Google has released new guidelines that present themselves as the single source of objective truth for SEO practices, including AI SEO. The new guidelines, published on Google Search Central, are Google’s strongest assertion yet as the authoritative source of information on SEO best practices and tools.
The new guidelines concern:
- Third-party SEO resources.
- Third-party SEO tools.
- Third-party SEO services.
- Third Party Data Providers.
The effect of these new guidelines is to affirm Google as the authoritative source for SEO resources, tools, information and data.
The four main points of the new documentation are:
- Google Says It’s the Authority on SEO Advice
- Google claims authority over AI search optimization
- Google stands out from third-party SEO tools
- Google recommends itself for SEO tools
Google Says It’s the Authority on SEO Advice
Google’s new guidelines specifically address third-party SEO tools and third-party SEO advice. It expressly asserts its own guidelines as the canonical source of truth about SEO and the burgeoning practice of AI optimization.
The new guidelines emphasize Google as the objective truth about SEO:
“While some advice is helpful, others may misinterpret or make assertions about what “Google says” or how Google’s ranking systems work. In general, good advice either qualifies their assertions as opinion based on data or experience or supports their assertions by citing official Google Search guidance.
We recommend that you carefully evaluate any advice you may consider implementing against our official SEO advice, including our advice on generative AI optimization, and make your own informed decisions.
These statements assert that Google’s own documentation is the benchmark for evaluating whether SEO advice is credible and worth implementing. This has always been good practice. What is unusual is how strongly the new guidelines assert Google’s primacy over all SEO information.
Google claims its authority in AI SEO
The guide applies the same canonization of objective truth to AI search optimization advice, asserting that Google’s advice is authoritative for AEO and GEO, as well as for SEO in general.
Google specifically refers to advice related to AI optimization, specifically mentioning AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
Google’s new guidelines essentially divide SEO information into two categories:
- Third-party SEO opinion based on data or experience.
- Google’s own guidelines and recommendations.
Having drawn the comparison between us and them, he strongly recommends his own advice as the source of truth by which all other advice should be evaluated.
The new guidelines explain:
“There are many third-party SEO tips on the Internet related to SEO, search listings, and AI experiments (sometimes called AEO for “response engine optimization” or GEO for “generative engine optimization”). While some tips are helpful, others may misinterpret or make claims about what “Google says” or how Google’s ranking systems work.
Typically, good advice qualifies its claims as opinion based on data or experience, or supports its claims by citing official Google Search guidance.
We recommend that you carefully evaluate any advice you may consider implementing against our official SEO advice, including our advice on generative AI optimization, and make your own informed decisions.
Google stands out from third-party SEO tools
The strongest language in the document concerns third-party SEO tools and services that imply some level of approval from Google.
Google lists examples of third-party SEO services, including sitemap tools, indexing tools, content generation services, ranking consulting services, and tools promising improvements for AEO and GEO.
He then specifies:
“Some of these services may be helpful in your work, while others may claim or imply that what they do is somehow ‘acceptable’ or ‘approved’ by Google Search.”
Google follows this statement with a warning:
“Google does not review third-party services, so be wary of these claims and those who make them.”
The advice does not criticize SEO tools in general. In fact, Google recognizes that some may be useful. But it clearly stands out from vendors and services that invoke Google’s name to imply endorsement, approval, or validation.
Google also reminds businesses that using a tool is not a shortcut to better rankings:
“Keep in mind that using any service or tool does not guarantee ranking success.”
Google says SEO tool data is not Google data
Google is also addressing what it describes as a common misunderstanding about SEO tool data.
According to the guidelines:
“Some third-party services provide data that some users of these tools misinterpret as coming from Google.”
Google then explicitly states:
“Third-party tools do not have access to our internal ranking data.”
The advice continues:
“They cannot guarantee performance. All predictions are theirs and, like predictions in general, they may not come true.”
Google’s position is that SEO tool predictions, scores, and performance predictions should not be confused with Google’s own ranking data or internal systems. This is the furthest distance Google has put between itself and third-party data providers.
Google recommends itself for SEO tools
After warning businesses about third-party claims, third-party predictions, and third-party data sources, Google recommends using its own platform, Search Console.
Google states:
“Whether or not you use a third-party tool, we strongly encourage you to use our proprietary tool, Google Search Console, which provides you with key insights and data directly from Google Search itself.”
This recommendation ends the new guidelines, which are expressly designed to affirm Google as the fundamental truth about SEO, AEO, GEO and SEO tools. The question to ask now is: why is Google doing this?
- Is there a new algorithm that will crack down more harshly on sites that use different SEO than Google?
- Or is Google simply trying to assert its own information as the canonical source of SEO truth?
Google explicitly advises businesses to “think critically” about using third-party tools and services (SEO). The phrase “think critically” means not taking things literally, analyzing and questioning information.
Looked at another way, it’s hard to ignore that this is Google’s strongest claim to authority on SEO information.
How do you feel about Google’s new guidelines? Your opinion counts.
Featured image by Shutterstock/rasskazov
