SEO Checklist for Modern Websites: Search, AI Overviews and AI Agents
Modern SEO is no longer only about ten blue links. Search now includes AI Overviews, AI Mode, visual search and other answer-oriented experiences. The foundation has not changed as much as the interface has: crawlable pages, useful original content, clear entities, strong internal linking and a technically healthy site still matter.
1. Make the site technically crawlable
Use stable URLs, HTTPS, sensible redirects, canonical URLs, an accurate sitemap and a robots.txt file that does not accidentally block important content. Check important URLs in Search Console after launch.
2. Give every important page a clear purpose
A page should answer a real user need. Use descriptive titles, one clear primary heading and supporting sections that make the page useful even if the visitor never sees a search result.
3. Write direct answers to real questions
For service pages, include concise explanations of what you do, who it is for, what the process looks like, what it costs when appropriate and what happens next. FAQ sections can make these answers easier to navigate.
4. Build topical and entity context
Explain your services, technologies, industries, locations, people and relationships consistently. Link related pages so search systems can understand how the information fits together.
5. Use structured data where it genuinely fits
Organization, WebSite, WebPage, Service, BreadcrumbList and Article markup can help search engines understand page types and relationships. Markup should reflect visible, accurate content.
6. Create original, experience-based content
Avoid publishing generic articles simply because a keyword has volume. Useful content should add first-hand experience, examples, trade-offs, checklists, evidence or a point of view that helps the reader.
7. Optimize for AI search without chasing hacks
Google says its generative search experiences continue to rely on core SEO and quality systems. There is no special keyword density or magic AEO/GEO markup that guarantees inclusion. Build content that is useful, specific and easy to understand.
8. Make the site easy to quote accurately
Clear definitions, concise answer blocks, descriptive headings, factual claims, examples and visible authorship can make information easier for people and systems to interpret.
9. Measure what is actually happening
Use Search Console, analytics and your conversion tracking to monitor impressions, clicks, queries, landing pages, leads and other business outcomes. Search visibility is useful only when it supports the business goal.
10. Keep improving the pages that matter
SEO is not a launch checkbox. Review pages with impressions but weak clicks, pages ranking just outside the top results, pages that attract the wrong intent and pages that convert well but have limited visibility.
AI can accelerate implementation, but production quality still comes from verification: clear architecture, security, testing, useful content and ongoing ownership.
Questions people ask
Does llms.txt improve Google rankings?
No. Google has clarified that llms.txt is not required for Google Search and does not directly improve or hurt visibility. It can still be maintained as an optional machine-readable resource for other agents and systems.
Do I need separate AEO and GEO pages?
Not automatically. The better approach is to make existing service and informational pages genuinely useful, answer real questions and provide strong context. Separate pages are useful when there is a distinct user intent.
What matters most for AI Overviews?
Google emphasizes the continued importance of core SEO, unique helpful content, technical accessibility and quality. There is no guaranteed formula for appearing in an AI-generated result.
Should FAQ content be hidden in accordions?
Content inside standard HTML accordions can remain part of the page, but it should be useful and accessible to users. FAQ rich results are no longer shown by Google, so the main value is user experience and clearer information architecture.
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