What’s New in AI Search? Whiteboard Friday Revisted With Garrett Sussman

07/11/25
Source: moz (en-US). Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of How AI is Transforming SEO and Search Engines in 2025

AI Overviews have rapidly expanded, now influencing about 50% of search queries and evolving towards a more sophisticated AI Mode experience. Google’s new query fan-out technique generates multiple related queries to enhance search relevance. Despite AI advances, core SEO principles like brand authority, local SEO accuracy, and online reviews remain critical. SEO continues to thrive as a branding channel, adapting to ongoing AI-driven changes in the search landscape.

Optimixed’s Overview: Navigating the AI Revolution in Search and SEO for 2025

Expanding Role of AI in Search Engines

Since the introduction of AI Overviews, Google’s search experience has undergone significant transformation. Initially limited and controversial, AI-generated summaries now appear in about half of all queries, signaling a shift towards an AI Mode that promises to become the default search interface. This mode leverages mathematical language models to evaluate content relevance beyond traditional algorithms.

The Query Fan-Out Mechanism

  • Utilizes AI to generate multiple synthetic, related, and predictive queries from a single user input.
  • Enhances search comprehension by exploring various user intent pathways within one search session.
  • Incorporates advanced AI models like Gemini 2.5 to deliver more nuanced and comprehensive results.

SEO Strategy in an AI-Driven Era

Despite AI’s growing influence, SEO remains vital, focusing increasingly on brand authority and consumer trust. Creating content that resonates with the audience and is perceived as authoritative is key. For local SEO, traditional factors like proximity, relevance, and prominence still govern rankings, with an emphasis on maintaining accurate business profiles and accumulating positive Google reviews.

E-Commerce and AI Integration

Google is advancing e-commerce search through AI, offering interactive and comprehensive shopping experiences directly within search results. This evolution, partly driven by partnerships like OpenAI and Shopify, presents new opportunities for businesses to attract customers through rich AI-enhanced interfaces.

The Future of SEO and Search Marketing

Contrary to claims that “SEO is dead,” it remains a powerful branding and discovery tool. Marketers must adapt by monitoring emerging channels such as large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini, as well as the integration of rich media like Instagram photos and videos into search results. Continuous adaptation will be essential as search technology evolves rapidly.