If you have been pitched an “AI search optimisation” package lately, this week’s news round-up is worth reading first. Google has been unusually direct about how its AI features work, and the message is reassuring for small businesses: the fundamentals still win.
1. Google’s own guidance: AI search is SEO
In mid-September 2026 Google published documentation titled “Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search”. Asked whether SEO still matters for AI Overviews and AI Mode, the answer is a plain “yes”.
Google explains that these features are built on its core ranking and quality systems. They use retrieval-augmented generation (often called “grounding”): Google pulls relevant, current pages from its search index, reads them and writes an answer with links to the supporting pages. A technique called “query fan-out” runs several related searches at once to gather material. Secondary coverage notes that Google does not require llms.txt files, special content “chunking” or AI-specific rewrites. This follows John Mueller’s May 2026 comment that a separate “AEO” strategy isn’t needed.
What to do: Make sure your key pages are crawlable, indexed and genuinely useful. Because fan-out widens the set of pages considered, cover the related questions customers ask (prices, areas served, how long jobs take) clearly on your pages. Be cautious of anyone selling a “separate” AI search product. One caveat: this guidance covers Google only. It doesn’t show how ChatGPT, Perplexity or other assistants choose sources.
2. Search Console now reports on image and “Lens” search
On 24 September Google added a multimodal filter to Search Console. It reports traffic from Google Lens, Circle to Search and image uploads in the Performance and AI reports. This follows the June launch of dedicated reports for impressions in generative AI features.
What to do: If you sell something visual (food, trades work, retail, property), check the new filter. Good, original photos with descriptive file names and alt text are increasingly a route to being found.
3. Google tests “Dive deeper” in Discover
Google is testing a “Dive deeper” feature in Discover that shows an AI-generated topic overview with links to related stories, rather than sending taps straight to a publisher. It is a test, but it is another sign of AI summaries sitting between readers and websites.
What to do: Don’t rely on a single channel. Build direct routes to customers too: email lists, Google Business Profile, and repeat custom.
4. Site reputation abuse action changes
Google announced that from 30 August a site reputation manual action changes search results for users outside the European Economic Area, but not for users inside it. In short, “parasite SEO” (renting space on a trusted site to rank thin content) is being treated more strictly, with differences by region.
What to do: Avoid paying for guest posts or “sponsored” sections designed purely to borrow another site’s authority.
5. The scale of AI Mode
At I/O 2026 Google said AI Mode has over one billion monthly users, runs on Gemini 3.5 Flash and is expanding to nearly 200 countries. Earlier in the year an Ahrefs study of 300,000 keywords found that AI Overviews correlated with a 58% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page. These are Google’s and a third party’s figures respectively, and results vary by query type, but the direction is clear.
What to do: Track enquiries and calls, not just clicks. Your goal is being the business that gets named and chosen.
The takeaway
Google is telling site owners to keep doing good SEO, and that is good news if you have been doing the basics: clear service pages, accurate local listings, original content and a fast, crawlable site. The businesses that struggle will be those chasing gimmicks. Next, we look at the problems AI search is creating, and later in the week the opportunities for UK small businesses.
Want to know how visible your business is in Google and AI search? Contact Smitco Analytics for a visibility check.
Sources: Google Search Central documentation on generative AI features (as reported by Let’s Data Science, 15 Sept 2026); SEOworth news log (Search Console, Discover, site reputation abuse, AI Mode, Ahrefs study entries); Position Digital “AI SEO News” (October 2026). Figures and dates are as reported by these sources; please verify against Google’s documentation before publishing.