My AI Search Readiness Checklist
If you’ve been paying attention to the latest updates from Google, you know that search is shifting. With AI Overviews and AI Mode rolling out, how your content shows up (or doesn’t) is changing.
The reality is the rules aren’t completely new. But the stakes are higher. Search is no longer just about keywords. It’s about answers.
That’s why I put together this checklist. Think of it as a practical gut-check to make sure your content is ready to show up in AI-powered search.
1. Write for People First
AI Overviews pull from content that’s genuinely helpful and people-focused. Don’t just chase rankings but answer real questions, add depth, and make it easy to understand.
2. Check Your Page Experience
A great article still fails if your site is slow, cluttered, or hard to navigate. Prioritize mobile-friendliness, fast loading, and clear headings. You're also going to want to get serious about price transparency. AI loves a good graph, chart and other visuals to reference (more on this later).
3. Get the Basics
Crawlability, indexing, and technical SEO aren’t glamorous. In fact, they can be very tedious and take time to implement, but at the end of the day, they’re non-negotiable. If Google can’t read your site, it won’t matter how good your content is.
4. Use Preview Controls Wisely
Tags like [nosnippet] and [data-nosnippet] let you control what shows up in snippets and AI Overviews. Use them if you need to block duplicate or filler content.
5. Add Structured Data
Structured data is like a name tag for your content. It helps AI understand what’s on your page and display it correctly. Just make sure it matches the visible content.
6. Mix in Rich Media
AI Overviews love multimodal content. Add images, videos, charts, or graphics where it makes sense, because it helps both people and AI grasp your content quickly.
7. Think in Questions and Answers
This is where AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) comes in. Use clear Q&A sections, conversational tone, and straightforward headings to make your content easy to pull into AI results.
8. Build Topical Authority
AI looks for trusted voices. Publishing consistent, high-quality content around your key themes builds credibility and makes it more likely that your content gets pulled into AI answers.
9. Measure the Right Metrics
Don’t just watch keyword rankings. Track how your content performs in AI-driven search, snippets, and overviews. Tools like Google Search Console are your friend here.
AI isn’t replacing the fundamentals of SEO, but it is boosting them.
If your content is helpful, technically sound, easy to consume, and trustworthy, you’re already on the right track. The difference now is being intentional about how your content shows up in answers, not just in blue links.
My encouragement is to use this checklist as a regular review for your content. Search is changing quickly, but with the right habits, your content can keep up and thrive in the AI era.
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