Google’s AI Mode and what it means for your SEO strategy

by Magdalene Karipidou, Digital Manager, Digital

Google’s I/O 2025 conference confirmed a shift many in the industry saw coming which is that search is being reimagined with AI at the centre. One of the most notable developments was the expanded rollout of AI Mode, a new experience that blends traditional search with large language model (LLM) summaries to deliver more conversational, context-rich results.

It builds on the groundwork laid by AI Overviews, which have already been live in several markets for months. As we begin to understand how these new formats affect user behaviour, what becomes clear is that the way people interact with search – and the way businesses show up – is changing.

At Madano, we’ve been following these developments closely, not just to track the technology but to help our clients prepare for what’s coming.

What AI Overviews have already shown us

AI Overviews are Google’s first step toward summarised search. Rather than simply listing links, they generate short, AI-written responses based on multiple sources. These summaries can appear at the top of the page but also in the middle or lower down, depending on the query.

This has clear implications for traffic. Independent studies are showing consistent patterns:

• Ahrefs found a 34.5% drop in click-through rates (CTR) for top-ranking results when Overviews appear.
• MailOnline, reporting via Press Gazette, noted a drop from 13% to under 5% in desktop traffic and from 20% to 7% on mobile for articles featured in summaries.

What the data shows is pretty intuitive, if the summary gives people what they need, they stop there, and that’s particularly true for informational queries, where there’s often no reason to dig deeper.

What makes AI Mode different

AI Mode goes beyond static answers, and instead of delivering a single summary, it enables a back-and-forth conversation which allows users to refine their questions, clarify their intent or explore related topics all within the same interface.

Behind the scenes, it doesn’t just respond to one query but expands that question into a web of related ones, pulling from multiple sources across the web. Rather than selecting entire pages, it looks for useful passages which are short, clear sections of content that can contribute meaningfully to the overall response. These fragments are then stitched together into a single answer, which may be personalised based on what Google knows about the user, such as their previous searches, device type or browsing context.

That means that you’re no longer optimising a page to outrank others for a given keyword but you’re trying to make sure your content is understandable and useful enough to be included in a machine-generated answer, possibly alongside or instead of your competitors.

Why this changes how we think about visibility

Google says AI summaries are improving content visibility by including more links but there’s nuance here: inclusion doesn’t guarantee interaction. Summaries often cite multiple sources inline, but if the summary answers the question well enough, the user might not click through at all.

That has knock-on effects especially for sectors with long decision cycles, like life sciences where early-stage research content used to drive awareness and position brands, it might now be doing that invisibly, without a corresponding spike in traffic.

At Madano, we’re advising clients to expand how they measure presence. This includes tracking:

• Branded impression share
• Performance of high-funnel, informational content
• Page visibility over time even without a click

These signals don’t replace click-through rates, but they do offer a more realistic picture of how your content is being surfaced and seen, especially in a search experience where users may never leave the results page.

What we’re doing with clients

We’re helping B2B organisations prepare by:

• Using our proprietary tool to monitor how often content appears in Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT and other generative interfaces
• Tracking non-click visibility signals, like branded impressions and mentions in summaries
• Auditing existing content for AI-readiness
• Clarifying brand language across owned and third-party channels
• Advising on cross-channel strategies to reduce overreliance on organic search

We’re also monitoring developments in real-time, including AI Mode performance patterns and how content is being reused in summarised search.

As we’ve mentioned before in our ‘How to stay ahead in the age of AI search’ blog earlier this year, the fundamentals of a strong search strategy – being useful, relevant, and trustworthy – haven’t changed. In fact, they’ve never mattered more. What’s changing is how that value is interpreted by machines, and how it’s delivered to users.

If you'd like to discuss how AI Mode might affect your digital strategy or how to future-proof your brand's visibility we’re here to help.

Get in touch.