Google Tests AI Mode: A Glimpse of Search Without the Blue Links

On 5 March 2025, Google announced two changes to Search. First, AI Overviews in the US now run on Gemini 2.0, to handle harder questions about coding, maths and multimodal searches. Second, Google introduced AI Mode, an experimental search experience in Search Labs.

What AI Mode is

AI Mode looks more like a chatbot than a results page. You ask a complex question, and Google runs several related searches across subtopics and sources at once, a technique it calls “query fan-out”. It then writes one combined answer with links to sources, and you can ask follow-up questions.

For now it’s opt-in, limited to paying Google One AI Premium subscribers in the US, and doesn’t replace the normal results page.

Why it matters for SEO

• Your page might be one of many sources. Query fan-out pulls from pages that answer specific sub-questions, not just the page that ranks first for the main keyword.
• Depth beats keyword matching. A page that clearly covers a topic and its related questions is more likely to be used.
• Clicks become more valuable and rarer. People who click from an AI answer usually want to buy, book or go deeper.

What to do now

1. Cover topics, not single keywords. For each service or product category, answer the main question and the 5–10 follow-up questions people ask.
2. Make facts easy to extract: clear headings, short direct answers, tables for comparisons and prices.
3. Keep information current. Old prices and outdated specs make your page less useful to both people and AI systems.
4. Give people a reason to click: calculators, quotes, booking, real photos, local availability. Things an AI summary can’t deliver.