Your website does not need to sound like an AI wrote it to appear in AI-powered search.
It needs to answer a real question clearly enough that someone can understand, check and use the answer. That sounds less exciting than a secret optimisation hack. It is also a better use of Tuesday.
Google has published guidance for generative AI features in Search. Treat its current documentation as the source of truth for eligibility and technical requirements—not a stranger’s “one weird file” theory. Google Search Central
Start with the buyer’s actual uncertainty
A service page that says “innovative solutions for ambitious brands” could describe a software company, a stationery shop or an unusually confident sandwich.
Answer concrete questions instead. What do you build? Who is it for? What information do you need to quote? What is included? What makes a project unsuitable?
For a dashboard service, explain what happens when the data is scattered across spreadsheets, which decisions the dashboard supports and who maintains it after launch.
Make evidence easy to find
Separate claims from examples. If you publish a case study, explain the starting problem, the work completed and the measurement period. Do not attach a percentage to “growth” without defining the metric.
Where results cannot be shared, publish a clearly labelled sample workflow or anonymised process explanation. Never present a hypothetical example as client evidence.
Put dates on time-sensitive guidance. Link to the primary source for product-specific claims. Give readers a way to see who is responsible for the content.
Give each page a job
One page should resolve a coherent question. A page about selecting a CRM should not become a cupboard containing every thought you have ever had about automation.
Use descriptive headings, brief definitions and steps that work outside the introduction. Keep important information in readable page content, not exclusively in decorative images.
Internal links should help a reader move from explanation to decision: guide, relevant service, then a sensible contact option.
Measure useful discovery
Track whether people reaching these pages engage with the relevant service or make qualified enquiries. Also ask new leads how they found you. Attribution will not explain every journey perfectly.
Do not judge the work entirely by whether a particular AI answer mentions you on a particular afternoon. Outputs can vary, and a screenshot is not a durable performance metric.
There is no honest promise of guaranteed inclusion. The practical goal is a technically accessible site containing specific, trustworthy information people can use.
Start by improving one high-value service page and one supporting article. Give them clearer answers, stronger evidence and fewer sentences that could belong to anybody.
