Written by Emma Hawkless

It’s official. We’re in the AI search era. But what does that mean for brands trying to maintain their visibility through organic search? And is there any point? 

Spoiler alert: SEO isn’t going anywhere. It’s shifting gears to accommodate this move away from a list of relevant webpages towards summative search results. In this blog, we uncover how marketers can adapt their SEO strategy and maintain visibility in the dawn of Google’s AI Mode.

The Changing Landscape of Google Search

With every major algorithm update comes a panic over the future of SEO. Rest assured, SEO is not dead, but it’s changing fast. EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness) has already proved this following its rollout in 2022. The initial reaction to this major update was a polarising one, with many publishers and sites having to address thin and unoriginal content and instead emphasising their relevance and authority on a topic. 

This tightening of relevancy and credibility was Google’s response to the rise of misinformation. These stringent EEAT guidelines helped Google reinforce user safety on its platform, particularly in the area of personal finance, healthcare and legal; health publishers without medical credentials, affiliate-heavy finance blogs, and low-quality legal advice sites all took a hit. Similarly, lifestyle and travel blogs that relied on recycled information or AI-generated filler content struggled to compete against brands and creators offering authentic, first-hand insights. As such, EEAT saw a reckoning of the search landscape, creating a dividing line between shallow clickbait content and genuine expert-led content. AI search engines take this a step further by leading the way to a more personalised and interactive browsing experience.

Google Introduces AI Mode

No longer just the war of winning the featured snippet, with the introduction of Google’s AI Mode in March, the way we search is becoming more instantaneous. Users are encouraged to interact conversationally instead of clicking through to the link deemed most relevant to a query based on keywords. Here are some examples: ‘Veggie take-away pizzas near me’ becomes ‘find me a local pizza place with vegetarian pizza options and a customisable base’. ‘Best diy hair mask for split ends’ becomes ‘give me a list of mask recipes for my split ends containing avocado, and good shop-bought alternatives’. In other words, the more conversational and detailed the prompt, the fewer clicks needed. 

While site authority and high-quality content are essential, they’re not enough. AI Mode is likely to drive a decline in organic click-through rates, especially for informational and early-stage queries, as Google increasingly provides fully formed answers directly in the SERP.

What Should Marketers be Prioritising to Maintain Visibility?

Google’s AI Mode will likely drive a decline in organic click-through rates, especially for informational and early-stage queries, as Google increasingly provides fully formed answers directly in the SERP. Even strong EEAT signals and high-quality content no longer guarantee traffic because AI summarises content, often mixing your information alongside competitors.

The new goal? Make your content indispensable to AI summaries by including:

• Proprietary research and case studies
• Interactive tools or calculators
• Rich structured data (schema markup)
• Local integration – fully optimised Google Business Profile (GMB) to improve inclusion in AI-powered local results
• High-quality testimonials and reviews that provide authentic, experience-based proof points
• Exclusive packages or insider content that AI cannot fully replicate in its summary
• E-commerce platforms should ensure product feeds are clean, descriptive and schema-rich so AI surfaces your listings

It’s important to remember now that Google Search is no longer the only playing field worth investing in for organic visibility. Soax cites that 64.35% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices. This correlates with the increasingly fragmented search behaviour across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Amazon. 

As the demand for relatable content increases, so does the preference for raw visual content across social search platforms – showing the products and services flaws and all – and quick, authentic edits that feed into a perception of honesty and human connection, which can feel more persuasive than a polished ad.

When considering the drop in traffic and an increase in impressions, economic factors must also be taken into account, not just the impact of AI generative features like AI Mode. In recent years, buying habits have shifted significantly. When browsing for items or experiences, shoppers are becoming more conscious of quality and value for money. This change in consumer habits has led to the rise in less refined product demos, ‘honest’ review formats, and experiential marketing methods such as pop-ups, all of which are more compelling than traditional marketing tactics and claims. This growing appetite for authentic, human-centred content directly correlates with the rise of social search and AI generative search models that allow for infinite dialogues in place of ‘webpage fatigue’.

The bar has shifted from “rank high” to “be the definitive source the AI must cite.” This means a new marketing playbook. From an organic point of view, marketers need to adapt their search mindset for each platform’s individual ‘ranking factors’ that parallel Google’s SEO ranking factors (i.e., engagement, watch time, saves or shares), the same way we’ve learned to adapt to Google’s algorithms. The key here is optimising not just for algorithms, but for human trust signals on each platform – the kind that makes a viewer believe, “I can see it, I can relate to it, I can trust it, I want it”.  And while the search landscape will inevitably change, it’s important to note that the call for trust and transparency remains a staple to maintaining search visibility.

Want to learn more about how you can AI-proof your SEO strategy? At Tug, we have a team of dedicated SEO professionals who can help optimise for the future of search. Get in touch with the team today.