Overviews using the robots nosnippet configurations since Google consider them to be a search feature.”

Reporting & Analytics for AI Search

Google’s approach to reporting was also discussed. According to Google’s slides shared by Solis:

1. AI search data is included with overall Search Console data.
2. There is no separate report just for AI features.
3. Breaking out AI data separately might cause more confusion for users.
4. There are no plans to report Gemini usage separately due to privacy issues, though this might change if new patterns are seen.

These points highlight the importance of understanding how AI search data is reported and analyzed. As Aleyda Solis noted on Twitter, “Question to Google: Will we be able to track AI Overviews via Google Search Console?… With AIO’s there isn’t something special you need to do, is just part of search results.”

LLMs.txt and Future Standards

There was a discussion about a potential file called LLMs.txt, which would work like robots.txt but control AI usage. Mueller noted that this file “only makes sense if the system doesn’t know about your site.” (paraphrased)
The extra layer might be unnecessary since Google already has plenty of data about most sites. For Gemini and Vertex AI training, Google now uses a user-agent token in robots.txt, which does not affect search rankings.

SEO’s Continuing Relevance in an AI-Powered World

The conference made it clear that basic SEO work is still crucial. Key points include:

1. Core SEO tasks such as crawling, indexing, and content optimization remain.
2. AI tools add new capabilities to digital marketing rather than replacing old methods.
3. SEO professionals can use their skills in a changing landscape.
4. This message is reassuring: if you have strong SEO basics, you can adapt to new AI tools without completely overhauling your strategy.

These points emphasize the importance of basic SEO work in an AI-powered world. As Aleyda Solis noted on Twitter, “What’s the future of SEO with LLMs? * SEO foundational work: crawling, indexing… none of that is going away * AI is not replacing digital marketing, AI adds more * We have the opportunity to apply our experience to a new technology.”

Industry Implications

Solis’s coverage shows that Google focuses on user needs while adding new features. The big message is to keep delivering quality content and solid technical foundations. Although AI brings new challenges, the goal of serving users well does not change. Some challenges remain, such as not having separate reports for AI features. However, as these features mature, more precise data may soon be available. For now, SEOs should continue using structured data, following their proven SEO practices, and keeping up with new developments.

Conclusion

As the SEO landscape continues to evolve, it’s essential to stay informed about the latest developments. By understanding how AI search works and how to adapt to its changing landscape, SEO professionals can continue to deliver high-quality content and solid technical foundations.