Exploring Google’s new AI Mode and what it means for SEO

Google’s AI Mode has evolved from an experimental feature to a mainstay in modern organic search in record time.

In just three months, AI Mode went from an opt-in feature in Search Labs to a widely available experience in Google’s SERPs in regions like the US and India, dramatically altering how users discover and consume information.

This integration represents a profound AI-led shift in modern search behavior that SEO professionals should pay close attention to.

This guide explores AI Mode in more detail and how SEOs and business owners can adapt successfully to this new by-product of AI’s continued involvement in search.

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What does AI Mode look like?

Until now, SERPs have presented users with an abundance of links to explore whenever they searched. The list could number in the thousands, but users typically only paid attention to those in the top few positions.

While that behavior hasn’t changed much, page one of the SERPs has become inundated with features like rich snippets, featured snippets, shopping links, and the local pack—all designed to enhance user experience.

User experience is a quality Google has increasingly prioritized over keyword density and search volume. AI Mode is symptomatic of that trend.

Source: Google Search

AI Mode, developed from Google’s in-house Gemini chatbot, delivers comprehensive, conversational responses to complex, multi-part queries. This creates an end-to-end AI-led experience, improving the user’s chances of finding what they need without leaving the SERP.

Users can ask follow-up questions, request additional data, and receive contextually relevant answers without clicking through multiple ranked webpages.

Understandably, this is causing a seismic shift in the SEO world. The rapid rollout of AI Mode has caught many businesses off guard, with marketers and decision-makers questioning how to allocate resources between ongoing SEO and strategic AI optimization.

Business leaders are now exploring how to leverage the new search environment to their advantage—investing in AI optimization strategies, and rethinking SEO and content marketing priorities to increase efficiency.

Delegating routine website tasks to virtual assistants can also free up resources for strategic initiatives. However, this doesn’t answer the pivotal question: how to make effective use of AI Mode, which is poised to become a long-term fixture.

Google’s AI Mode features

Google’s AI Mode currently include five key capabilities:

• Deep Search – Provides expert-level reports with citations, similar to Gemini’s Deep Research.
• Live – Incorporates multimodal capabilities, allowing for interaction via audio, video, and text input by leveraging advancements seen in Project Astra.
• Agentic AI – Functions like a virtual research assistant to complete tasks for users.
• Shopping – Assists in finding and trying products with the help of agentic AI.
• Personal Context – Delivers personalized answers based on connected Google apps (Gmail, Drive, etc.).

AI Mode uses Google’s query fan-out technique, which involves taking a user query and generating multiple related sub-queries to build a comprehensive answer.

This approach differs greatly from traditional keyword matching. Instead of locating pages that contain specific terms, AI Mode identifies user intent and explores a wide range of angles to deliver detailed, relevant responses.

Traditional organic search result listings

Perhaps the most significant change is what AI Mode doesn’t show: the familiar ten blue links are no longer a guarantee.

Users either receive a comprehensive answer with embedded citations or, in some cases, a less prominent answer, pushing users towards the AI interaction. This creates a fundamentally different search environment where ranking positions may become irrelevant. The new goal is to be cited in an AI-generated response.

AI Overviews versus AI Mode

While there are similarities between AI Mode and AI Overviews, there are important differences:

• AI Mode is an immersive, end-to-end experience resembling Gemini. It encourages users to remain in a continuous AI interaction.
• AI Overviews, which have existed longer, appear above traditional SERP features like the ten blue links and local pack.

Early research suggests that AI Overviews alone can reduce click-through rates by up to 70%. If AI Mode usage continues to grow, the impact on SEO could be even more pronounced.

This shift depends on user adoption, but early signs indicate it is accelerating—particularly among users seeking complex or technical answers.

What does this mean for SEO experts?

Google’s AI Mode is reshaping the SEO playbook, perhaps even more drastically than the mobile-first indexing update or the Helpful Content Update.

Visibility

Like Gemini and other generative AI tools, AI Mode doesn’t rely on blue links. You’re either cited or invisible. Expect a decline in click-through rates and conversions as AI Mode becomes the norm.

Traffic

Traffic has already declined with AI Overviews. AI Mode is likely to exacerbate this trend.

Analytics

While Google Search Console provides AI Mode touchpoints, it lacks detailed insight into impression and click origins—though this may change soon.

Strategy

SEO remains vital. You can’t appear in AI Mode or AI Overviews without strong SEO. But strategies must evolve, with an increased emphasis on content quality, readability, originality, and structure.

How SEOs should respond to AI Mode

Optimize across all search channels

AI Mode should prompt SEOs and business owners to shift from siloed tactics to omnichannel optimization. This means ensuring visibility across traditional search engines, AI interfaces, voice assistants, social media, and more.

Focus on three core areas:

1. Technical SEO: Use schema markup, improve page speed, ensure crawlability, and more.
2. Content: Create original content with first-hand insights, data points, and multimedia assets.
3. Brand reputation: Build authority through thought leadership, directory listings, mentions in reputable content, and third-party validation such as reviews or case studies.

Setting new expectations

Traditional metrics like impressions and CTR may lose importance. A drop in organic traffic doesn’t always equate to reduced revenue. NerdWallet, for instance, grew revenue by 35% in 2024 despite a 20% drop in traffic.

Consider adopting new measurement methods:

• Frequency of brand mentions in AI features
• Quality and consistency of citations
• Referral traffic patterns

As mentioned above, the solution isn’t to abandon traditional SEO, but to explore other metrics and rethink your framework for understanding your website’s success and presence. 

While a specialized tool for AI visibility (akin to Google Search Console) is still pending, Google recommends several key actions to remain visible:

• Ensure site crawlability and indexability
• Build a fast, mobile-friendly user experience
• Create unique, authoritative content focused on user needs
• Use structured data effectively
• Include valuable visuals like images and videos
• Keep your Google Business Profile and Merchant Center updated
• Earn both linked and unlinked brand mentions
• Drive relevance with email and social media engagement

Though AI Mode raises valid concerns, the businesses that succeed will be those that adapt early and strategically. SEO remains the foundation—but it must evolve alongside AI to maintain competitive edge and brand loyalty.