A is for AI Mode – The NEW ABCs of SEO

SEO is rapidly changing, and to stay current, digital marketers must keep up with the latest technology and industry shifts.
It goes without saying that AI is bringing about the biggest and fastest technology shifts in decades.

A is for AI Mode

SEO is changing fast. In fact, if you had asked me for the “ABCs of SEO” last year, I would have told you A is for Alt-text.
If you had asked me just last week, I would have told you A is for AI Overviews. However, last Wednesday, Google held its Annual I/O 2025 conference and announced that it was rolling out AI Mode to everyone in the US. AI Overviews are still relevant, but they are really just “the little sister” of AI Mode!

The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, largely driven by the widespread adoption of AI and LLM (Large Language Model) technology. To stay current, I scour recent news and updates daily. But for those of you whose obsession isn’t Search marketing, I’m rolling out The NEW ABCs of SEO.

Welcome to AI Mode

AI Mode is the new Search mode that Google has just released to the public, it is a simple interface where, instead of the search bar being at top center, we now have a familiar AI Prompt window at the bottom of the page inviting you to “Ask Anything”.

Google’s AI Mode, a new user-selectable AI-powered search experience, is highly significant for website owners. It means users can get complex questions answered directly in the AI interface, reducing clicks to individual sites.

What is AI Mode?

Think of it as Google’s most-powerful AI search yet.

Powered by the latest version of Google’s Gemini 2.5, AI Mode goes beyond just providing a summary (like AI Overviews) and offers a full AI-powered search experience. It can answer complex questions, offer follow-up questions, and even help users complete tasks like booking tickets or making reservations. It aims to give you more synthesized answers, often with links to dig deeper.

Google’s AI Mode, is significant for website owners. It means users can get complex questions answered directly within this dedicated AI interface, reducing clicks to individual websites. This is a bummer!

However, AI Mode cites its sources, offering a new visibility path. To thrive, websites must now focus even more intensely on producing exceptionally high-quality, expert-driven, and uniquely valuable content that AI Mode will choose to reference. It’s now about becoming a trusted source for AI, not just ranking in traditional search. This is the way forward.

In terms of SEO importance, AI Mode is a game-changer. For website owners, it means understanding how your content might surface in this new mode and doubling down on expertise.

Here are the implications for SEO:

1. Intensified Focus on E-E-A-T and Content Quality

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) become paramount. AI Mode will heavily rely on identifying and synthesizing information from the most credible and in-depth sources. Verifiable first-hand experience and expert authorship are critical.

2. Evolution of Keyword Strategy to Conversational & Intent-Driven Queries

AI Mode thrives on complex, conversational queries. SEOs need to better understand user journeys and the nuanced intent behind longer prompts, not just isolated keywords anymore. It will be helpful to optimize for long-tail and “Question Optimization” where content will inherently answer a wide array of specific, long-tail questions related to a topic, making it a rich resource for AI Mode’s queue.

3. Focus on “Quality” Metrics

Metrics will need to shift focus from raw click volume to post-click engagement (time on site, conversions, task completion) for traffic coming from AI Mode, as these users are likely more intentional. At the moment Google Search Console does not report on traffic from AI Mode but that is supposed to change soon.

4. Crawlability & Indexability for Advanced AI

Ensuring the most sophisticated AI models can easily access, understand, and crawl your content is crucial.
Structured Data like Schema markup will be even more important to help AI understand the context, entities, and relationships within your content. This includes ensuring structured data matches visible content.

Page Experience, Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, and overall user experience remain important as AI Mode will still favor high-quality, accessible sources.

5. Preparing for “Agentic” Search (Future-Looking)

As AI Mode potentially takes on more Agentic tasks (action items like booking or purchasing), we will need to consider how website services or products can be optimized to be the AI’s preferred choice for completing these actions.

In Summary

In essence, “Google AI Mode” accelerates the shift towards rewarding deep expertise, genuinely helpful content, and strong brand authority. While it presents challenges in terms of traditional traffic metrics, it also offers new opportunities for visibility and engagement for those who can adapt and provide the high-value information that advanced AI systems seek. It’s not just SEO anymore,  Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) will have to be a part of any SEO’s repertoire from here on.

 

Jeff SanGeorge is the owner of Magnetic Ideas, LLC.  As a 20-year digital marketing veteran with expertise in SEO, PPC and Web Design, Jeff strives to help businesses grow using data-driven marketing strategies that are measurable and align with business goals.