Google’s AI Mode About to Replace Classic Search? | AI SEO News
Google is shifting AI Mode from experimental feature to standard search experience.
Barry Schwartz spotted AI Mode appearing in autocomplete suggestions, signaling the move toward default deployment.
ChatGPT's referral traffic grows 1.5% month-over-month, though it remains far behind Google's market share.
A new survey by Aleyda Solis reveals that 91% of SEOs report clients already asking about AI search, yet the industry lacks standardized terminology and most SEO teams are retrofitting AI search into existing workflows rather than building dedicated processes.
The takeaway is that AI search is no longer a future prospect—it's actively reshaping search visibility strategies today.
Google isn't just experimenting with AI mode anymore. In fact, they're gearing up to make it the new standard for search. Here's what's happening this week in SEO. For starters, Barry Schwarz at Search Engine Roundtable spotted AI mode popping up in autocomplete suggestions. That's a strong signal from Google that AI mode is moving from experiment to default experience. What do you think this means for SEOs? Drop your thoughts in the comments. Meanwhile, HRF CMO Tim Sulo revealed that Chat GPT's referral traffic is growing about 1.5% month-over-month. And his new Chat GPT versus Google traffic analysis shows Chat GPT gaining ground, but still far behind Google's share. And Tim did put it bluntly that growth isn't enough to catch up with Google anytime soon. Still, Chad GBT's footprint is expanding fast and it's forcing Google to stay sharp. And lastly, a latest Solus just dropped her state of AI search optimization survey. Three big takeaways. The first is that AI search visibility is no longer optional. In fact, 91% of SEOs say clients are already asking about it. Another thing is that nobody really agrees on what to
call it. AI search optimization, GEO, LMO, there's really no single label yet. And third, SEOs are owning it by default. 75% say SEO teams are handling AI search, but only 2% of companies have dedicated AI search specialists. So right now most are duct taping AI search into old workflows, but that leaves an opportunity window for early adopters who actually monitor AI bot crawls and build processes around them. And the big takeaway is that AI search isn't on the horizon anymore. It's already here and it's moving fast. And if you want to stay visible to AI, make sure you subscribe to SE Ranking because we're breaking this down every