SEO is dead (again), long live AI Mode

At I/O 2025, Google unveiled AI Mode – a fully conversational, AI-powered way to explore complex queries alongside the familiar list of blue links. Rather than replacing the traditional SERP, AI Mode introduces a new research-focused tab that complements it. It’s currently powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s most advanced model yet – and while it’s technically optional (for now), the shift it represents is anything but. AI Mode is currently live in the US, UK, and India, with wider rollout expected in the months ahead.

For SEOs and marketers, this isn’t just another feature rollout. It’s a fundamental rethink of how content gets discovered, how brands show up in search, and what ‘visibility’ even means. If your search strategy still revolves around rankings and CTR, it’s time for an update. So what will it take to stay visible in a world where AI answers first? Let’s get into it.

What is AI Mode?

AI Mode is a reimagined version of Google Search – conversational, context-aware, and powered by generative AI. When selected, it opens a dedicated chat-style interface for deeper, assistant-style interactions – running in parallel with the traditional search results page. Users ask questions, refine follow-ups, and complete tasks in a fluid dialogue with the AI. It’s built on two key components:

• Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s flagship multimodal model.
• Query fan-out, which draws on a wide range of trusted sources to produce on-the-fly summaries and recommendations.

Core features include:

• Conversational search: Two-way dialogue that adapts in real time to user intent.
• Multimodal input: Users can search using text, images, and live video.
• Task assistance (preview feature): AI Mode supports light task assistance, such as comparing products – but it does not currently offer full AI actions (i.e., taking steps on your behalf). Google is exploring these capabilities more fully through its Gemini mobile app and Gemini Live feature.
• Personal context: Responses can pull from Gmail, Calendar and other linked Google services (if permissions allow).

Crucially, AI Mode is not the same as AI Overviews (previously Search Generative Experience). Where Overviews enhance the SERP, AI Mode adds a new research-focused layer to it – signalling Google’s shift towards a more assistant-like search experience.

Differences between AI Mode and AI Overviews

Why AI Mode matters for SEO

The classic search formula – rank well, earn the click – no longer applies in the same way. That’s because in AI Mode, content isn’t ranked. It’s referenced. It’s quoted. It’s summarised. And often, that happens without a blue link ever appearing. In practical terms, this means:

• Inclusion beats position: Being part of the AI’s response matters more than your SERP rank.
• Citations are king: Think journalistic sourcing, not keyword stuffing.
• Visibility ≠ traffic: Your brand may appear in an answer without driving a click.

This shift fundamentally changes what SEO success looks like. It’s no longer just about earning a link – it’s about being understood, included, and trusted. Your content still needs to meet the usual standards of relevance, authority, and structure, but now it also has to offer something that’s worth quoting in an AI-generated response.

It’s important to reset expectations around traffic and measurement. Google’s AI Overviews have reportedly led to sharp traffic drops for some sites – a trend likely to continue with AI Mode. But lower traffic doesn’t always mean less business; some companies are seeing fewer visits but more qualified conversions and higher revenue. As AI results don’t always drive direct clicks, traditional SEO metrics like impressions and traffic become less reliable. SEOs should focus on broader impact metrics, including brand mentions, citations, impressions and views across platforms, branded search demand, direct visits, task completions, and deeper on-site engagement (see more on this below).

What great SEO looks like in an AI-first world

So, how do you get your content into the conversation? Here are the key areas to focus on:

1. Topical depth over shallow breadth

• Move beyond keyword mapping. Understand real user intent.
• Build content around problems, not just phrases.
• Demonstrate expertise with nuance, opinion, and substance.

2. Structure for machines, not just humans

• Use subheadings, semantic HTML, and structured data to make parsing easy.
• Keep content clean, scannable, and logically grouped.
• Think like a teacher: what’s the takeaway? What would you quote?

3. Double down on technical SEO

• Schema markup is more than hygiene – it’s a signal to generative AI.
• Page speed, mobile-friendliness and crawlability are still critical foundations.
• A solid internal linking structure reinforces thematic authority.
• Explore emerging standards like the Model Context Protocol and LLMs.txt to make your data and actions more accessible to AI crawlers.

4. Offer what AI can’t invent

• Include first-party data, case studies, or original research.
• Add commentary from subject matter experts – even short quotes help.
• AI can summarise; your job is to create what’s worth summarising.

5. Rethink your content formats

• Instead of one 5,000-word guide, break it into focused 1,000-word articles.
• Cluster content around key topics to train AI associations.
• Use visuals, tables and multimedia (videos, audio, interactive clips) – AI Mode is multimodal for a reason.

6. Embrace omnichannel content

• Repurpose core ideas across blog, video, social, email, podcast – the more formats you appear in, the stronger your brand signals.
• This cross-platform presence builds the ‘evidence’ AI uses to attribute authority.

7. Create your own search demand

• Use PR, social, influencer campaigns and thought leadership to introduce new concepts – and position your brand at the centre of them.
• Shape the queries people search for. Don’t just chase existing ones.

8. E-E-A-T isn’t optional

• Every article should clearly demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust.
• Include authorship, credentials, credible sources, and real-world proof points like testimonials or case studies.

Google itself stresses that SEO fundamentals remain critical to succeed in AI search experiences. Make sure your site is crawlable and fast, provide excellent page experience, create unique and people-first content, verify that your structured data matches the visible content, use rich visuals like high-quality images and videos, and keep your Google Business Profile up to date. These foundational elements help AI Mode deliver accurate, reliable answers and increase your chances of being cited.

New search, new metrics

In an AI-first experience, traditional SEO reporting becomes less reliable. When answers happen inside a chat box, impressions and clicks only tell part of the story. So what should we track instead? SEO in the age of AI means tracking:

• Citations and mentions in generative answers
• Brand presence across AI platforms and interfaces
• Task completions or actions triggered by AI summaries
• Post-click engagement like scroll depth, time on site, return visits
• Branded search demand, direct traffic, and user signals
• Sentiment and share of voice across AI-generated content

In other words, KPIs need to be oriented toward visibility, trust, and influence. It’s about measuring impact, not just traffic.

Think globally, optimise locally

AI Mode is currently live in the US, UK, and India, with wider rollout expected later in 2025. We shouldn’t assume a uniform global experience. Adoption will vary by:

• Language and search literacy
• Cultural preferences for trust, authority, and tone
• Local habits around shopping, researching, or using AI tools

This is where local insight matters more than ever. Oban’s Local In-Market Experts (LIMEs) can uncover how real people in different markets phrase their prompts, trust AI responses, and interpret results. Global SEO can’t be done from a spreadsheet. It needs boots on the ground – or at least voices who live there.

In summary: What to do now

Here’s how to get ahead while your competitors are still stuck in CTR land:

• Audit your content: Does it offer unique insights? Is it structured for summarisation?
  
  
• Update your KPIs: Track citations, not just clicks. Measure trust, not just traffic.
  
  
• Experiment with AI-friendly formats: Run pilot content clusters, test campaign language in AI Overviews, explore schema variations.
  
  
• Strengthen your middle funnel: AI Mode users often arrive mid-journey. Have the content (and UX) to convert them.
  
  
• Localise with purpose: Don’t translate. Adapt. Tailor tone, structure, and content to local AI usage patterns, working with local experts.
  
  
• Go full-funnel, multi-platform: Your brand needs to exist beyond Google. Visibility in AI results is built on cumulative signals from across the web.
  
  
• Lean into SEO fundamentals: Keep your site crawlable, fast, and easy to use. Solid SEO foundations are key to appearing in AI responses.
  
  
• Build brand reputation: Encourage credible mentions and reviews on and off-site to boost your brand’s authority and trustworthiness, which AI uses to decide citations.

Final thoughts

AI Mode isn’t just another trend – it signals the evolution toward an AI-first search experience. Google’s CEO has said that successful features from AI Mode will be integrated into the regular search experience, suggesting this could become the default way people use Google. For SEOs and marketers, it’s a reminder that success has always been about building a brand that’s genuinely worth citing – not gaming an algorithm.

The winners won’t be the sites with the most backlinks, but those that provide the clearest answers, demonstrate real expertise, and send consistent signals across channels. With every major shift comes fresh challenges and new opportunities. If you’re looking to adapt your global SEO strategy for this AI-driven landscape, Oban is ready to help.