As many of us are aware, Google is “making AI helpful for everyone”. Google is our first stop to information online, and at the forefront of this shift into AI search, is Google AI Mode. More than an update to the SERP, this change to search redefines how users discover and consume information. The AI search marketing industry is poised for continued innovation and expansion as we look ahead.
For decades, Google search focused on finding ten blue links to explore. Whereas, Google’s new AI Mode – currently being rolled out in the US, India and UK search results – doesn’t show links, but presents a rich conversational tone with direct answers, all within the search engine results page.
Complex questions like ‘What are the essential types of liability coverage a care home needs, and what do they protect against?’ or ‘How can families assess the quality of care and resident well-being in different care home settings?’ traditionally, required users to click through a number of different websites as source of information. With AI Mode, Google forms the answer for you, provides a detailed summary and shares follow-up questions, similar to the People Also Ask rich snippet – all of which is displayed in the SERP. The search interface still includes citations and links, but the primary interaction is now with the AI generated answer. Driven by advanced reasoning, a ‘query fan-out’ breaks down complex topics into questions and sub-queries, encouraging users to explore the topic comprehensively and get immediate responses.
Google is introducing AI Mode in its search experience, heavily promoting its use as a ‘dive deeper’ button on AI Overviews, a Google distinct AI Mode search button on the US Google homepage and an option to ‘shop with AI Mode’ replacing ‘view more products’ on listings. The Atomic Leap marketing team have seen Google’s AI Mode featured in UK SERPs as well. Expect continued expansion of AI Mode into the SERP.
The adoption of conversational and instant search will have implications for user behaviour across organic channels.
When Google AI mode provides a comprehensive answer, users may feel less of a need to click through to external websites. This zero click trend is typically affecting user’s clicking behaviour for keyword searches with informational intent. Informational intent keywords are question related – who what when where why and how. If your website’s rankings, traffic and clicks, depend heavily on informational intent keywords, then you might experience a drop in direct organic traffic.
Voice search has featured in SEO trend predictions for years. Users are becoming more comfortable having conversations with search engines. Gone are the days of short broad keyword phrases, instead users are using natural colloquial language to communicate with search engines. Users are asking full questions or segmenting their questions out into multiple parts. As an agency, we expect an increase in long tail keyword rankings, especially with platforms like ChatGPT Voice Mode and Google AI Mode gaining traction.
Google AI Mode won’t replace all search channels. Search engines are used for simple keywords with navigational intent, or situations where a user wants to browse and explore multiple sources of information via the traditional ten blue links. Also, if Google AI mode is not confident in an answer then it will default to traditional non-AI search result page.
As search becomes more conversational, voice search will eventually become more popular. AI Mode’s development may integrate into how Google Assistant or mobile voice searches are answered – i.e. more conversationally with summarised information. Also, if AI Mode is supporting multimodal inputs, like images, spreadsheet or PDF files with users asking questions about them, potentially the future holds the possibility of being able to ask questions whilst filming a video. If this is the case, visuals and other media hosted on a website will play even more of a role in being discovered and understood by Google AI.
The most direct consequence of the changes to the SERP and Google’s AI evolving search experience is the recalibration across the SEO industry of how we are reporting. For years the metrics have been the same, impressions and click traffic were an indicator of interest and online visibility. While organic traffic remains an important aspect of a website’s performance, the definition of success of search marketing must evolve with such large upheaval of the search experience.
Website content doesn’t just need to be crawled, discovered, and indexed. Content needs to be definitive, factual and come from an authoritative source that Google’s AI trusts. It’s not about being at the top of the SERP any more, it’s a race to being considered as the source of knowledge on a topic that fuels an intelligent AI generated answer across platforms like AI Overviews and Google AI Mode.
As an agency, we are not concerned about Google AI Mode, instead we are being proactive, with a data-driven approach. We have developed a proactive AI marketing strategy. Our approach is designed to ensure your website stays visible and impactful in the new world of AI search marketing. Integrated into our approach is traditional SEO principles and best practice, alongside innovative strategies that govern how websites can be recognised by AI agents as experts in an industry.
The future of search is conversational and intelligent. As an agency our process includes a systematic suit-optimise and monitors cycle that starts with a comprehensive Omnichannel AI Audit that looks at keywords, content quality, technical accessibility, off-page authority and assessing your website’s current ‘Answer Engine Readiness’ across multiple AI platforms like Perplexity AI, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, and Google’s AI Overviews. Next, we focus on optimisation, implementation to refine content, address technical issues, improve link profile and build your knowledge graph presence. Then we continuously track AI citation rates, traffic and keyword ranking fluctuations – Monitoring changes in AI search results and generative AI outputs to adapt our strategies based on new AI developments and search engine algorithm updates.
Our thorough AI website optimisation framework helps brands to navigate and capitalise on new AI-driven transformation with clarity and confidence. Speak to one of the team today for a free initial AI website audit, let’s discover how ready your business is for the future of search marketing.
