Guide · SEO · 5 min read

SEO basics: how to be found on Google and by AI assistants

In short: search engine optimisation rests on three pillars. A technically sound website that Google can crawl and that loads fast; content that truly answers your customers’ questions; and a reputation built from links and mentions on other websites. AI assistants rely on the same foundations: a clear, useful and reliable website has the best chance of being cited.

See the three pillars Assess my website

The three pillars of SEOA technically sound and fast website, useful and clear content, and a reputation built on links and mentions. AI assistants rely on the same foundations.THE THREE PILLARS OF SEOTechnicalSoundand fastContentUsefuland clearReputationTrustlinks, mentionsAI assistants rely on the same foundationsKEY TAKEAWAYWrite for your customers,not for robots.The three pillars of SEOA technically sound and fast website, useful and clear content, and a reputation built on links and mentions. AI assistants rely on the same foundations.THE THREE PILLARS OFSEOTechnicalSoundand fastContentUsefuland clearReputationTrustlinks, mentionsAI assistants rely on the samefoundationsKEY TAKEAWAYWrite for your customers,not for robots.

How Google finds and ranks your pages

Google itself describes three stages. Its robots crawl the web and discover your pages. It analyses them to understand them and store them in its index, a kind of gigantic catalogue. Then, for each search, it chooses the most useful pages and their order.

The three stages of Google SearchCrawling: Google discovers your pages. Indexing: it understands and stores them. Ranking: it chooses the order of the results. A page that is neither crawled nor indexed cannot appear anywhere, in Google or in AI answers.1CrawlingGoogle finds2Indexingit understands3Rankingit orders themThe three stages of Google SearchCrawling: Google discovers your pages. Indexing: it understands and stores them. Ranking: it chooses the order of the results. A page that is neither crawled nor indexed cannot appear anywhere, in Google or in AI answers.1Crawling Google finds2Indexing it understands3Ranking it orders them
A page that is neither crawled nor indexed cannot appear anywhere, neither in Google nor in AI answers.

Pillar 1: the technical side

  • Pages Google can reach: no forgotten setting asking Google to ignore your pages, no important page blocked.
  • A sitemap, that is the list of your pages, submitted to Google in Search Console, its free tool for website owners, and to Bing in its webmaster tools.
  • A fast site on mobile: that is often how your visitors discover you.
  • A secure address, starting with https.
  • Clear page addresses, with no duplicate pages.
  • Structured data: information slipped into the page code, which helps Google understand that a page is an article, an FAQ or a business.

Pillar 2: content

  • One page per topic, clearly answering a precise question.
  • Titles and descriptions that genuinely say what the page contains.
  • Your customers’ real questions: Search Console shows the searches already leading to your site.
  • Proof of your experience: real examples, an identified author, sources. Google talks about experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
  • Content kept up to date, especially when figures, versions or rules change.

Pillar 3: reputation

Google also looks at what others say about you. Links from serious websites, such as partners, professional directories or the local press, count. For a local business, a Google Business Profile and your customers’ reviews help you appear in searches near you.

Absolutely avoid buying links. It goes against Google’s rules, and it can drag your whole site down.

What about AI answers?

Google states that no special optimisation is needed to appear in its AI-generated answers: the usual best practices apply. A few habits help every assistant understand and cite you:

  • answer the question at the start of the page, before going into detail;
  • structure with clear headings, lists and tables;
  • add an FAQ with the questions your customers really ask;
  • cite your sources, and show who is writing;
  • register your site in Bing’s webmaster tools, which several assistants rely on.

6 costly mistakes

  • Blocking Google without knowing it

    A forgotten setting after a launch, asking Google to ignore the site, is enough to make it disappear from the results.

  • Pages that all look alike

    If several pages say the same thing, Google does not know which one to show, and none stands out.

  • Buying links

    It goes against Google’s rules, and the risk is seeing the whole site drop.

  • Writing for robots

    Repeating a keyword excessively hurts readability, and Google notices it.

  • A slow site on mobile

    Visitors leave before reading anything, and Google takes their experience into account.

  • Never measuring

    Without Search Console, there is no way to know what works, or to spot a problem in time.

How long before you see results?

SEO is long-term work. Google says so itself: some changes take effect within a few hours, others only after several months. It is slower than advertising, but the results last, and they cost nothing per visit.

Your 15-minute check with Search Console

  1. Check indexing. “Pages” report: how many pages Google has stored, and why the others are not.
  2. Look at your searches. “Performance” report: the searches that bring you visitors, and those where you appear without being chosen.
  3. Check speed. “Core Web Vitals” report: the pages that are slow on mobile. If it is empty for lack of traffic, test your main pages in PageSpeed Insights.
  4. Check the alerts. “Security and manual actions” section: it should report no issues.
  5. Write down three actions. A page to improve, a customer question to answer, a technical problem to fix.

Want to be found more easily?

I build and develop websites designed to be found: careful technical work, fast pages and well-structured content. And you talk directly to the person who writes the code.

Let’s talk about your website See my WordPress services

Reply within one business day Free quote

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay Google to rank well?

No: organic results cannot be bought. Paid ads are a separate service, displayed separately.

How long does it take to rank well?

Google says some changes take effect within a few hours, others only after several months. It all depends on your starting point and the competition.

Should I publish often?

Regularity helps, but useful content matters far more than quantity.

Are keywords still useful?

Yes, to understand how your customers search. But write naturally: text written for robots reads badly, and Google notices it.

Will my site appear in AI answers?

Nothing guarantees it, but a clear, useful, well-structured website that is cited elsewhere has the best chance. Google says the usual best practices are enough for its own answers.

How much does SEO support cost?

It depends on the state of your website and your goals. I never quote without looking first. Describe your project: I reply within one business day, with a free, clear, itemised quote.

Sources

Keep reading