Scott Walldren is the Head of SEO at Acadia
Google just announced its most significant Search overhaul in years, and the implications for brands are substantial. This isn't another algorithm tweak. It's a shift in how users discover, evaluate, and interact with your content.
Here are the five updates that matter most, and how to adapt your SEO strategy today.
1. AI Mode Turns Google into a Research Assistant
AI Mode reframes the search experience. Instead of showing a list of links, Google’s Gemini-powered assistant interprets the query, runs multiple sub-searches, and synthesizes the results into a summarized response with citations.
Why it matters: Your content may now be quoted within an AI answer, rather than surfaced as a standard link. Visibility is shifting from search position to citation.
Next step: Audit your highest-impact content. Is it clearly written, well-structured, and easy to excerpt? Google’s AI prefers content it can confidently summarize or quote.
2. Agentic Search Means Google Does the Work
Google can now act on search intent. Users can ask it to find event tickets, book appointments, or track product prices and purchase automatically when conditions are met.
Why it matters: If you operate in events, services, or retail, your visibility depends on data integration. Businesses not tied into Google’s partner platforms may be left out entirely.
Next step: Ensure your business is eligible for Reserve with Google or similar integrations. Keep your Google Business Profile current and connected to any booking or inventory systems.
3. Visual Search Gets Conversational
Search Live lets users point their cameras at something and ask questions in real time. Google’s AI interprets the visual input and responds with contextual information or recommendations.
Why it matters: Packaging, signage, and real-world brand moments are now searchable. Discovery doesn’t require a typed query anymore.
Next step: Make sure your visuals are recognizable and optimized. Use alt text, image sitemaps, and high-quality photos across your site and listings. Real-world brand visibility now feeds into digital discovery.
4. AI Shopping is Personalized, Visual, and Predictive
Google’s AI curates products based on a user’s preferences, enables virtual try-ons, and can even monitor prices and auto-purchase when conditions are met.
Why it matters: If your product data isn’t complete, up-to-date, or structured properly, you could be excluded from the AI’s suggestions.
Next step: Audit your Google Merchant Center, product schema, and image quality. Think beyond keywords. Consider how customers might describe your products in natural, conversational terms.
5. Google Now Builds the Charts
Google can generate visual answers directly in the SERP for queries involving comparisons, stats, and trends. These interactive charts reduce the need to visit third-party sites.
Why it matters: If your site depends on traffic from basic data visualizations or stat lookups, those clicks may decline.
Next step: Focus on offering deeper analysis, proprietary data, or interactive tools that go beyond what Google can synthesize. Give users a reason to visit you for the insight behind the numbers.
What to Focus on Now
At Acadia, our Total Organic Discovery model centers on three pillars: structured visibility, brand authority, and multi-platform presence. Google’s announcements only reinforce that direction.
- Structured data: Prioritize schema where it supports real features in search, especially on product, location, and FAQ content.
- Brand authority: Invest in credible content and expert voices. Google's AI is trained to favor trusted sources.
- Multi-platform optimization: Ensure your presence is strong across surfaces like YouTube, Business Profiles, and image search. Google pulls from more than just your website.
You're in a strong position if you've already focused on providing useful, trustworthy content that answers fundamental questions. This next era of search favors discoverable brands everywhere users engage, not just on results pages.
Let's discuss how your brand is showing up in AI-powered search!