Your next customer might begin with a detailed question rather than a short keyword:
“Should I choose Shopify or WooCommerce for a clothing store with customised products?”
A useful answer needs to explain the differences, account for the customer’s requirements, and point them towards reliable information.
For business websites, this makes AI search an important topic. But where should you start: a new plugin, different content, or technical changes?
Google’s guidance provides a clear starting point. Existing SEO practices remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode, and there are no special optimisation requirements for those features.
The practical task is to make your website accessible, useful, and clear enough to support a customer’s decision.
1. Check indexing before changing your content strategy
For a page to appear as a supporting link in Google’s AI features, it must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet. Meeting those requirements does not guarantee selection.
Start with a small group of commercially important pages: your main service page, a relevant project, and a useful supporting article.
Google’s technical requirements include allowing Googlebot access, returning a successful HTTP response, and providing indexable content. Search Console’s URL Inspection tool can help you investigate individual pages.
My recommended review starts with these questions:
- Public access: Can someone view the page without logging in?
- Page response: Does the URL load successfully?
- Indexing controls: Is an unintended restriction preventing indexing?
- Content: Does the page contain substantial, relevant information?
- Discovery: Can visitors reach it through the website’s navigation or related pages?
Treat the findings separately. A server error needs a technical fix. An incomplete service page needs better content. Rewriting paragraphs will not resolve every indexing problem.
2. Answer the questions customers actually ask
A business website should help someone decide whether your service meets their needs.
For a WordPress developer, a page saying “professional website development” leaves many questions unanswered:
- Can an existing Figma design be implemented?
- Can the website connect to an external REST API?
- Will staff be able to update the content?
- What requires a custom plugin?
- What information is needed before development begins?
My recommendation is to organise service content around those decisions.
For example, an article about course-finder integration could explain where course data comes from, how filters work, how unavailable results are handled, and who maintains the integration.
Those details give readers something concrete to evaluate.
Google’s content guidance encourages original information, useful analysis, clear sourcing, and substantial value beyond simply rewriting other pages.
3. Use project evidence to explain your expertise
Your completed work provides material that a generic technology article cannot.
A project description can explain:
- The client’s original requirement.
- Your role and responsibilities.
- The functionality you implemented.
- An important technical decision.
- The resulting behaviour.
Consider a Shopify theme project. Instead of describing it only as a modern storefront, explain how collections were organised, how product information was presented, and which theme sections you customised.
For a Laravel application, explain how roles affect access or how subscription status changes what users can do.
These are examples of the evidence I would prioritise in a portfolio. Include results you can substantiate, and use screenshots to illustrate the work being discussed.
An honest explanation of a difficult implementation is more useful to a prospective client than an unsupported claim about increased revenue.
4. Connect articles, services, and projects
A visitor reading about AI shopping may also want help improving a Shopify store. Someone exploring WordPress automation may want to see a custom API integration.
Build those connections deliberately.
For a developer’s portfolio, I would use a structure like this:
- Shopify AI shopping channels: Link to a relevant Shopify development project.
- WordPress AI integrations: Link to a custom WordPress project.
- Subscription-based applications: Link to a Laravel platform case study.
- Website search visibility: Link to a relevant development service or contact page.
Use links where they help readers continue their research. The destination should deliver what the link promises.
Google includes internal linking among its recommended practices for websites appearing in AI search features.
For this article, I would link to a related project when discussing implementation, then provide a clear contact route for readers who need development help.
5. Make structured data accurate
Structured data gives search engines explicit information about a page and can make content eligible for supported rich-result features.
Google also says the markup should describe information visible on the page. Its Rich Results Test can help validate supported implementations.
My implementation review would compare the markup with the page itself:
- Does the article identify the correct author?
- Are publication and modification dates accurate?
- Does product markup match the displayed price and availability?
- Are business details consistent?
- Are plugins or theme code producing conflicting information?
Choose markup that fits the content. A service page, product page, and editorial article serve different purposes.
For Google’s AI features specifically, its guidance does not require a special schema type or additional AI text files.
6. Give visitors a useful next step
Search visibility should support a business outcome.
After someone reads your article, what can they do next?
For a development portfolio, I would offer a relevant project example and a straightforward invitation to discuss their requirements.
A useful enquiry prompt might ask for the current website, the functionality needed, and any existing design or API documentation.
On mobile, check the experience yourself:
- Is the article comfortable to read?
- Can visitors distinguish links from ordinary text?
- Do images support the explanation?
- Is the contact action easy to find?
- Does the form ask only for information you need?
These are practical product decisions. Measure whether they help visitors complete the intended journey.
7. Review changes with a defined scope
Choose a small set of pages and record what you change.
For example, improve one service page, strengthen one project description, and add a supporting article with relevant links.
Then review search visibility alongside enquiries and other meaningful actions. Keep a change log so you can distinguish content updates from design changes or technical fixes.
After updating a page, you can request a recrawl through Search Console. Google says repeated requests for the same URL will not accelerate crawling, and a request does not guarantee inclusion in results.
Use the review to identify the next specific improvement.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI search replace traditional SEO?
Google’s guidance says established SEO practices remain relevant to its AI features. Continue improving the underlying website rather than treating AI visibility as a separate technical shortcut.
Will adding an FAQ section guarantee inclusion?
No. Add FAQs when they resolve genuine customer questions. A useful format does not guarantee selection by a search system.
Should I publish a new article every day?
I would choose a schedule you can maintain while researching, reviewing, and adding useful examples. If an existing article leaves an important question unanswered, improving it may be the better editorial task.
Can a developer guarantee an AI Overview citation?
No. A developer can address implementation problems and improve the website, but cannot control which supporting pages Google selects.
Need help improving your business website?
I develop WordPress websites, Shopify themes, Laravel applications, and custom REST API integrations.
If your website needs clearer product information, better content layouts, or custom functionality, explore my portfolio and get in touch to discuss your requirements.
