Google is shattering the "classic" way users interacted with search results by introducing artificial intelligence-powered experiences, such as AI Overviews and the new AI Mode, recently released in the United States. This radical paradigm shift has already produced tangible results, such as the collapse of CTR in organic results, and one that many managers of online stores, media outlets, and blogs may feel (understandably) disconcerted by. Especially in countries like Spain, which are leading the adoption of AI Overviews. In response to the criticism that has emerged in recent weeks (including that from the head of the Daily Mail, one of the leading British media outlets), Google wanted to ease the tension a bit and to that end, it has brought one of its most authoritative spokespersons, John Mueller, the head of the company's search team, into the spotlight. Through a blog post, Mueller emphasized the idea that the principles governing good search engine ranking have not changed and that, therefore, the key remains offering original, useful, and human-centered content. Let's review the key points from this post on how to do SEO in the new era of Google AI. 1. Create unique, user-centered content According to Mueller, one of the pillars of search engine success remains the creation of valuable, non-generic content. This not only improves ranking in the classic "ten blue links" but also increases the chances of being cited in AI summaries. In his post, he explains that users are increasingly asking longer and more specific questions, which implies the need to create content that addresses questions with greater depth and clarity. 2. Improve the page experience Great content can go unnoticed if your site offers a poor user experience. Mueller points out that Google values ​​aspects such as: Mobile-responsive design Loading speed. Clarity and visual hierarchy for easy reading. It's essential that the main content is clearly differentiated from other elements, such as banners or calls to action. The experience should be intuitive and fluid. 3. Ensure content indexability For Google to display your content in its results, it must be able to crawl, interpret, and index it correctly. In this regard, Google's advice includes: Do not block Googlebot in the robots.txt file. Make sure your pages return an HTTP 200 code. Make sure the content is indexable and not hidden using techniques like display: none. For Mueller, this point is crucial for both traditional SEO and AI-based formats. 4. Control visibility using snippet tags Google allows you to manage how your content is displayed in results using tags like nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet, or noindex. These tags aren't new, but Mueller points out that they also affect how your site is displayed in AI formats. When you use these tags, you also limit the use of your content in AI-generated summaries. For example, if you mark a section with data-nosnippet, Google won't be able to include that part in an AI Overview. This can be useful for protecting valuable snippets, but it can also reduce your presence in rich results. The nosnippet tag prevents Google from displaying any type of snippet of that page's content. It's useful if you only want the title and URL to appear, but it can significantly reduce your visibility. On the other hand, the noindex tag prevents the page from being indexed entirely. It's a more drastic tool, useful if the content isn't relevant to search engines or is under development, for example. 5. Align structured data with visible content Structured data helps Google better understand the content of your pages: "Structured data is useful for sharing information about your content in a machine-readable way, allowing our systems to consider your pages and make them eligible for certain search features and rich results. If you use structured data, be sure to follow our guidelines, such as ensuring that all content in your markup is also visible on your webpage and validating the structured data markup." In this case, Mueller recommends validating the markup with official tools like Rich Results Test. Proper implementation can enable rich features in both traditional results and new AI-generated ones. 6. Invest in multimodal content Searches are no longer limited to text: with tools like those recently announced by Google, users can ask questions.

Search behavior is constantly changing. Just as we once moved from desktop to mobile or from text to speech, we are now facing the generative search revolution. This new paradigm offers an opportunity for content creators to reach a broader and more engaged audience. As Mueller explains, “As a website owner, publisher, or creator, you may be wondering how to optimize our AI-powered search experiences, such as AI Overviews and our new AI Mode. The core principles of Google recommendations apply to these new experiences. Focus on your visitors and offer them unique and satisfying content. This way, you will be well-positioned as Google Search evolves, as our core goal remains the same: to help users find original and exceptional content that provides unique value.”