Google not only updated its advice on hiring an SEO document, but also created a new one named Google Search's guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice. This document drills into how to evaluate the advice you get from these sources and some tips to think critically about such SEO advice.
Google said they did this "To highlight important considerations when evaluating third-party SEO tools and advice, and to simplify some sections and remove outdated examples in existing documentation."
Google wants you to be careful when listening to advice from SEO tools, services or just blanket SEO advice. Google wrote in the document, "We recommend carefully evaluating any advice you might be considering implementing against our official SEO guidance, including our guidance on optimizing for generative AI, and making your own informed decisions."
When it comes to the advice from SEO tools, Google said to ask these questions:
- Assisting in sitemap generation
- Establishing indexing directives
- Offering to generate "SEO-optimized" content for you
- Providing advice they claim will improve the ranking of your existing content
- Promising improvements for AI experiences and search formats (also known as "AEO" or "GEO" tools)
Google added:
Some of these services may be helpful in your work, while others may make claims or imply that what they do is somehow "acceptable" or "approved" by Google Search. Google doesn't evaluate third-party services, so be wary of such claims and those making them. Keep in mind that using a service or tool doesn't guarantee ranking success.Some third-party services provide data that some users of those tools misinterpret as somehow being from Google. Third-party tools don't have access to our internal ranking data. They can't guarantee performance. Any predictions are their own and like predictions generally, may not happen.
Of course, Google also dropped a recommendation for its own SEO tool, Search Console. "Whether you use a third-party tool or not, we strongly encourage using our first-party tool, Google Search Console, which provides you with key information and data directly from Google Search itself," Google wrote.
🆕 Google updates guidance on third-party SEO tools, services, and advice 👀
— Gagan Ghotra (@gaganghotra_) June 6, 2026
Specifics of this in these two posts from @glenngabehttps://t.co/v0RdsxqEDZhttps://t.co/MM6xTcb42N pic.twitter.com/vcL1tBBmra
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