Google has published new guidance that canonicalizes itself as the single source of objective truth for SEO practices, including for AI SEO. The new guidance, published on Google Search Central, is Google’s strongest assertion of itself as the official source of information SEO best practices and SEO tools.
The new guidance affects:
- Third-party SEO resources.
- Third-party SEO tools.
- Third-party SEO services.
- Third-party data providers.
The effect of the new guidance is to assert Google as the authoritative source of resources, tools, SEO information, and SEO data.
The four main points of the new documentation are:
- Google Says It Is The Authority On SEO Advice
- Google Claims Authority Over AI Search Optimization
- Google Distances Itself From Third Party SEO Tools
- Google’s Recommends Itself For SEO Tools
Google Says It Is The Authority On SEO Advice
Google’s new guidance is specifically about third-party SEO tools and third-party SEO advice. It expressly asserts its own guidelines as the canonical source of truth about SEO and for the nascent practice of AI optimization.
The new guidelines insist on Google as the objective truth about SEO:
“While some advice is helpful, others may misinterpret or make claims about what “Google says” or how Google ranking systems work. In general, good advice either qualifies their claims as opinion based on data or experience, or backs up their claims by citing official Google Search guidance.
We recommend carefully evaluating any advice you might be considering implementing against our official SEO guidance, including our guidance on optimizing for generative AI, and making your own informed decisions.”
Those statements assert Google’s own documentation as the reference point for evaluating whether SEO advice is credible and worth implementing. That’s always been a good practice. What’s unusual is how strongly the new guidance asserts Google’s primacy over all SEO information.
Google Claims Authoritativeness Over AI SEO
The guidance applies the same canonicalization of objective truth to AI search optimization advice, by asserting Google’s advice as authoritative for AEO and GEO, as well as SEO in general.
Google specifically references advice related to AI optimization, specifically mentioning AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
Google’s new guidance essentially divides SEO information into two categories:
- Third-party SEO opinion based on data or experience.
- Google’s own guidelines and recommendations.
After setting up the us versus them comparison, it follows by strongly recommending its own guidance as the source of truth by which any other advice should be weighed.
The new guidance explains:
“There’s plenty of third-party SEO advice on the internet related to SEO, search listings, and AI experiences (sometimes called AEO for “answer engine optimization” or GEO for “generative engine optimization”). While some advice is helpful, others may misinterpret or make claims about what “Google says” or how Google ranking systems work.
In general, good advice either qualifies their claims as opinion based on data or experience, or backs up their claims by citing official Google Search guidance.
We recommend carefully evaluating any advice you might be considering implementing against our official SEO guidance, including our guidance on optimizing for generative AI, and making your own informed decisions.”
Google Distances Itself From Third-Party SEO Tools
The strongest language in the document is directed at third-party SEO tools and services that imply some level of Google approval.
Google lists examples of third-party SEO services, including sitemap tools, indexing tools, content generation services, ranking advice services, and tools that promise improvements for AEO and GEO.
It then states:
“Some of these services may be helpful in your work, while others may make claims or imply that what they do is somehow ‘acceptable’ or ‘approved’ by Google Search.”
Google follows that statement with a warning:
“Google doesn’t evaluate third-party services, so be wary of such claims and those making them.”
The guidance stops short of criticizing SEO tools in general. In fact, Google acknowledges that some may be useful. But it clearly distances itself 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 a service or tool doesn’t guarantee ranking success.”
Google Says SEO Tool Data Is Not Google Data
Google also addresses what it describes as a common misunderstanding about SEO tool data.
According to the guidance:
“Some third-party services provide data that some users of those tools misinterpret as somehow being from Google.”
Google then explicitly states:
“Third-party tools don’t have access to our internal ranking data.”
The guidance continues:
“They can’t guarantee performance. Any predictions are their own and like predictions generally, may not happen.”
Google’s position is that SEO tool forecasts, scores, and performance predictions should not be confused with Google’s own ranking data or internal systems. This is the strongest distancing that 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 you use a third-party tool or not, we strongly encourage using our first-party tool, Google Search Console, which provides you with key information and data directly from Google Search itself.”
That recommendation ends the new guidance, which is expressly designed to assert Google as the ground truth about SEO, AEO, GEO, and SEO tools. The question to ask now is: Why is Google doing this?
- Is there a new algorithm coming that will crack down harder on sites that practice SEO that diverges from Google’s own?
- Or is Google just 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 third-party services (SEOs). The phrase “think critically” means to not take things at face value, to analyze and question the information.
Looked at another way, it’s hard to ignore that this is Google’s strongest assertion of authoritativeness for SEO information.
How do you feel about Google’s new guidance? Your opinion matters.
Featured Image by Shutterstock/rasskazov
