Hey Reader,

Have you tried Google's new AI Mode?

It's been rolling out over the last few weeks and... oh boy. Here we go again.

This new AI mode is more like ChatGPT's search function, something I covered in my blog on how to future-proof your SEO strategy.

And I'm not the only SEO expert who suspects that AI Mode and AI search in general will soon be the default way of searching.

I've been playing with AI Mode a bit today (it's available on the Google app in the US and some other countries).

It's far from perfect, but I think there are some important things you should know, if you want to maintain internet visibility in this new age of search.

Here are two things I want to call out right off the bat:

Observation 1: AI Mode is really bad at linking to source material

My number-one concern with AI search is how the LLMs are going to credit and theoretically "pass on" traffic to the original content creators. Google claims to care about this too, but AI mode doesn't seem to provide much hope.

Google's AI Overviews are eating up traffic in a big way, and from what I can see, AI Mode is only going to make it worse.

But throughout my time experimenting with AI Mode, I really see no rhyme or reason to their linking strategy, except that it sucks across the board.

There are a few sources that seem to get the all-important slots at the top and bottom of the content, but not always the most useful or relevant.

For example, when I asked it to help me find weird daytrips in Massachusetts, the link it really wanted me to visit was to just one of the places it suggested. From a search-perspective, this would have been fine, assuming I could get the links to the other places it suggested as I read its long-form answer. But most things in the body copy weren't linked or sourced directly at all:

​

This is not a good search experience. I obviously want to go visit these places, but without links providing more information (like where are they, how do I get there, when are they open), this search becomes a dead end.

Atlas Obscura is a much better option for answering this kind of query, and I would prefer if AI pointed me in their direction, since all the information I want is there. Why doesn't it? Maybe it's because it's not sophisticated enough and they're still ironing out bugs. Or maybe it's because they just don't want to pass on traffic at all if they can avoid it. They'd rather you pay to run ads in AI Mode, which is a feature they're rolling out now.

But all that aside, this is why I am harping on about confirmation content --- modern content strategies need to look at the AI results and figure out "What's missing?" Then create content that answers that question, and host it on your own site, your social media, etc.

For example, I told AI Mode I wanted to try the Fantastic Firefly Hike and wanted details, and it came back with a good answer and a link to the relevant page:

This still isn't a better experience than just clicking to the website that hosts the event in the first place. If I wasn't doing a demo, I probably would have just moved out of AI Mode in this case and typed it into Google.

Either way, it's a good thing that the Massachusetts Audobon Society has been taking care of their SEO. The fact that they have a strong domain and clear, well-written copy explaining the details, means they can still reap benefits from organic traffic, even in AI search.

Now is the time to audit your website, see where you show up in AI results, and start filling in the gaps with your own content.

🤔 How do you identify those gaps?

🤔 What kind of content should you create?

That's what I'm here for. I'll give you personalized advice on a quick AI Search strategy session.

Observation 2: Your "about" content is way more important now

Look at what happened when I asked AI Mode, "What do you know about Liam Carnahan?"

Aside from the incredibly creepy feeling this gave me, I'm happy to see this result, because it's exactly the narrative I'd craft for myself.

Actually, it is the narrative I crafted for myself, on LiamCarnahan.com, my Inkwell Content about page, and various author bios that I have in publications like Content Marketing World and Hub Spot.

This has major implications for both personal and business brands. If you have a dusty old About page that has outdated or scant information, you are going to be losing out when people search for you in AI Mode.

If you aren't putting author bios on your work, or demanding that your clients do, your personal brand will suffer.

But on the flip side, if you...

✍️ Craft a thoughtful About section that tells the story you want people to know

🤖 Make sure your About content is crawlable and indexed by Google and other AI tools

🗨️ Work hard to get positive social mentions of your brand

✍️ Publish your own bio or author bios that show your industry expertise

🎙️ Get featured on podcasts, video webinars, and other media formats that are then shared online (with transcripts)

...then your AI search results will reflect what you want your customers or clients to know about you. And that's something that wasn't quite so easy and seamless in the old way of searching.

I'm going to keep playing around with AI Mode and other AI search tools over the next few weeks, and I'll be sure to report back with more findings.

Have you tried AI Mode yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts, or answer any questions you have. Just reply to this email, or any email I send you! I always respond.

- Liam