Welcome to the era of AI Mode

AI Mode has officially landed in the UK

Launched in early August, Google is now promoting AI Mode heavily across its search bar and within the Chrome browser. If you've noticed something new, you're not imagining it — this is a big deal.

A game-changer announced at Google I/O

Back in May, at the Google I/O developer conference, CEO Sundar Pichai made a major announcement: AI Mode was going live in the US that day.

This moment sent shockwaves through the digital marketing world, and for good reason. Google is transforming from being the dominant search engine into a true AI assistant. We're witnessing a generational shift:

• From deterministic (predictable, rule-based) systems
• To probabilistic (AI-powered, adaptive) experiences

EEAT still matters in an AI World

In late July, SEMRush released a standout piece of research.

Before diving into the findings, it’s worth highlighting that this is exactly the kind of high-quality content that Google’s founders described in their seminal 1998 PhD paper as “the very best documents” and which we would now describe as demonstrating very high:

• Expertise
• Experience
• Authority
• Trust

Known as EEAT, this framework is more relevant than ever in the AI era. Brands should aim to meet this standard to stay visible in search results; even while the landscape evolves.

What the SEMRush research tells us

Let’s break down some key takeaways from this research.

What is a "Zero Click" Search?

A zero-click search is when users don’t click on a traditional organic result. Instead, they might:

• Get their answer directly from the search results page
• Refine or re-do their search
• Click on a Google-owned property (like YouTube)
• Click on a Google ad

How click behaviour has been changed by AI Overview and AI Mode

Let's explore the three situations described in this diagram: 

Traditional Google Search (without AI Overview but with ads, organic results, "People also ask" boxes)

66% of searches result in a click through to a website via an Organic listing broadly apportioned as:

• ~28% click the #1 Organic listing
• ~12% click #2
• ~8% click #3
• ~5% click #4

34% don’t click on any Organic listings (they stay on Google or click on a Google Ad)

Google Search with AI Overviews

Organic clicks drop from 66% to 57% — a 14% decline

• Some studies (including from BrightEdge) show drops up to 30%

Google AI Mode

Only 7% of searches result in an Organic click through to a website.  93% of searches are "Zero Click".

• A dramatic change that challenges traditional Organic search marketing.

How do traditional search results and AI Mode results compare? 

Here's a comparison of a traditional search results page (shown on the left) and an AI Mode search result page (shown on the right). 

In traditional search results, Bupa often ranks #1 organically. However, in AI Mode, Google treats the query as informational. Instead of directing users to websites such as Bupa, it shows a lengthy AI-generated answer.

• Bupa is the second cited source shown at the top
• Citations receive only ~1% of clicks, compared to ~28% from a #1 Organic position
• This leads to a major loss in Organic traffic

What Google plans next: ads in AI Overviews

In a recent event in London for top partner agencies, Google revealed how it will add Google Ads in AI Mode. Ads will appear above and below AI Overviews monetizing search with contextually relevant ads, making competition for visibility (and cost per click) even fiercer.

Is SEO dead? long live AEO

SEO isn’t dead — it’s evolving.

We’ve always believed that good SEO is about providing excellence for our target audiences (‘satisfying their search intent'), not gaming Google. That mindset now applies to something new:

Enter: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

• Brands must now adapt and embrace the AI ecosystem
• Citations matter, even if they don’t get many clicks
• Brand visibility in AI Overview and AI Mode influence user trust and set brand preference in the purchase cycle

Final thought: adapt or be invisible

AI Mode marks a massive shift in how people interact with search.

To stay ahead, marketers and brands must:

• Continue to embrace EEAT because what they say matters to their target audience
• Optimize for AI answers by using EEAT as a benchmark (not by creating standalone pages with lots of FAQs for tactical reasons)
• Accept that fewer clicks doesn’t mean less influence
• Be ready to invest in new visibility strategies

This is the future of search — and it’s already here.

Equimedia Vista AI

Equimedia’s Vista AI is a comprehensive visibility audit.  Vista AI reveals how your brand appears in AI-generated search results and how to improve your visibility. Our team will help you build strategies to harness the power of AI to enhance your search visibility, data analytics, reach your target audiences and stay ahead of your competition.  

Do you want to discuss how AEO can future-proof your brand? Get in touch with the equimedia team.