Google AI Mode is a new experiment that allows people to interact with Google in a more assisted, AI driven format. Instead of typing a short query and scrolling through pages of results, users can engage in a chat style experience that feels more natural and guided, shifting search away from keywords and toward intent.
With AI Mode, users can ask follow up questions, clarify what they mean, or adjust their request without starting a new search. Rather than jumping between multiple pages, information is delivered directly within the conversation using structured responses, clear headings, and supporting links, making it easier to research topics efficiently.
AI Mode effectively turns traditional Google Search into a secondary option for many types of queries. When using this mode, users can:
- Find sources and supporting links within a conversational flow
- Continue researching without restarting or refining a new query
- Consume information that is clearly structured and easy to scan
What’s Different Between AI Mode and AI Overviews?
Although both features use generative AI, AI Mode and AI Overviews serve different purposes and influence search behavior in different ways. AI Overviews are designed to give users a fast summary at the top of a standard search result. They are helpful for quick answers, but they do not change how the rest of the page functions.
AI Mode is a separate experience entirely. It replaces the search results page with an interactive interface where the user can continue the conversation, ask follow up questions, and dig deeper into a topic without leaving the interface.
The Biggest Differences Are:
- Conversations: AI Mode supports ongoing dialogue. Users can ask additional questions and refine their intent in real time. AI Overviews are static summaries that respond to a single query.
- SEO Impact: AI Overviews still pull heavily from traditionally well ranked pages. AI Mode places greater emphasis on clarity, topical relevance, and how well content can be reused by Google’s generative systems, even if it does not sit at the top of the search results.
- How People Are Using Each: AI Overviews are typically used for quick lookups. AI Mode is being used for comparisons, explanations, step by step guidance, and decision making, often replacing the need to click through multiple sites.
How AI Mode Is Changing Search Behavior
How Users Are Discovering Information
AI Mode changes how users discover content by removing the need to scan and compare multiple search results. Instead of choosing which link to click, users receive curated information immediately, shifting importance away from ranking position and toward content that clearly explains topics, answers real questions, and provides accurate, usable information.
Click Through Rate and Traffic Expectations
Click through rate has long been used as a primary measure of search performance. AI Mode challenges that assumption. Because many questions are answered directly within the interface, users may never click a link. When links are included, they often serve as validation or supporting material rather than the main destination.
This does not mean websites are losing influence. It means influence is being separated from traffic. Content can shape decisions, educate users, and build trust without generating a visit.
How Do I Appear in AI Mode?
Improving Your E-E-A-T Signals
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) remain core signals for visibility within AI driven search experiences. Content that reflects first-hand experience, uses clear and accurate language, and demonstrates subject matter knowledge is more likely to be referenced. Thin content, vague explanations, or pages written purely for ranking purposes are less effective in this environment.
Author information, clear sourcing, and consistency across related topics all contribute to stronger trust signals that AI systems can interpret (See my example at end of blog).
Writing for Generative Search Systems
AI Mode rewards content that is easy to understand and reuse. This means focusing on clear structure, logical flow, and direct answers to common questions. Long blocks of unfocused text make it harder for AI systems to extract useful information. Well organized content with descriptive headings, concise explanations, and supporting detail performs better in generative contexts.
Why Visibility Matters More Than Clicks
As AI Mode becomes more widely used, traffic alone is no longer a reliable indicator of search success. Brands can appear repeatedly within AI responses without a user ever visiting their website, yet those mentions still build familiarity, trust, and influence decisions. Search is shifting toward presence rather than position, making it just as important to be visible where questions are answered as it is to rank where links are clicked.
Work With a Team That Understands AI Search
If you are interested in learning more about how AI is changing search and how it impacts your online presence, our team can help. We work with companies to strengthen visibility, refine content strategies, and adapt to search as it continues to move toward AI assisted experiences.
