Google’s guidance on AI features says the same foundational search practices apply, and that no special AI markup or extra technical requirement is needed for eligibility. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee crawling, indexing or appearance.
Request a specific deliverable
Ask the agency to identify the pages it proposes to change, the customer need each page serves and the evidence supporting the recommendation. Separate repairs to inaccessible content from new writing, design changes and optional reporting.
For a local repair business, a useful proposal might improve a page explaining service coverage, booking requirements or an actual repair process. It should not merely add an AI-related label to the same vague text. Ask who verifies factual claims and approves changes before publication.
Keep the source of expertise visible
Give the writer access to the business’s approved service information and a knowledgeable reviewer. Record which claims require evidence or qualification. Do not publish invented customer experiences, credentials or results to make a page sound more authoritative.
Where a page explains a limit or exception, keep it understandable to a prospective customer. An answer that attracts a click by promising something the business cannot deliver creates a service problem. Review the content as an operating commitment as well as a marketing asset.
Measure a business task
Choose a result the business can observe, such as a completed inquiry or a correctly routed booking. Record the starting condition and other changes that may affect the result. A change in traffic alone does not establish why the change happened.
The owner should receive an intelligible account of the work: what changed, why it mattered and what the evidence shows. An agency can help improve a website without guaranteeing inclusion in an AI answer. Keep that distinction clear in the scope, reporting and expectations.
Eric Kuvykin
Publisher and editorial director covering payments, fintech, merchant services, banking, AI, technology and operating strategy for small and medium-sized businesses.
