Google just rolled out its most significant update since the original algorithm launched over two decades ago: AI Mode. This isn't just another shiny new feature — it represents a fundamental shift in how people discover, research, and make purchase decisions online. While most marketers are still figuring out AI Overviews, Google has quietly unleashed something far more transformative that's about to reshape the search landscape.
AI Mode represents Google's vision of conversational search taken to its logical conclusion. Instead of typing short queries and hunting through links, users can now engage in natural, back-and-forth conversations with Google's AI models. They're asking longer, more complex questions — often two to three times the length of traditional searches — and getting comprehensive responses that anticipate their next question before they even ask it.
For search marketers, this isn't a distant future trend to monitor — it's already gaining traction. In a recent earnings call, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that AI mode has over 100 million monthly active users. As AI Mode expands beyond its initial rollout, brands that understand and adapt to conversational search behavior will increase market share, while those clinging to keyword-based strategies will get left behind.
Keep reading to learn how AI mode is changing search. We’ll also dive into the key factors that can help you rank in AI Mode. Finally, we’ll cover the actionable tips you can use to optimize your search marketing strategy in this new landscape!
The Behavioral Shift in AI Mode: From Keywords to Conversations
AI Mode signals a fundamental change in the way users interact with search. Traditional search trained us to think in keywords and shorthand. Shopping for a new car? Search "dealership near me." Comparing homeowners insurance plans? Try "homeowners insurance quote." These truncated queries became second nature because we learned to speak Google's language.
AI Mode flips this dynamic entirely. Users now ask Google questions the same way they'd ask a knowledgeable friend. Instead of simply searching "dealership near me," they're asking more in-depth questions as part of their research, like "What reliable mid-size SUV can I buy with a budget of $40,000?"
This shift has massive implications for content strategy. Your traditional keyword research — built around 2-3 word phrases with high search volume — becomes far less relevant when users are asking comprehensive, contextual questions. Long-tail keywords are now normal-length queries in AI Mode.
More importantly, AI Mode remembers context. When a user follows up with "What safety features does this car have?" or "How many miles per gallon does it get?" the AI understands the conversation thread. Your content needs to anticipate not just the initial question, but the natural follow-up questions that emerge as someone goes deeper into their research journey.
Think about how a knowledgeable sales consultant would handle an inquiry. They don't just answer the immediate question — they anticipate objections, provide context, offer comparisons, and address related concerns the customer might not have even thought to ask yet. Your content needs to do the same.
Optimize for These 7 Ranking Factors to Win in AI Mode
Now that we covered the basics, let’s get into the nitty-gritty — below, we break down the core ranking factors that influence AI Mode citations. We also provide actionable tips you can use right now to improve your visibility in LLM searches.
1. Relevance and semantic depth
Google no longer just matches keywords to pages — in AI mode, it often breaks a user query into many sub-questions (“query fan-out”) and looks for content that answers those related needs. Your content must cover multiple angles, related subtopics, and follow-up questions. Consider how you organize your content as well — content that is clearly framed and broken up into subsections is more likely to be selected by Google’s AI engine.
How to adjust your strategy
- Use tools like People Also Ask, related searches, and AI prompt expansions to map out subtopics around your keyword.
- Write content that anticipates user follow-up questions (e.g., FAQs, “what, why, how” sections).
- Incorporate synonyms and semantic variations instead of repeating the same keyword.
2. E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
Google uses a framework called E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) to evaluate the credibility and quality of content. Pages that demonstrate real-world knowledge, proven subject matter expertise, strong brand or author reputation, and trustworthy sourcing are more likely to rank highly in traditional search and appear in Google’s AI-driven results.
How to adjust your strategy
- Add bylines with author bios, credentials, and links to professional profiles.
- Cite reputable sources, research, or first-party data.
- Create case studies and original research that position your brand as a thought leader.
- Mark up author and organization info with schema.
3. Technical accessibility and webpage experience
Your content has to be technically crawlable, indexable, and well-structured — AI systems still depend on underlying web infrastructure. If Googlebot is blocked or your page loads poorly, the AI engine can’t reliably access or use it. Google specifically warns that even the best content will suffer if users land on a cluttered or slow page.
How to adjust your strategy
- Run Google PageSpeed Insights and fix Core Web Vitals.
- Use clean semantic HTML with headings, lists, and schema markup.
- Compress images, enable lazy loading, and use a CDN.
- Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly tool to ensure responsive design.
4. Content scannability and structure
Rather than simply ranking pages, AI mode essentially “chooses” which passages or sources to cite or include in an answer. To get cited, you should make your content easily scannable and separate out subtopics. This will allow the AI to extract concise tidbits it can incorporate in its outputs.
How to adjust your strategy
- Create short, scannable answer boxes (2–3 sentences) under headings.
- Structure your content with clear H2 and H3 headers so AI can extract passages easily.
- Use definition-style phrasing: “X is defined as…” or “The main difference between…”.
- Add structured data (FAQ, HowTo, QAPage schema) so Google knows the content type.
5. Brand presence across the web
In traditional SEO, backlinks (links from third-party sites pointing to yours) have long been a cornerstone of search rankings, serving as a proxy for authoritativeness. But recent research from Ahrefs shows that in AI-driven search, brand mentions across the web can boost visibility even without explicit backlinks. Put simply, being a recognizable name in your industry signals trust to the AI engine and increases the chances your content will be surfaced.
How to adjust your strategy
- Pitch thought leadership articles, guest posts, and podcasts to build mentions.
- Run PR campaigns to get cited in industry news or niche publications.
- Encourage satisfied customers and partners to mention your brand online.
- Monitor mentions with tools like Ahrefs Alerts or Google Alerts and amplify them.
6. Varied media types for multimodal searches
AI mode is becoming multimodal, expanding beyond just text — it also allows searchers to upload images and ask questions about them. To rank for these multimodal searches, your content needs to include varied forms of media. Consider adding well-labeled visuals, videos, and charts to your website. Google’s official advice highlights that, as multimodal search capabilities continue to evolve, these media types will become even more important.
How to adjust your strategy
- Add labeled diagrams, charts, and high-quality images with descriptive alt text.
- Publish video explainers and embed transcripts.
- Use schema markup for videos, products, reviews, and events.
- Ensure captions, transcripts, and structured data support accessibility.
7. Content freshness and update frequency
Google has emphasized that AI mode is built on its traditional SEO ranking systems, where freshness is a key signal. Google often uses content publish dates as a proxy to determine which sites have the most up-to-date and accurate information. Under this algorithm, content that is regularly updated gains favor.
How to adjust your strategy
- Refresh high-performing content once a year, or more frequently if applicable.
- Run Google Search Console reports to see which pages are losing the most traffic year-over-year and prioritize your updates accordingly.
- Add “last updated” dates on pages and make sure they’re genuine.
- Track competitors’ content updates and maintain a similar cadence.
AI Mode Has Implications for Paid Search, too
AI Mode is changing the paid search landscape just as dramatically as organic search. Google is experimenting with how ads appear within AI Mode responses, and early indications suggest a different approach may be needed.
Traditional exact match and phrase match keyword strategies become less effective when users are asking conversational questions rather than typing keywords. Google's AI Max for Search campaigns are specifically designed for this new reality, using machine learning to match your ads to conversational queries that traditional keyword matching would miss.
Advertisers adopting AI Max for Search are already seeing results — Google reports AI Max campaigns achieve 27% more conversions than campaigns using primarily exact and phrase match keywords. The AI analyzes your landing pages, existing keywords, and brand assets to understand your offering holistically, then matches you to relevant conversational queries.
Your ad creative also needs to evolve. In conversational search contexts, ads that directly address the user's question or problem perform better than generic promotional messaging. Using AI Max to assist with dynamic ad customization becomes essential — this allows your copy to adapt to the specific context of the conversation and present the most relevant value proposition for that particular query.
Don’t Forget to Track Phone Call Conversions Across All Search Channels
Here's a critical point most search marketers overlook: while companies have their online conversion tracking dialed in, phone calls remain a massive blind spot that's only getting more important as search evolves. With AI-driven traffic increasing dramatically, you need comprehensive attribution across organic search, paid search, and AI sources.
Phone calls often represent your highest-value conversions, particularly in industries like healthcare, financial services, home services, and automotive. Yet without proper tracking, you're flying blind on which search efforts actually drive revenue. You might see that AI Mode is generating website traffic, but if you can't track which phone calls came from those sessions, you're missing the complete conversion picture.
Implementing granular call tracking that attributes phone leads to specific keywords, campaigns, and now AI sources is essential. This visibility allows you to double down on the search efforts that are actually driving phone leads and conversions, and cut underperformers. As a result, you can optimize the mix of organic, paid, and AI search strategies your team uses. This will enable you to drive more customers and revenue cost-effectively.
And use conversation analytics to fine-tune your messaging
Beyond identifying conversions, conversation analytics solutions reveal how consumers actually talk about your products and services — the real language, questions, and terminology they use when researching purchases. For example, a car dealership might discover that customers ask about "APR" rather than "interest rate," or worry about "trade-in value" instead of "vehicle equity."
These authentic conversational patterns validate your content strategy and inform how you optimize for AI Mode. When you align your content with the language customers naturally use, you increase the likelihood that AI search tools will surface your brand as an authoritative source — connecting you with prospects exactly when they're seeking answers.
Additional Reading
Want to learn more about how you can adapt your strategy for AI search? Check out these resources:
- More Consumers Are Using Gen AI, What Does It Mean for Your Search Strategy?
- 5 Tips to Use Google Ads AI to Drive More Revenue
- 7 Strategies to Drive More Phone Call Conversions From AI Search Engines and SEO
