Refreshing SEO for the AI Era: How to Optimise for Google’s AI Mode

At State of Social this year, my colleague Will Bal opened day two with a session on how Google’s new AI Mode is reshaping search. I’ve expanded on his talk here with a deeper look at what’s changing and what it means for marketers once AI Mode rolls out in Australia later this year.

The headline shift is relatively straightforward: search results are no longer just ten blue links.

Google is weaving in AI-generated summaries, which are personalised results drawn from its broader ecosystem, and new ways of answering queries through video, image, voice, and shopping.

In effect, the search results page is becoming less of a gateway and more of a destination.

In this post, I’ll briefly break down the mechanics of AI Mode, outline the challenges it creates for brands, and show why the fundamentals of SEO matter more than ever in this new landscape.

Google’s hype reel for their new generation of multi-modal search.

What’s Actually Changing

Google’s AI Mode marks the shift from a directory of links to an intelligent answer engine. Key changes include:

• AI-generated summaries. Answers now appear at the top of results, powered by Google’s Gemini model, reducing the need to click through to external sites.
• Richer query formats. Users can submit questions via text, voice, video, or images, and Google responds across multiple formats.
• Stronger personalisation. Signals from Gmail, Photos, Maps, and other Google properties shape results around the individual.
• Parallel queries. Each search triggers multiple requests that are consolidated into a single AI response, drawing from a broader pool of sources.
• A contained experience. A significant portion of the search experience occurs within Google’s interface, rather than on third-party sites.

What This Means for Marketers

These shifts carry big implications for how brands show up in search:

• Declining organic clicks. Even if your site holds strong rankings, fewer users will reach your pages because Google is answering their questions directly.
• Harder reporting. With more interactions happening inside Google’s environment, it becomes tougher to attribute performance and prove the value of SEO activity.
• Less control over brand experience. AI summaries decide which sources and perspectives to surface, meaning your brand story is filtered through Google before it reaches users.
• Greater internal pressure. Marketing teams face more challenging questions about budget allocation and ROI when traditional traffic and conversion metrics no longer tell the full story.

The common thread is that Google is tightening its grip on the search journey. Marketers will need to adapt their strategies to appear in results and remain trusted, discoverable, and measurable when the pathways to their websites become narrower.

An example of how AI Mode appears across both mobile and desktop environments. Courtesy: Google

Back to the Fundamentals

For all the change, the path forward isn’t about reinventing SEO. It’s about reinforcing the fundamentals that have always underpinned visibility and trust.

Content quality is the first lever. To appear in AI summaries, content must provide precise and reliable answers. That means factual accuracy, clear structure, and topical authority that signals credibility to both Google and your audience.

Technical SEO is equally critical. Schema markup, crawl efficiency, and site performance form the baseline that determines whether your content is even eligible for inclusion in search results.

And finally, brands need resilience beyond Google. As more of the search journey occurs within Google’s walls, relying solely on organic is risky. Email, social, PR, and paid channels will help you safeguard discoverability when click-throughs from search are harder to win.

Put simply, the basics matter more than ever. Brands that tighten up their fundamentals will be best placed to ride the wave of AI-driven search instead of being pulled under by it.

Practical Steps Right Now

1. Optimise your Google Business Profile. Make sure it’s complete and current, with accurate business information, product and service details, quality images, and booking links. Google is leaning more and more on your Business Profile, so gaps here mean lost visibility for your brand.
2. Revisit your content strategy. Take a question-led approach: anticipate the queries your audience will ask and create content that answers them directly. Well-structured, authoritative responses stand the best chance of being surfaced in AI-generated results.
3. Track your brand health. Reviews, mentions, and sentiment shape how AI portrays your business. Manage these signals actively so your brand is represented fairly, even when you’re not the one speaking.

Closing Thoughts

AI Mode will change the mechanics of how people search, but it won’t rewrite the foundations of good SEO.

For marketers, the order of the day is to refresh the basics, prepare for fewer clicks, and make sure your brand is strong enough to be trusted even when the pathway to your website is shorter.

At Bonfire, this is the work we live and breathe. If you’re ready to sharpen your strategy for the AI era, we’re here to help.