llms.txt as optional. Sidharth’s perspective focuses on buyer questions, evidence of expertise, and converting visibility into qualified enquiries.Google’s May 2026 announcements brought together two important developments: a broad core ranking update and new AI-powered Search experiences unveiled at Google I/O.
For businesses, these developments raise different questions. How is their content performing in search results? And how should their websites support people who increasingly search through detailed questions, comparisons, and follow-up conversations?
Understanding both requires separating confirmed product changes from assumptions about their effect on individual websites.
The May 2026 Core Update Has Finished
Google launched the May core update on May 21 and completed it on June 2, after 11 days and 21 hours. The dates are recorded on the Google Search Status Dashboard.
Core updates broadly adjust how Google evaluates and ranks content. A decline does not automatically indicate a policy violation.
Google’s core update guidance recommends waiting at least one full week after completion before comparing performance with a period before the rollout.
Although the update coincided with Google I/O, that timing does not establish that particular AI features caused a website’s ranking changes.
Google Announced a More Flexible Search Experience
At I/O, Google announced Gemini 3.5 Flash as the new default model in AI Mode and introduced a redesigned Search box.
The announced interface supports more detailed questions and inputs such as images, files, videos, and Chrome tabs. Google also described AI-powered suggestions designed to help people formulate their searches.
These were announcements made in May; individual features may have different availability and rollout schedules. Read Google’s I/O 2026 Search announcement.
For content teams, a useful implication is to examine whether pages answer specific needs. A buyer researching a product may care about compatibility, budget, delivery, and operating conditions within the same question.
AI Mode Data Points to More Detailed Questions
In its May report, Google said AI Mode had surpassed one billion monthly users globally.
Its separate analysis of US usage reported that:
Average AI Mode queries were three times as long as traditional Search queries.
More than one in six searches in AI Mode used voice or images.
Planning-related queries had grown 80% faster than AI Mode queries overall during the previous six months.
These are Google-reported findings, not independently verified measurements. The US behaviour data should not be assumed to represent every market. See Google’s AI Mode usage insights.
A practical interpretation is that content should address the conditions behind a decision. Product comparisons, selection guides, and clear explanations of limitations can help visitors who arrive with detailed requirements.
Search Agents Introduce Another Website Consideration
Google also announced information agents designed to monitor information and provide updates, alongside interactive experiences generated within Search. These announcements describe an expanding role for Search in ongoing research and tasks.
This introduces two distinct website priorities:
| Priority | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Being discovered | Making useful content accessible to search systems |
| Supporting interactions | Making forms, navigation, and actions understandable and reliable |
Google’s developer guidance on agent-ready websites makes this distinction. It discusses accessible controls, stable layouts, and tools for evaluating machine interactions. These checks should not be interpreted as promises of higher rankings.
Is llms.txt Required for Google AI Search?
Google’s guidance on AI features and websites says websites do not need special AI files or additional schema to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
A supporting page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet. Meeting those requirements does not guarantee inclusion.
Separately, Chrome’s Lighthouse documentation for llms.txt describes an audit for agent interactions. It states that the file is optional: a missing file returning a 404 receives a “Not Applicable” result, while a server error can trigger a flag.
The practical distinction is between eligibility for Google Search features and helping an agent interact with a website. An optional developer convention should not be presented as a mandatory SEO requirement.
What Should Businesses Prioritise?
Google’s AI Search guidance continues to recommend established practices: allow crawling, use internal links, make important information available as text, and ensure structured data matches visible content.
It also explains that AI Overviews and AI Mode activity is included within the Web search type in Search Console reporting. That combined reporting requires care when attributing changes to a specific search experience.
Businesses should therefore review performance alongside website changes, audience demand, and conversion data. A single traffic graph cannot explain every change happening across Search.
Sidharth’s View: Make Your Business Easier to Evaluate
My view is that these developments make buyer-focused content even more valuable for manufacturers, exporters, and B2B service providers.
I would start by asking whether the website helps a potential customer understand what the business offers, where it is suitable, and what information is needed to begin a serious conversation.
Answer the Questions Behind the Enquiry
A buyer may begin with a product name but quickly move towards questions about specifications, customisation, documentation, packaging, and delivery.
I would build content around these connected questions. For example, an exporter’s product page could explain available grades, packaging options, and quotation requirements. A manufacturer’s selection guide could explain which product suits different operating conditions.
This creates useful material for buyers without requiring a separate page for every possible wording of a query.
Make Expertise Visible Through Evidence
I would prioritise genuine product photographs, technical explanations, relevant certifications, and examples the business can substantiate.
Google’s helpful content guidance encourages original information and clear evidence of expertise. My recommendation is to bring knowledge from sales, production, and technical teams into the publishing process.
Connect Visibility With Lead Management
Search visibility becomes commercially useful when the business can respond effectively to the interest it generates.
I would check whether enquiry forms collect the right information, whether enquiries reach the correct team, and whether follow-ups happen consistently. Alongside traffic, I would measure qualified enquiries, quotation requests, and sales opportunities.
These are business priorities rather than claimed ranking factors. They help ensure that investment in SEO and AI search visibility supports a working sales process.
Test New Ideas Against a Clear Need
I would evaluate new AI-related tools by the problem they solve. If buyers struggle to find specifications or complete an enquiry, those issues deserve immediate attention.
My priority would be to strengthen useful content, accurate information, and reliable interactions, then test additional features with a defined objective and a way to measure results.
