Google AI Mode: What does it mean for SEO?
Written by Caitlin Faulks
The digital landscape has changed yet again – and this time, the shift is seismic.
Google has officially rolled out its new AI mode, an evolutionary development in the way users search – reimagining completely the search engine results page as we know it.
It’s more than just another feature – it’s a complete re-think of what a search engine experience can look like.
Instead of showing users a familiar list of ranked links, AI Mode has been designed to present users with a dynamic, fluid conversational summary – generated by AI.
Google’s new AI mode searches millions of sites simultaneously and takes information from sources across all the web and is then structured to deliver a stream of direct, high-value answers.
Rather than matching your question with a direct answer – it anticipates what you need and more.
As SEO professionals, it’s tempting to view this as a threat to everything we’ve built strategies around.
But let’s be clear, Google’s AI mode is far from the death of SEO – it’s the evolution of it.
And if we can dig beneath the surface, there are new opportunities here – powerful ones.
So, what is Google’s AI Mode, really?
Think of AI Mode as Google’s version of a virtual assistant – search that doesn’t just respond but reasons.
When a user types in a new search query, instead of returning a list of blue links, Google now provides users with an extensive, cohesive, AI-generated answer that pulls from multiple sources.
How is Google AI Mode different than AI Overview?
You may be thinking that it seemed Google only rolled out AI Overviews about 5 minutes ago and changed the way we search and optimise our website content (read our blog on How to Feature in an AI Overview).
Well, Google AI Mode is an entirely new, conversational search experience that transforms Google into an interactive assistant – guiding users through a fluid, AI-led journey instead of just showing a list of results. In contrast, AI Overviews are simply AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of traditional SERPs – basically, more of a page feature than a full experience.
So, AI Overview: part of search results.
AI Mode: A whole new way of doing search.
So, now we’ve covered how AI Mode is different from AI Overviews – why is AI Mode so revolutionary?
It often delivers answers a user is looking for, without the need for a user to click through to any one website.
Now, as an SEO marketer – you may be thinking – this is a big red flag.
If Google is answering questions for users on the SERP itself, what happens to organic traffic? To page views? To conversions? Are we being optimised out of the equation?
Well yes, and no.
The Changing Nature of Organic Visibility
AI Mode marks a shift from optimising for position to optimising for presence.
It’s no longer just about being able to rank in the traditional sense but about being referenced and cited as a trustworthy source.
In this new model, the most valuable real estate might not be the #1 spot on the SERP, but the right sentence in the right paragraph of an AI summary.
This presents both a challenge and a chance.
The challenge? We’re not just competing for clicks but for credibility. Google is synthesising information from a wider variety of sources than ever – often relying more heavily on sites that demonstrate authority, clarity and relevance in real time.
The chance? Sites that were once buried on Page 2 – or completely ignored by featured snippets – are now appearing as citations in AI responses. Google’s new model gives overlooked pages a path to visibility (provided their content is structured, insightful and optimised for AI interpretation, that is).
How Can We Optimise SEO for AI?
When it comes to AI and SEO, we need to evolve with AI – working with it, not against it. Here’s where we can focus:
Content built for AI Summaries
Content should always be written with the end-user in mind – giving that real time, high-quality informative content that should always be friendly and legible for the person reading it. After all, we are selling to humans – not robots.
However, it is important to write information in a way that is easily extractable – answering questions, providing valuable headings and structuring your work properly.
It must be legible to machines for them to be able to use it in summaries.
How can you do this?
- Clear, structured paragraphs with clean formatting
- Direct answers to common questions (check ‘People Also Ask’ in the SERP for inspiration)
- Factual accuracy – well-sourced information with original insights
AI thrives on content that is easily digestible and extractable – make your key points unmistakable.
Authority is more important than ever
In a world where AI pulls and condenses information from many sources – trust becomes a top ranking signal.
Google’s new AI mode focuses on:
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness) – is your content expert-led? And can you prove it?
- Topical depth and consistency – do you go beyond the basics?
- Backlink profiles and citations across the web – are others viewing you as a source of value and linking to you?
Google needs to know your content isn’t just correct – it’s credible.
Double down on Local SEO and hyper-relevance
AI Mode is now leaning heavily into contextual, location-based responses – even for queries that don’t seem inherently local (see our example below).
This means optimising for local search intent is no longer about just brick and mortar businesses; it’s about ensuring your content reflects local relevance, structured data and up-to-date location signals that AI can recognise and surface in its results.
Example: Here’s our team trying to access ‘Creative Hub’ – our social media tool, and it returning actual creative hubs near us (location) in Bridgwater! Here – location totally not relevant!
Embrace GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
We’re entering a new branch of SEO: GEO.
This means optimising for how AI engines like Google’s AI Mode – and others like ChatGPT and Perplexity – generate responses. The fundamentals include:
- Writing in a conversational, natural tone.
- Using schema and structured data to make content easy to crawl
- Keeping content, fresh and time-appropriate
We’re not just optimising for rankings – we’re optimising for inclusion – in summaries, snippets and spoken responses.
Measure Differently, Think Differently
Traditional traffic metrics won’t tell the full story in an AI-dominated search landscape.
Instead, make sure to track brand mentions and citations in AI outputs, share of voice within high-performing queries and engagement via alternative marketing channels (email, social media, direct).
Key Takeaways – How AI Mode Impacts SEO and What We Can Do
Every few years, the digital world pronounces SEO as dead – and every time, it reinvents itself into something richer, smarter and more aligned with more real human behaviour.
AI Mode isn’t a death sentence – it’s another avenue. To write better, and to think more strategically.
At Talking Stick Digital, we’re leaning into this change. We’re monitoring our AI performance, testing new formats and helping our clients evolve with AI confidence.
The future of search isn’t about just being found – it’s about being useful, being cited and most importantly, being trusted.
