By Mehdi HassanWhat is Google AI Mode?
Google AI Mode is an AI-first way to search Google. You type or speak a question, often a long one, and instead of ten blue links you get a written answer with source links, followed by a box for your next question. The conversation keeps context, so a follow-up like "which of those works for a team of five?" builds on what came before.
It runs on Google's Gemini models and draws on Google's index of the web, not on a separate AI database. AI Mode is listed with AI Overviews and related features in our SEO and AEO glossary.
How is Google AI Mode different from AI Overviews?
Google AI Mode is a full conversation on its own tab, while an AI Overview is a single summary placed on top of the normal results. The two share technology and sources, but they suit different moments in a search.
AI Overviews | AI Mode | |
|---|---|---|
Where it appears | Top of the standard results page | Its own tab or entry point in Search |
When it shows | Only on some queries, chosen by Google | Whenever the user opens it |
Format | One summary with source links | Multi-turn conversation with source links |
Follow-ups | None; the user searches again | Built in, with context kept |
Organic links | Shown below the summary | Mostly replaced by cited sources |
Best for | Quick answers to common questions | Complex, multi-part decisions |
For the definition of the summary box itself, see what is an AI Overview.
How does Google AI Mode choose its sources?
Google AI Mode chooses sources by running many related searches for one question and picking the passages that best answer each part. Google calls this query fan-out, and it's why AI Mode often cites pages that don't rank on page one for the original query.
Google's AI features documentation says the eligibility rules are the same as for normal search: the page must be indexed and allowed to show a snippet. No special markup or file is needed. Ahrefs' controlled 2026 test backs this up: adding schema left AI Mode citations flat. Our plain-English summary of Google's own AI search guidance covers the rest.
What does AI Mode look like for a B2B search?
For a B2B search, AI Mode tends to handle the whole shortlist conversation in one place, which compresses research that used to take several searches and many open tabs.
Hypothetical example: a founder choosing a website partner
For example, suppose a founder opens AI Mode and asks: "We're a seed-stage fintech. Should we hire a studio or a freelancer to rebuild our website, and what should it cost?" The answer might cover trade-offs, typical price ranges and what to ask in a first call, citing several studio and guide pages.
The founder follows up: "Which ones publish fixed prices?" Now a page that states a number, such as our $8,000 for a website of up to six pages, is directly useful to the answer. A page that only says "get a quote" has nothing to contribute to that turn of the conversation.
The practical lesson is that follow-ups reward specific pages. Prices, comparisons, process details and clear fit statements give AI Mode something to cite at each turn. Our guide to how websites show up in Google AI Mode goes deeper.
What should your website do about AI Mode?
Your website should treat AI Mode as a reason to do ordinary SEO well and to publish the specifics buyers ask about. There's no AI Mode setting to configure.
- Make sure key pages are indexed and render their text without depending on JavaScript.
- Answer buyer questions directly on money pages: pricing, comparisons, security, use cases.
- Write self-contained sections so a passage makes sense when quoted alone.
- Keep facts current. An outdated price or plan name gets repeated back to buyers.
- Check citations in [AI Overviews](/blog/how-to-get-cited-in-ai-overviews) and AI Mode for your top prompts each month.
