Google's May AI Update Explained: What it Means for Your Garage Website

Google has been busy.

Last month, they released new advice on how websites can appear in AI-driven features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. They also announced a bigger push towards AI-first Search at Google I/O, started rolling out the latest core update, and expanded features that help users see more content from brands they trust, such as Preferred Sources.

Panic started to bubble up.

SEO is dead.

Clicks are over.

Rankings are irrelevant.

It is all about AEO now.

But that is not quite what Google is saying.

Their message is simple: SEO fundamentals still matter, but search behaviour is evolving. AI-powered search is more conversational, more answer-led, and more selective about which sources are displayed.

For website owners, the biggest change might not be in rankings, but in something subtler: more searches ending without a click.

Your site might still show up. Impressions might even rise. Yet, if Google answers more questions directly in AI Overviews, fewer users may visit your site right away.

That makes SEO a bit trickier.

Here is what Google’s latest changes mean, why zero-click search matters, and what to do next.

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What Changed in May?

There were a few updates worth unpacking.

• Google published an official guide on optimising for generative AI features in Search, focusing on AI Overviews and AI Mode. The core message: strong SEO foundations still drive visibility.
• At Google I/O, they introduced more AI-led search experiences. AI Mode now helps users ask longer, more complex questions and get things done within Google itself.
• The May 2026 core update began rolling out on 21 May. This update aims to improve the quality and relevance of search results.
• New features like Preferred Sources now help users find original, high-quality content, surfacing trusted brands more often.

So, yes, things are changing, but it is not a single AI update that wipes out SEO. Instead, all signs point in the same direction: Google wants to show useful, trustworthy, original content in increasingly AI-driven search results.

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Why Zero-Click Search Really Matters

The biggest shift for most websites will not be a sudden drop from search altogether. Instead, you will see new patterns in your reports.

• Impressions may go up, while clicks stay flat.
• Rankings might hold steady, but click-through rates drop.
• Blogs and advice pages may get fewer visits, even though they are still shown or summarised by Google.

This is what is known as zero-click search.

A zero-click search happens when a user gets what they need directly from Google, without ever visiting a website. This has been happening for years with featured snippets and knowledge panels, but AI Overviews turn it up a notch by answering fuller questions right on the search results page.

A Pew Research study found that when users see an AI summary, they click a traditional result just 8% of the time, compared to 15% when no AI appears. In other words, when AI answers appear, users are about half as likely to click through.

A 2026 study found that AI Overviews appeared for nearly 14% of trending queries, and nearly 65% of question-form searches. These are often the very queries brands target with blogs and guides.

So, this is not brand new, but AI makes it more important and more visible.

For brands, a drop in organic clicks does not always mean your SEO is failing. Sometimes Google is just doing more of the work before the user ever lands on your site.

That can be frustrating, especially for businesses that rely on information-led content. Still, it means your SEO measurement needs to get smarter.

Ask yourself:

• Are we showing up for more relevant searches?
• Are impressions rising for valuable topics?
• Are branded searches growing?
• Are users coming back later via direct, paid, or referral channels?
• Are organic visitors more qualified when they do click?
• Are we cited as a trusted source?
• Are conversions holding up even as top-of-funnel traffic shifts?

Zero-click search does not make SEO pointless. It just changes what SEO needs to do.

Some pages still need to win the click, such as service pages, product pages, case studies, or booking forms. But a lot of content will work higher up the journey, building trust, answering questions, and making your brand part of the decision set before someone is ready to enquire.

The goal is useful visibility that creates trust, demand, and action down the line.

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Your Website Must Offer More Than Basic Information

With platforms now answering questions and keeping users in their own environment, websites need to provide more value than ever.

Sites can no longer succeed just by publishing information that is easy for Google or AI to summarise. The best-performing websites provide something users cannot get elsewhere. That might be a specific product, a proprietary tool, a real community, original data, or a memorable brand experience.

Ask yourself: what do we offer that is still worth a visit?

If your site only offers basic information, you are more at risk from zero-click search. But if you help users complete tasks, compare options, access expertise, or interact with a trusted brand, you remain essential.

Traffic is no longer the only measure of influence. Your content shapes what people see in Google, LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, ChatGPT, and beyond, often before they ever click your link.

Brands now need to distribute ideas across all the channels where their audience spends time, and make their website experience truly worthwhile.

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The Ten Blue Links Are Not Centre Stage Anymore

Classic search used to mean: type a query, scan the results, click a link. That still happens, but it is only part of the story.

AI Overviews and AI Mode can answer questions directly, pull from multiple sources, and let users follow up with more questions, all before leaving Google.

Links are still there. Google’s documentation says AI Overviews include supporting links and can help users discover more sites.

But links now live inside a wider system, alongside summaries, products, local info, images, videos, follow-up questions, and AI-led actions.

Ranking alone may not guarantee the same traffic it once did.

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SEO is Not Dead, It is Evolving

You will hear a lot about AEO, GEO, LLM optimisation, and AI visibility. Some of it is useful, some of it is just old SEO advice in a new wrapper.

Google is clear: SEO is still relevant for generative AI search because AI Overviews and AI Mode rely on Google’s core ranking systems.

The basics still matter:

• Your site must be crawlable and indexable.
• Content should be genuinely useful.
• Technical foundations must be solid.
• Structured data should match what is visible.
• Your site needs a strong user experience.

You do not need secret AI hacks. Google says you do not need AI-specific schema or special files. You need a site Google can access, understand, and trust.

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Generic Content is Easier to Ignore

This is the biggest shift for most brands.

Google’s advice now points firmly to unique, useful content. If your site is full of thin service pages, rehashed competitor content, AI-generated filler, or blogs written just to hit keywords, you are more at risk.

What works is content with true information gain:

• First-hand experience
• Original research
• Expert commentary
• Internal data
• Real case studies
• Practical examples

A generic guide on improving conversions is everywhere. But a post sharing what happened after you redesigned your booking process, which pages mattered, what worked, and what you would do differently, is much harder to copy.

That is the content both humans and AI systems want to reference.

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E-E-A-T is Even More Important

Google’s standards for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness still matter, now more than ever.

If Google is going to summarise your info, it needs proof it can trust you.

Make expertise visible. Add bios, expert quotes, case studies, original research, and keep content up to date. This matters most in areas where accuracy is critical, such as finance, security, or technical topics.

Helpful content does not just answer questions, it proves why the answer can be trusted.

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Technical SEO Remains Crucial

AI Search still relies on solid technical foundations.

• Can Google crawl your important pages?
• Are your titles and headings clear?
• Is your internal linking logical?
• Is your structured data accurate?
• Are images and videos optimised?
• Is your content visible and accessible?
• Does your site load quickly and work on all devices?

The easier you make it for both people and machines, the better. This is the ground our SEO and AI search work covers.

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Brand Authority Now Drives Search

Preferred Sources, a new Google feature, lets users choose which brands they want to see more often. People are twice as likely to click a Preferred Source. Brand trust now links directly with search visibility.

If your brand is recognised and trusted, you have a better shot at getting attention when Google presents options.

Strong brands earn more direct searches, more backlinks, more mentions, and more repeat visits. You cannot separate brand from search now.

Being visible is good. Being recognised is better. The same logic drives local Map Pack visibility.

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Search Behaviour is Spreading Out

Google still dominates UK search. But not every journey starts or ends there.

As Google adds more AI summaries, some people look elsewhere. DuckDuckGo, for example, saw a jump in app installs after Google’s AI changes. Users want more control over privacy, tracking, and AI answers.

People are also searching on YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, and AI tools. A potential customer might see your brand on LinkedIn, compare options on Reddit, ask ChatGPT for the best MOT in their area, and only Google you later.

You do not need to chase every channel. Simply know where your audience actually searches, and make sure your brand is visible there.

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What Should Brands Do Next?

Do not throw out your SEO plan. Upgrade it.

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Report on visibility and traffic separately

Clicks matter, but they are not the whole story. Track impressions, branded searches, engagement, assisted conversions, and share of voice too.

Audit your content for originality

Does your page say something new? Does it include real expertise or first-hand experience? If not, add substance.

Structure content around real questions

Think about how your audience actually searches, and make your structure clear to both humans and search engines.

Showcase your expertise

Use expert commentary, case studies, credentials, and project outcomes, especially if your work is technical or complex.

Check your technical foundations

Make sure Google can crawl, index, and understand your site, and that everything loads quickly and smoothly.

Know where your audience searches

Look beyond Google. Find out which platforms genuinely influence your buyers and make sure your brand is there too.

Build authority beyond your website

Reviews, PR, social proof, third-party mentions, and backlinks all help. Your website is your foundation, but your wider footprint matters.

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What Does This Mean for Your Website?

Google’s May updates are not a reason to panic. They are a reason to get honest about how search is changing.

AI search will make some queries more zero-click. That could reduce visits to some content, especially broad advice and information. But SEO still matters, just across more of the user journey.

Your website still needs to rank, earn clicks, and convert visitors. But it also needs to build trust before the click, provide Google with clear information, and make your brand the obvious choice when people do decide to visit.

The answer is to strengthen everything that makes your site useful, trustworthy, and memorable. Offer clear answers, original insight, visible expertise, robust technical foundations, and a brand people know.

Zero-click search makes weak content easier to skip. But it also gives credible brands more ways to show up earlier in the decision-making process.

So, how will you become the source your audience and search engines trust enough to use?

That is the future of SEO, and it is already here.