Agenda
● Journey to A.I. Mode
● Where We Are Now
● What To Do About It
Journey To A.I. Mode
Google: In the Before Times, 10 Blue Links, 0 Problems
Google Gen-AI: First, AI Overviews Launched
Google Gen-AI: Then, AIO Came to PAA
Google Gen-AI: Now, AI Mode Arrives in U.S.
Poll: What Is Your Top Priority in
Preparing for AI Mode (and AI
search in general)?
Where We Are Now
Every Brand is About to Face a Crisis
“Our traffic is down 20%. We need to
attack this AI thing at every angle.”
- CMO, World’s largest financial data provider
of Searches Ended
without Click in 2024,
up from 26% 2022
60%
Paid Click Through
Rate Reduction when
AIO Present
-28%
Projected Organic
Traffic Decline by
2028 via Gartner
-50%
Source: Gartner, SparkToro, Seer
AI Mode
Traditional Search
What stands out?
Traditional Search AI Mode
VS.
Keywords Prompts
Traditional Search AI Mode
VS.
Matching Meaning
Matching Keywords
Broad Match
Phrase Match
Exact Match
Keyword = interior paint
Dog
Cat
Prompt: “Kitten”
Banana
Apple
Wolf
Educational Comparison Cost Analysis Recommendations Purchase Support
Topic: Office Setup
Remote
Worker
“How to set up a
office if you work
long hours?”
“What are the best
ergonomic chairs for
remote work?”
“Price of
Herman Miller
vs H1 Pro?”
“Should I buy
Herman Miller or H1
chair?”
“Where to buy a
black Aeron chair
delivered today”
“Office furniture
assembly services
near me?”
Business
Owner
“How to create an
inspiring
workspace?”
“What are the best
computers for
office?”
“What's the price
of dell versus
lenovo?”
“Is a dell or
lenovo better for
office use?”
“Where to buy 20
dell inspirons with
installation”
“Local tech support
for office
equipment nearby”
Student
“What do you need
for a good study
area?”
“Which small desks
are best for a dorm
and cheap?”
“Are wayfair or
ikea desks a
better deal?
“Wayfair or ikea
desks for
students?”
“I want a white
ikea desk and free
shipping to me”
“I need someone to
repair the leg of my
ikea desk today”
Search Intent
Persona Create an inspiring workspace with
ergonomic furniture, natural light,
calming colors, plants, and organized
tech.. For buying 20 laptops in DC
today, try Best Buy or Micro Center
for
Brand Visibility
Sentiment
Search Intent
in store pickup
Citations
Understanding AI Answers
AI Mode: Technical Foundations
● Gemini 2.5 model (same as
AIOs)
● Query fan-out technique
● Best at parsing javascript
● Leverages Google’s historical
knowledge
● Limited availability
While we’ll never know the full story on how AI Mode’s answers are generated, like we’ll never know all of
the details about the traditional search algorithm, there have been some key early learnings:
AI Mode: Reporting Lack of Reporting
● No segmentation of data
● Attribution issues in GA
● Non-existent referral reports
There is currently very little we know about the amount of traffic driven by AI Mode (or AIOs)
What To Do Today
Poll: How Are You Using AI in
Your Marketing Processes Today?
Moving Beyond "Ranks" & Positional Obsession
Metrics need to change to adapt to these new realities
Traditional SEO Metrics
(Still Relevant But Insufficient for AI)
New Considerations for
AI LLM Visibility
Keywords & Keyword Rankings
Semantic Relevance to Topics,
Conversational Prompts
Monthly Search Volume (MSV)
Knowing Diverse User Intents
& Prompt Variants
Clicks & Impressions (from SERPs)
Brand Mentions, Sentiment,
& Citation Frequency
Backlinks & Link Quality
Citations by AI Engines
as Authority Indicator
Website Traffic from Search
AI Bot Traffic
& Referral Traffic
What To Do: New Emphasized Optimizations
Emphasized by LLMS
● Schema
● Header structure
● Topic authority
Old SEO isn’t dead, but it is shifting
De-Emphasized by LLMs
● Titles & descriptions
● Link building
● Exact-match keywords
Track AI LLM visibility
& market share
Accelerate your brand’s AI visibility and
build a more impactful content strategy by
uncovering where and how your brand is
mentioned and cited in generative answer
engines.
AI Search Performance
Dominate AI search
with winning content
Effortlessly create high-quality content at
the scale you need to compete, in perfect
sync with brand guidelines and audience
intent.
Writing Assistant
See your website
content how AI sees it
Uncover your next high-impact content
opportunities with AI-powered analysis that
reveals how generative answer engines truly
see your site.
AI Topic Map
What To Do: Action Items for Today
● Continue Educating Yourself
● Educate Int Stakeholders Now
● Double Down on Core Competencies
● Create & Optimize Content for All Search
● Use AI Tools to Compete in AI Search
Questions?

New Google AI Mode: Everything You Need To Know & What To Do Next

  • 2.
    Agenda ● Journey toA.I. Mode ● Where We Are Now ● What To Do About It
  • 3.
  • 4.
    Google: In theBefore Times, 10 Blue Links, 0 Problems
  • 5.
    Google Gen-AI: First,AI Overviews Launched
  • 6.
    Google Gen-AI: Then,AIO Came to PAA
  • 7.
    Google Gen-AI: Now,AI Mode Arrives in U.S.
  • 8.
    Poll: What IsYour Top Priority in Preparing for AI Mode (and AI search in general)?
  • 9.
  • 10.
    Every Brand isAbout to Face a Crisis “Our traffic is down 20%. We need to attack this AI thing at every angle.” - CMO, World’s largest financial data provider of Searches Ended without Click in 2024, up from 26% 2022 60% Paid Click Through Rate Reduction when AIO Present -28% Projected Organic Traffic Decline by 2028 via Gartner -50% Source: Gartner, SparkToro, Seer
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Traditional Search AIMode VS. Keywords Prompts
  • 13.
    Traditional Search AIMode VS. Matching Meaning Matching Keywords Broad Match Phrase Match Exact Match Keyword = interior paint Dog Cat Prompt: “Kitten” Banana Apple Wolf
  • 14.
    Educational Comparison CostAnalysis Recommendations Purchase Support Topic: Office Setup Remote Worker “How to set up a office if you work long hours?” “What are the best ergonomic chairs for remote work?” “Price of Herman Miller vs H1 Pro?” “Should I buy Herman Miller or H1 chair?” “Where to buy a black Aeron chair delivered today” “Office furniture assembly services near me?” Business Owner “How to create an inspiring workspace?” “What are the best computers for office?” “What's the price of dell versus lenovo?” “Is a dell or lenovo better for office use?” “Where to buy 20 dell inspirons with installation” “Local tech support for office equipment nearby” Student “What do you need for a good study area?” “Which small desks are best for a dorm and cheap?” “Are wayfair or ikea desks a better deal? “Wayfair or ikea desks for students?” “I want a white ikea desk and free shipping to me” “I need someone to repair the leg of my ikea desk today” Search Intent Persona Create an inspiring workspace with ergonomic furniture, natural light, calming colors, plants, and organized tech.. For buying 20 laptops in DC today, try Best Buy or Micro Center for Brand Visibility Sentiment Search Intent in store pickup Citations Understanding AI Answers
  • 15.
    AI Mode: TechnicalFoundations ● Gemini 2.5 model (same as AIOs) ● Query fan-out technique ● Best at parsing javascript ● Leverages Google’s historical knowledge ● Limited availability While we’ll never know the full story on how AI Mode’s answers are generated, like we’ll never know all of the details about the traditional search algorithm, there have been some key early learnings:
  • 16.
    AI Mode: ReportingLack of Reporting ● No segmentation of data ● Attribution issues in GA ● Non-existent referral reports There is currently very little we know about the amount of traffic driven by AI Mode (or AIOs)
  • 17.
  • 18.
    Poll: How AreYou Using AI in Your Marketing Processes Today?
  • 19.
    Moving Beyond "Ranks"& Positional Obsession
  • 20.
    Metrics need tochange to adapt to these new realities Traditional SEO Metrics (Still Relevant But Insufficient for AI) New Considerations for AI LLM Visibility Keywords & Keyword Rankings Semantic Relevance to Topics, Conversational Prompts Monthly Search Volume (MSV) Knowing Diverse User Intents & Prompt Variants Clicks & Impressions (from SERPs) Brand Mentions, Sentiment, & Citation Frequency Backlinks & Link Quality Citations by AI Engines as Authority Indicator Website Traffic from Search AI Bot Traffic & Referral Traffic
  • 21.
    What To Do:New Emphasized Optimizations Emphasized by LLMS ● Schema ● Header structure ● Topic authority Old SEO isn’t dead, but it is shifting De-Emphasized by LLMs ● Titles & descriptions ● Link building ● Exact-match keywords
  • 22.
    Track AI LLMvisibility & market share Accelerate your brand’s AI visibility and build a more impactful content strategy by uncovering where and how your brand is mentioned and cited in generative answer engines. AI Search Performance
  • 23.
    Dominate AI search withwinning content Effortlessly create high-quality content at the scale you need to compete, in perfect sync with brand guidelines and audience intent. Writing Assistant
  • 24.
    See your website contenthow AI sees it Uncover your next high-impact content opportunities with AI-powered analysis that reveals how generative answer engines truly see your site. AI Topic Map
  • 25.
    What To Do:Action Items for Today ● Continue Educating Yourself ● Educate Int Stakeholders Now ● Double Down on Core Competencies ● Create & Optimize Content for All Search ● Use AI Tools to Compete in AI Search
  • 26.