Google AI Mode: 5 Strategies to Stay on Course in the Age of AI

1. Ensure Your Eligibility for AI Mode

Adopt Performance Max and AI Max for Search in Google Ads

These campaigns are key to appearing in AI environments. They leverage machine learning to identify the most promising signals and generate up to +30% more conversions at equivalent cost (Google Marketing Live 2025).

But these algorithms only perform well if your conversions are properly defined and tracked: a poorly guided AI remains an ineffective AI. Remember that AI-driven automation only works when algorithms are steered toward the right signals — namely conversions — within the Google ecosystem.

Broad Match is essential to capture conversational queries. Exact Match is too rigid to understand the natural phrasing used in AI Mode. Combine this openness with strong audiences, exclusions and conversion signals to properly guide the AI.

Frame your automation

• Automation does not mean letting go. The expert remains essential to guide and correct learning.
• And while Google now automatically generates ads through AI Max for Search (headlines, descriptions, assets), they must be reviewed and validated to ensure consistency, tone and brand promise.
• Use precise audience signals, negative keywords and enriched product feeds.

2. Redesign Your Content for Conversation

AI doesn’t just analyze keywords — it understands contexts. Your website must become a reliable answer base to feed the algorithms.

Here are the key actions:

• Update your structured data (schema.org, JSON): they determine the eligibility of your content and products in AI-generated answers.
• Anticipate follow-up questions: guides, comparisons, case studies.
• Diversify your formats: articles, photos, videos, tutorials.

3. Redefine Your Performance Indicators

With AI Mode, clicks are no longer enough to measure performance. User journeys become rarer — but also more valuable. When a user reaches your site, you must maximize the value of every visit: smooth navigation, useful content, a convincing experience.

Now measure:

• The quality of leads generated, not just the volume.
• The speed of the conversion journey, to detect friction points.
• The value assisted by AI exposures, even without a direct click.

Rely on your first-party data and mid-funnel indicators to track the true impact of your visibility within the AI ecosystem.

4. Rethink Your Ad Creative

Traditional SEA is not disappearing. It remains essential to capture clear intent through specific keywords and controlled messaging. But part of Search is now shifting toward AI-driven environments, where ads appear directly within Google’s generated answers: this is the logic behind AI Max for Search and Performance Max.

These dynamic campaigns allow Google to automatically choose the most relevant keywords, headlines and even landing pages. This automation speeds up delivery but requires rigorous oversight: controlling exclusions, landing pages, message consistency and brand integrity.

And beyond the technical aspect, you must anticipate adjacency risks: if an ad appears next to an inaccurate or misleading AI-generated answer (an “hallucination”), it can directly harm your brand’s credibility and reputation. In AI Mode, ads must continue the conversation, not break it.

Favor natural, contextual phrasing:

• “Estimate your cost in seconds.”
• “Discover the solution that fits your needs.”

AI favors messages that are useful, coherent and aligned with the user’s reasoning.

5. Build Your Own Digital Compass

AI Mode evolves fast. High-performing advertisers will be the ones able to test, learn and adapt.

• Analyze your performance by query type.
• Test different messages and audiences.
• Train your teams on the new rules of GEO and GEA.

Companies that develop this culture of experimentation will remain visible and profitable.

Conclusion

AI Mode does not mark the end of SEA — it marks the end of static SEA. Advertising is becoming conversational, contextual and predictive.

Companies that adapt to this new paradigm will gain in relevance and profitability. Those that don’t risk disappearing… not from the SERPs, but from AI-generated answers themselves.