In 2026, a core SEO focus will be leveraging Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) and its increasing reliance on structured data for understanding content relevance, particularly through the schema.org vocabulary. SGE functions by using generative AI models to synthesise information from multiple sources, presenting concise overviews directly in search results, and prioritising pages that clearly define their content using schema markup.
As of December 2025, Google Search Console now includes detailed reporting on schema implementation, identifying errors and opportunities for improvement. Google’s indexing system currently prioritises pages with valid schema, especially for ‘things’ like products, events, and local businesses – crucial for Australian SMEs. The system works by ‘crawling’ the code of webpages, identifying schema tags, and using this information to understand the page’s content beyond just keywords. In 2026, Google has announced enhancements to its ‘Helpful Content’ system, further rewarding pages that demonstrate expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) as validated by schema. Australian businesses should note that schema.org is globally applicable, but localisation (using Australian date formats, currency, and address formats within schema) is important for relevance.
Essentially, SGE and Google’s indexing systems function by using structured data to understand and present information, rewarding websites that clearly define their content using schema markup.
