# What is Google AI Mode, and how is it different from AI Overviews?

Canonical: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/end-of-ten-blue-links
Author: Ashley Kenerson
Published: 2026-04-22
Last reviewed: 2026-09-24
Reviewed by: Ashley Kenerson
Pillar: How buying is changing
Summary: Google AI Mode and AI Overviews are replacing the ten blue links. How each one picks its sources, what it does to clicks, and how B2B firms get cited.
Keywords: what is google ai mode, ai mode vs ai overviews, is ai mode the default in the uk, ai mode search console, how to get cited in ai mode, do ai overviews only cite page one
Short answer: AI Mode is Google's conversational search, a separate tab launched in the UK in July 2025, where a buyer asks a long question and follows up. AI Overviews are the AI summaries shown automatically at the top of some normal results. Both break a question into many related searches, so pages outside the top ten are often cited. Get cited by being indexed, answering the follow-up questions buyers ask, writing what only you can write and earning mentions from credible sites.
What changed: Retargeted to explain AI Mode against AI Overviews, with a comparison table, dated UK milestones, query fan-out, click data and Search Console reporting.
Publisher: Fortitude Media Limited

When quoting, attribute to Fortitude Media and link to the canonical URL above.

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If you have run a business for more than a decade, you have a picture of how people find you online: someone types a few words into Google, gets ten links and clicks one of the top three. Every pound you have spent on your website, on search agencies and on adverts has been spent against that picture.

The picture is out of date. For a growing share of searches, the first thing a buyer sees on Google is a written summary, an AI Overview, with a few links beside it. Next to the familiar results sits a second option, AI Mode, where the buyer asks a longer question and gets a written answer they can question further. Both are now very large: Alphabet told investors in [June 2026](https://blog.google/alphabet/investor-presentation-june-2026/) that AI Overviews have more than 2.5 billion monthly users and AI Mode more than 1 billion. And when a summary appears, people click less. [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/) found that US users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% when it did not.

This guide explains what AI Mode is, how it differs from AI Overviews, and how your firm gets cited in both.

## Key takeaways

- AI Overviews are the AI summaries at the top of normal Google results; AI Mode is a separate tab where a buyer holds a conversation with Google Search.
- AI Overviews reached the UK in August 2024 and AI Mode in July 2025, and since January 2026 a follow-up question in an AI Overview leads straight into AI Mode.
- Both break a question into many related searches (query fan-out), which is why only 38% of AI Overview citations came from top-ten pages in Ahrefs' March 2026 study, down from 76% in July 2025.
- Ranking still helps, because both sit on Google's index and core ranking systems, but covering the follow-up questions matters as much as ranking for the main one.
- Clicks fall when an AI summary appears, but pages cited inside an AI Overview get far more clicks than pages left out.
- Search Console counts AI Overviews and AI Mode in its main Performance report, and since June 2026 it also has dedicated generative AI reports.

## What replaced the ten blue links?

A written answer, sometimes above the links and sometimes in place of them. The old model gave the buyer a ranked list and left the choosing to them; the new one reads many sources and writes a response that names a few options with reasons.

| | The ten blue links | AI answers (AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and others) |
|---|---|---|
| What the buyer types | A few keywords | A full question, often with context and follow-ups |
| What comes back | A ranked list of pages | A written answer with a handful of cited links |
| Who does the choosing | The buyer, by clicking | Largely the assistant, which summarises and names options |
| What a lower position means | Fewer clicks, but still seen | Often no mention at all |
| What the system rewards | Relevance and links, page by page | Relevance and links still, plus clear answers to the related questions and evidence that others agree |

The old model rewarded pages that matched the words people typed, links from other sites and technical competence, which favoured big firms. Google's AI features still sit on its index, where links and ranking count, but each answer is assembled from many searches. That rewards what a sceptical buyer wants: a clear answer from someone who plainly knows the subject, backed up by other sources. It is good news for a specialist firm with deep, public expertise. How AI Overviews are changing search more broadly is covered in [what AI Overviews mean for your firm](/insights/google-ai-overviews-changing-search).

## What is Google AI Mode, and should my business care?

AI Mode is Google's conversational search: a buyer asks a long or complex question, Google writes an answer with links, and the buyer can ask follow-up questions in the same thread. It launched in the UK on [28 July 2025](https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/ai-mode-search-uk/) as a tab on the search results page and in the Google app.

Google says early users' questions were two to three times the length of traditional searches. Behind the scenes it uses query fan-out: it breaks the question into subtopics, runs many searches at once and writes one answer. Google says AI Mode is rooted in its core quality and ranking systems.

You should care if your buyers ask the kind of question AI Mode is built for, such as "Which employment law firms handle TUPE transfers for manufacturers in the Midlands, and what should we ask them?" What matters is whether your pages are among those it reads and links.

## How is AI Mode different from AI Overviews?

AI Overviews summarise; AI Mode converses. An AI Overview appears at the top of ordinary results when Google judges a summary helpful, while AI Mode is a separate place a buyer chooses to go for a longer back-and-forth.

| | Classic results | AI Overviews | AI Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it appears | The main results page | At the top of the main results page, for some searches | A separate tab on the results page and in the Google app |
| Is it the default? | Yes | Shown automatically when Google judges it helpful | No, the buyer chooses it or arrives through a follow-up question |
| How the answer is built | Ranked pages for the words typed | A short summary, using query fan-out | A longer answer with follow-ups, using query fan-out |
| How many sources it links | About ten results a page | A handful beside the summary; Google sets no fixed number | Links throughout the answer; Google sets no fixed number |
| Model | None | Gemini 3 by default since January 2026 | A custom Gemini 2.5 model at UK launch, with newer Gemini models added since |
| How it shows in Search Console | Performance report, Web search type | Counted in the Performance report (Web), and in the generative AI reports since June 2026 | The same as AI Overviews |

Since January 2026 the two have been joined up. Google's [January 2026 update](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/google-ai-updates-january-2026/) made Gemini 3 the default model for AI Overviews globally and let people ask a follow-up question from an AI Overview, which takes them into AI Mode without clicking the tab.

## When did each arrive in the UK?

AI Overviews came first, in August 2024, and AI Mode followed in July 2025.

| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 15 August 2024 | AI Overviews launch in the UK |
| 28 July 2025 | AI Mode launches in the UK as a tab, using query fan-out |
| January 2026 | Gemini 3 becomes the default model for AI Overviews globally, and follow-up questions lead from an AI Overview into AI Mode |
| May 2026 | At Google I/O, Google announces what it calls the next era for Search, including information agents that monitor topics in the background and a new Search box it calls its biggest upgrade in over 25 years |
| 3 June 2026 | Search Console starts adding generative AI performance reports |
| 31 August 2026 | The generative AI reports reach all sites |

Google's [recap of its May 2026 announcements](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/ai/google-ai-updates-may-2026/) gives no UK dates for the I/O features, so check availability before planning around them.

## Is Google AI Mode the default search in the UK?

No. As of September 2026, AI Mode in the UK is a tab a buyer chooses; the default is still the familiar results page, with an AI Overview at the top of some searches. The line is thinner than it was, because a follow-up question in an AI Overview now leads into AI Mode.

The searches most likely to show an AI summary are the ones B2B buyers make when they are researching. In Pew's March 2025 US data, 60% of searches that started with a question word produced an AI summary, against 18% of searches overall.

## Do AI Overviews only cite pages that rank on page one?

No. Ahrefs found in [March 2026](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overview-citations-top-10) that 38% of AI Overview citations came from pages in Google's top ten, down from 76% in July 2025; 31.2% came from positions 11 to 100 and 31.0% from beyond the top 100. The reason is query fan-out: Google runs several related searches for one question and cites a strong page for each part, so a page can be cited for a sub-question without ranking for the main phrase.

For example, a buyer asks AI Mode how to move payroll to an outsourced provider before the year end. Google might also search for costs, timelines and HMRC requirements, and cite a different page for each. A firm with a clear page on switching timelines can be cited for that part while a larger rival ranks first for "outsourced payroll".

Ranking still helps, because both features sit on Google's index and core ranking systems; covering the follow-up questions now matters as well. Why a first-place ranking does not guarantee a mention in ChatGPT is answered in [we rank first on Google, so why does ChatGPT not mention us](/insights/google-rankings-wont-protect-you).

## What do AI Overviews and AI Mode do to clicks?

They reduce clicks overall and concentrate them on cited pages. In Pew's data, only 1% of visits with an AI summary led to a click on a link inside it. But [Seer Interactive's April 2026 study](https://www.seerinteractive.com/insights/aio-impact-on-google-ctr-2026-update) of 53 brands found that being cited inside an AI Overview brought about 120% more organic clicks than not being cited, though still fewer than when no AI Overview appeared.

For a B2B firm the usual result is fewer visits with steady enquiries. We explain how to read that pattern in [why traffic falls when rankings have not](/insights/zero-click-search-your-business).

## Does AI Mode traffic show in Google Search Console?

Yes, but mixed in with everything else. Google says traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is [included in the overall figures](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) in the Performance report, under the Web search type, with no separate click count for each feature. Since June 2026, Search Console has also had [generative AI performance reports](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/06/gen-ai-performance-reports), which show impressions for AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover's AI features by page, country and device; they reached all sites by 31 August 2026.

In Google Analytics 4, visits from AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive as Organic Search, not in the AI Assistant channel added in May 2026 for ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and others ([Nice Looking Data](https://www.nicelookingdata.com/blog/ga4-ai-traffic-chatgpt-referrals)). So judge AI Mode by its impressions and by enquiries, not clicks alone; [how to tell which of your leads came from AI](/insights/attribution-ai-era-track-leads) explains the method.

## How do I get my website cited in Google AI Mode?

The same way you get cited in AI Overviews: be indexed and eligible for a snippet, answer the questions buyers ask and the ones they ask next, and give Google evidence that others rate you. Google says there are no additional requirements and no special markup needed to appear in either.

### Step 1: Check that you can be shown

Your key pages must be indexed and eligible for a snippet. Check that no nosnippet or max-snippet setting is hiding them, and that nobody has switched on the [Search Console control](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024?hl=en) that excludes a site from AI Overviews and AI Mode.

### Step 2: Answer the whole question

List the follow-up questions a buyer asks about each service, such as costs, timelines, risks and alternatives, and answer each clearly on the relevant page, with the direct answer at the top. Helm Club's comparison pages show what this can do: "Every comparison page we have published ranks first for its question on Google and the AI engines." The detail is in [the Helm Club case study](/work/helm-club).

### Step 3: Do not build a page for every variation

Google's [AI optimisation guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide), last updated in July 2026, warns that creating separate pages for every query variation or fan-out query, mainly to manipulate AI answers, breaks its scaled content abuse policy. One strong page that covers a topic and its follow-ups does more than twenty thin ones. Our guide to [organising content so AI sees you as the expert](/insights/topic-clusters-ai-understands) shows how.

### Step 4: Write what only you can write

The same guide says content that offers first-hand expertise will influence presence in AI search more than anything else, and contrasts it with commodity content anyone could produce. Use examples from your own work, numbers you can stand behind and named authors.

### Step 5: Earn mentions and links from credible sources

Both features sit on Google's index, where links from relevant, credible sites still count; trade press, professional bodies and client case studies are the durable route. More in [whether backlinks still matter for AI search](/insights/ai-evaluates-quality-referring-domains).

### Step 6: Keep your facts consistent

Your name, services, sectors and locations should read the same on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Companies House and directories.

## What carries over from our existing search work?

Most of the work that mattered. What carries over badly is work that only ever made sense to an algorithm.

| Carries over well | Carries over badly |
|---|---|
| A fast, well-structured site that is easy to read | Pages written to match keyword phrases rather than answer questions |
| Clear pages about what you do, for whom and where | Links bought or swapped in bulk from irrelevant sites |
| Useful content written by people who know the subject | Thin location pages and near-duplicate content |
| Mentions and links from credible trade and industry sources | A page for every variation of a search phrase, or anything written to fool a ranking system |

If a piece of work would impress a sceptical expert, it helps in both classic results and AI answers. How the two fit together is covered in [whether you still need SEO now buyers ask ChatGPT](/insights/seo-vs-llm-optimisation).

## What to do this month

1. Open Search Console's generative AI report and note which pages earn AI Overview and AI Mode impressions.
2. For your main service, list the follow-up questions a buyer asks and check each has a clear answer on your site.
3. Run your five most important buyer questions in AI Mode and note which sites it links for each part of the answer.
4. Merge or remove pages written for keyword variations rather than for readers.
5. Check your key pages are indexed and eligible for snippets, and that Search Console's AI features control is set the way you intend.
6. Pitch one expert article to a trade publication your buyers read.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Google still matter for winning new business?

Yes. Many buyers still search, and AI Overviews are read by people who think they are just Googling. Ranking in the list is no longer the whole objective: being cited in the answer is now the goal rankings were always a proxy for.

### Why does a smaller firm sometimes get cited ahead of a bigger one?

Because query fan-out cites a strong page for each part of a question. A small firm that has published clearly on a narrow subject, with named authors, real cases and credible mentions, gives Google something specific to cite; a broad brochure site may not.

### Can we opt out of AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Yes. Search Console has a control that excludes a site from AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover's AI features without affecting classic ranking. For most B2B firms that would mean giving up the chance to be cited where buyers are reading, so we would not recommend it without a specific reason.

### Do we need special schema markup to appear in AI Mode?

No. Google says its AI features need no special structured data. Markup still helps search engines read your facts correctly, so keep it accurate, but do not treat it as a ranking trick; Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026.

### How long before AI Mode reflects changes to our site?

Because both draw on Google's index, a new or improved page can be reflected within weeks of being recrawled. Answers drawn from a model's memory change only when the model is retrained, which takes months.

The ten blue links were never the point: they were how buyers found someone to trust, and much of that job has moved into a written answer. If you want to see whether that answer names you today, [book a free Growth Review](/growth-review): 30 minutes with David Adams, and three fixes in writing afterwards.

## Sources

- [Alphabet, Investor presentation (June 2026)](https://blog.google/alphabet/investor-presentation-june-2026/)
- [Google, Introducing AI Mode in the UK (July 2025)](https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/ai-mode-search-uk/)
- [Google, The latest AI news we announced in January (February 2026)](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/google-ai-updates-january-2026/)
- [Google, The latest AI news we announced in May 2026 (June 2026)](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/ai/google-ai-updates-may-2026/)
- [Ahrefs, Only 38% of AI Overview citations come from the top ten (March 2026)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-overview-citations-top-10)
- [Pew Research Center, Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears (July 2025)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/)
- [Seer Interactive, AIO impact on Google CTR: 2026 update (April 2026)](https://www.seerinteractive.com/insights/aio-impact-on-google-ctr-2026-update)
- [Google Search Central, AI features and your website (December 2025)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)