Google’s dropped another bombshell on us marketers and small business owners. In May, they launched Google AI mode, and if you think you can just carry on with your old SEO tactics, you’re in for a shock.
Traditional SEO is about getting your web pages to rank well by ticking Google’s algorithm boxes. You know the drill: relevant content, good links, technical optimisation. But AI mode? That’s a completely different beast.
Now Google’s using its Gemini AI model to generate answers, not just serve up a list of links. And that changes everything about how people find your business online.
What is Google AI mode?
Instead of just crawling and ranking web pages, Google’s AI is now thinking about your brand in terms of concepts and associations. It’s like having a really smart person who’s read the entire internet making recommendations about your business.
Google AI mode doesn’t just look at your website anymore. It considers how often your brand gets mentioned across the web, what context those mentions appear in, and how strongly you’re connected to relevant topics in people’s minds.
Why brand mentions now matter more than ever
Remember when getting backlinks was the holy grail of SEO? Well, now it’s about getting your brand mentioned in the right places, in the right context.
If you’re a mortgage broker, for example, the AI needs to see your name popping up consistently when people are talking about mortgages, first-time buyers, or property finance. Not just on your own website, but across industry publications, forums, and other people’s content.
You can’t fake this overnight either. It requires a proper, sustained effort to get your name out there through digital PR and thought leadership.
The content that actually gets noticed
Generic, fluffy content is dead. Google AI mode favours content that shows real expertise and first-hand experience.
Instead of writing “10 Tips for Saving Money” for the millionth time, you need to be creating content that only you could write. Share your war stories, your client case studies, your unique insights from working in your industry.
The AI can spot authentic expertise a mile off, and that’s what gets cited and recommended.
The Query Fan-Out Strategy (Or: Cover All Your Bases)
Here’s where it gets interesting. When someone asks the AI a question, it doesn’t just search for that exact phrase. It breaks the query down into loads of related sub-questions and searches for all of them.
So, if someone asks, “Should I remortgage?”, the AI might also be looking for content about interest rates, early repayment charges, property valuations, and dozens of other related topics.
This means you need content covering every angle of your expertise, not just the obvious keywords.
Small businesses can still win on Google AI mode
Good news if you’re not a massive corporation – you can absolutely compete in this new landscape. The trick is to dominate your niche rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
Pick your specialist area and become the go-to expert for that specific thing. Be the person the AI recommends when someone needs help with exactly what you do.
What This Means for Your Business
If you’re still thinking about SEO the old way, you’re going to get left behind. The businesses that adapt to this AI-driven search world will see their visibility and leads increase. Those that don’t? Well, they’ll watch their competitors steal their market share.
The changes are happening whether we like them or not. The question is: are you going to adapt your marketing strategy, or are you going to stick your head in the sand and hope it all goes back to normal?
Because I’ve got news for you – it won’t.
How to win with Google AI mode
Google’s AI mode isn’t just a tweak to the search algorithm. It’s a fundamental shift in how people find businesses online.
Build genuine authority in your field, getting mentioned in the right places, and create content that only you could write. The days of gaming the system with keyword stuffing and dodgy backlinks are well and truly over.
Time to roll up your sleeves and start building a proper digital presence that the AI will want to recommend. Your future clients are counting on you to be findable when they need you most.
If AI is something that’s making you want to go back under the duvet, you might want to start with this blog about how to integrate AI with human effort for efficient creativity.
I’m offering AI courses to help small business owners understand the possibilities available from AI tools, so get in touch at michelle@eshkeri.co.uk if you want more information on my next course. And if you are an accountant, financial advisor or mortgage broker, you might be interested in my new AI resource hub that’s launching later this year – built with the busy finance professional in mind. If you’d like 3 months free access as a beta tester, drop me an email.