People are searching differently now. A visitor planning a Maui trip might open ChatGPT instead of Google. Someone looking for a plumber in Kahului might read an AI summary at the top of the results page and never scroll past it.
So the question I get is fair: do I need to pay someone to get my business into AI answers?
You are going to see packages sold as "AI SEO", "AEO" or "GEO". Before you buy one, read what Google actually publishes about it. I am going to quote their documentation rather than my opinion, because on this topic there is a lot of opinion for sale.
Where the AI answers come from
Google's guide on this is called Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search. It was last updated in July 2026.
Its answer to whether SEO still matters is one word: yes. Google says its generative AI features "are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems."
That sentence is the whole story. The AI answers are drawn from the same index, ranked by the same systems, as normal search results. There is no second door and no second set of rules.
So there is no separate job to hire out. The work that makes you rank is the work that makes you show up in AI answers. They are the same work.
Five things Google says you can ignore
This is the part worth your money, because these are the exact tactics being sold. Google published a mythbusting list. Here is what is on it.
1. Special AI files and markup. Google names llms.txt directly. Their words: you do not need to create these files "as Google Search itself doesn't use them."
2. Chunking your content. Breaking your pages into tiny pieces "for the AI" does nothing. Google says there is "no ideal page length" and to make pages for your audience.
3. Rewriting your content for AI systems. You do not need a special writing style. The systems understand synonyms and meaning, so you do not have to chase every keyword variation.
4. Chasing mentions. Paying for inauthentic mentions of your business around the web "isn't as helpful as it might seem." Google's spam systems and quality systems both feed the AI features.
5. Piling on structured data. This one surprises people. Google says structured data "isn't required for generative AI search, and there's no special schema.org markup you need to add." It is still worth having for normal rich results. It is not an AI lever.
If an agency quote leans on any of those five, you now know what you are being sold.
What actually works
The same fundamentals, done properly:
- A site that is technically sound and can be crawled.
- Content that is genuinely useful and written by someone who knows the subject. Google asks for "unique, expert-led content that provides value beyond common knowledge."
- Pages made for your customers, not for a machine.
None of that is exciting. All of it compounds.
The one local thing worth doing
Here is the piece most Hawaii businesses miss, and it is in the same Google guide.
For local businesses, Google says a Google Business Profile helps your services be visible "in both AI responses and other Google Search results."
That is a direct statement that your profile feeds AI answers. It is free, it takes an afternoon, and most profiles I look at on Maui are half filled in with hours that went stale two years ago.
If your profile is thin and your reviews are old, fix that before you spend a dollar on anything labelled AI. It is cheaper and it is worth more.
Do not go looking for a switch
One more thing, because it saves you a support ticket.
Being included in these AI features is the default. There is no button you need to press to opt in. Google's own control for this is written as an opt-out, for site owners who want the opposite.
Google's guide also mentions a report in Search Console for measuring AI performance. Worth knowing it exists, but do not panic if you cannot find it. It has not appeared on every property yet, including one of mine.
The honest bottom line
There is no AI SEO product worth buying as a separate line item, because there is no separate lever behind it. Anyone selling you one is either behind on Google's documentation or counting on you not reading it.
Do the boring work. Build a site that loads fast and says something true. Fill in your Google Business Profile properly. Get real reviews from real customers.
That is what put you in the search results, and it is what puts you in the AI answers.
Want to know where you actually stand?
I will look at your site and your Google Business Profile and tell you straight what is helping you and what is not. No package, no jargon, no AI upsell.