Key differences between Google Search, AI Overviews and AI Mode
Primary function
Traditional Search: Presents ranked links and listings
AI Overviews (AIO): Summarizes answers from multiple sources
AI Mode: Enables interactive, conversational problem-solving
Query complexity supported
Traditional Search: Simple, keyword-driven
AI Overviews (AIO): Simple to moderate
AI Mode: Complex, multi-step, contextual
Follow-up questions
Traditional Search: Requires new searches
AI Overviews (AIO): Limited or implicit
AI Mode: Native, continuous, context-aware
User effort required
Traditional Search: High (click, read, compare)
AI Overviews (AIO): Low (answer delivered directly)
AI Mode: Very low (dialog-based refinement)
Multimodal input
Traditional Search: Mostly text (some voice or image)
AI Overviews (AIO): Mostly text
AI Mode: Text, voice, image, video, and audio
Personalization and context retention
Traditional Search: Minimal
AI Overviews (AIO): Limited
AI Mode: High (persistent context across turns)
Role in the customer journey
Traditional Search: Discovery and research
AI Overviews (AIO): Answer acceleration
AI Mode: Decision orchestration
Impact on organic clicks
Traditional Search: Primary driver of clicks
AI Overviews (AIO): Reduces clicks
AI Mode: Further compresses or replaces clicks
Role in Google Search
Traditional Search: Foundational model
AI Overviews (AIO): AI enhancement layer
AI Mode: Agent-like search interface
AI Mode is not the same as Google Gemini for the time being. Unlike Gemini, interactions in AI Mode are part of the broader Google Search experience. So, unless your customers use incognito mode or turn off other account settings, customer data can be used for ad personalization and monetization. Additionally, this is accelerating the use of conversational AI even among those who still choose to go to a traditional search engine.
Because AI mode is a multimodal (searches via text, voice, audio, image, video, etc.) and interactive, it's also reshaping the way customers ask questions and expect brands to respond.
How to create content that's visible in AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google likes clear, credible, helpful information. So offer unique, valuable information and perspectives designed to satisfy customer curiosity and their search intent. Google also likes when that information is communicated in a variety of context-rich formats, from text-based content to YouTube videos, podcast audio, and helpful images.
Bottom line: Google's AI search systems prioritize the same qualities users do:
High performing content:
Goes beyond surface-level answers
Is created by subject matter experts and authoritative sources
Uses clear titles, headings, and descriptive metadata
Exists across multiple formats
Technical signals that matter more in AI search
AI search visibility is increasingly influenced by page experience and data quality, rather than just keywords and backlinks.
Google AIOs and AI Mode prioritize content that delivers a great page experience for customers. After all, AI is your customer now, too.
What makes for a great page experience? Here are some tips on how to design and build your website for AI and search everywhere optimization:
Build, test, and manage your site for low latency
Make sure pages load quickly so AI models aren't turned off by laggy load times. Not only does latency turn off machines, but if customers using those machines have to wait, it's likely they'll pivot to a new prompt (or platform) that may not surface your brand's information.
Build your site for multimodal search, not just mobile-friendliness
Develop content for customers using every type of device (phone and mobile, desktop, voice assistant). Develop it in every format, with high accessibility standards, too (video, audio, text, voice, photos, etc.). This breadth signals authority to AI. It also gives AI more data to generate responses from, so your brand can interact with customers using the words, images, and videos that are most compelling to them.
Structured data in schema markup makes the information about your information machine-readable. AI models and tools use it to interpret your data and generate interactions with customers.
Manage your data in a knowledge graph
A knowledge graph centralizes all your brand information so you can keep it organized, up-to-date, and synced, building trust and credibility everywhere Google and AI search engines pull from.
Control what you share, so you're crawlable and indexable, but not undercutting your authority
Be clear and intentional about what you want Google to crawl, index, and pull from in generative search results. You don't want duplicate listings, outdated pages, or other low-quality content to distract from your core authority.
Keep your Google Business Profile, reviews, and other local data clean and up-to-date
In branded and unbranded searches with local intent (like "pet-friendly patio near me", AI search appears to be prioritizing brands with strong, well-managed Google Business Profiles (GBPs). Keep your GBP data accurate and your reviews fresh and well-managed.
How to measure performance in AI Overviews and other AI-driven search landscapes
Think beyond traffic and measure signal
When customers get direct answers in AI Overviews, AI Mode, or any AI platform, those results compress the funnel. Awareness, consideration, and conversion can happen all at once. That's whyit's so important to align your "search everywhere optimization" strategy across brand, content, local, and SEO. Together, they boost visibility and make non-linear customer journeys the new normal.
Flex your stack with a search visibility booster like Yext Scout
With the shift to AI search, you have to measure if and where you're showing up, not just where you rank. Traditional SEO tools don't deliver these insights. They won't tell you if, when, and where your brand is showing up in AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini (or any of the AI tools) — because they can't.
Enter Scout. Scout monitors brand visibility everywhere. With Scout, marketers can analyze their brand visibility and gauge true sentiment across Google, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, and other AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. Scout also benchmarks your AI search visibility against competitors, uncovers what's driving their success, and provides insights to help you take the lead in both AI and local search.
Measure conversion time and quality
If you're still focused only on clicks, you're overlooking the overall value of the visits you're getting from search. Less might equal more — if clicks are down but engagement and conversions are up. This engagement can indicate you're attracting higher-quality, higher-intent customers.