Google AI Mode in India setting marketers on a new Search?

If you've been busy counting keywords and tweaking meta descriptions, it might be time to check if your strategy is ready for the age of AI-powered, conversation-first search. Google's AI Mode fundamentally changes how users interact with search results, moving from the familiar blue links to summary-style AI overviews that answer queries directly. Instead of sifting through 10 results, users get one conversational response, which is a potentially huge shift for anyone banking on clicks.

India's search ad revenue is expected to cross a whopping Rs 20,538 crore in 2025, according to a MAGNA report. That’s an 8.9 per cent jump over 2024, even if slightly slower than the previous year's 10.3 per cent growth. Search advertising remains a heavyweight, commanding a 15 per cent share of total advertising expenditure in the country. But even as marketers celebrate these numbers, a silent transformation is bubbling up: Google’s new AI Mode.

According to Rahul Vengalil, co-founder and CEO at tgthr, “At the core of Google, intent still remains. After almost 25 years, Google is undergoing a paradigm shift in the UI of how consumers are searching. It’s still early stages of how Google will start monetising the feature. Over the next few quarters, based on user acceptance, Google may or may not give more priority to AI Mode.”

If AI Mode takes over, then Vengalil says ads will be slowly inserted into the result; there is enough and more space available. “When it comes to SEO, the principles remain the same as before. However, brands will now have to work hard on providing content to Google in newer ways for their AI systems to understand and respond.”

This subtle but seismic shift isn’t just theoretical. MAGNA’s report underscores how India’s digital advertising continues to leap ahead, with digital ad spend rising 12 per cent year-on-year, compared to traditional media’s 3.4 per cent. Video and social formats are leading the surge, but search remains a key pillar. Now, with AI overlays becoming the new storefront, brands can’t just rely on climbing up search rankings. They need to become part of the answer itself.

Different (key) strokes

For Prasun Kumar, CMO at Magicbricks, this is more opportunity than apocalypse. “Google's new AI Mode is am big shift, I see it as an opportunity, not a threat. For ads, we'll focus less on clicks and more on conversions, using richer ad formats and targeting longer, conversational queries,” he says.

Kumar points out that Magicbricks plans to double down on authoritative, AI-friendly content that directly answers user questions, aiming to be the source Google's AI trusts. The new focus is on what he calls “Answer Engine Optimization,” which goes beyond traditional SEO to ensure brands are the primary sources cited by AI.

He adds, “Given that real estate is inherently local, we'll amplify our hyper-local content and precise location tagging. As search becomes more conversational and AI-driven, simply tracking clicks and keyword rankings isn't enough. We need a broader perspective on success.”

That broader perspective includes brand mentions in AI overviews, engagement quality when users do land on the site, and how initial AI touchpoints contribute to final conversions. In other words, it's less about keyword rank bragging rights and more about being a trusted voice in a long, winding journey from query to conversion.

Anuraj Gupta, Chief Growth Officer at LS Digital, frames it as a larger evolution in user behavior. “AI powered engines are currently reshaping search advertising and SEO for brands worldwide. The traditional processes, from keyword and clicked ad to conversion, are now shifting to conversation-first experiences, where more than 60 per cent of searches end without any clicks,” he says. The new battleground is structured content that is machine-readable and designed for AI citations, not just index listings.

Gupta highlights that metrics like AI mentions and citations, semantic coverage, and conversation engagement rates are becoming crucial. With AI models now influencing decisions via voice and visuals as well, brands must ensure that their content is not only comprehensive but also structured with semantic markup and metadata that AI can easily digest.

Gone are the days when SEO meant stuffing pages with keywords. Now, it’s about teaching machines to understand, trust, and use your content.

Tell Me Why?

Russhabh R Thakkar, Founder & CEO at Frodoh, takes it a step further. “AI answer engines are built for speed but brands shouldn’t confuse quick answers with complete strategy. Google’s AI Mode might surface summaries but the engine still relies on structured, credible SEO to build those outputs. AI can answer questions but it’s SEO that feeds the answers,” he says.

Thakkar argues that brands should see SEO as infrastructure, not a cosmetic add-on. “Brands that treat SEO as infrastructure will stay visible in every layer, whether it’s a search box, an AI overlay, or a voice response.”

At its core, Google’s AI Mode redefines what it means to be “found” online. Instead of being one of many blue links, brands now compete to be the voice that AI platforms trust to answer questions. While India’s ?20,538 crore search ad market continues to expand, the introduction of AI Mode signals a future where simply spending on ads or stuffing keywords will not guarantee attention. Brands will have to embrace a multi-dimensional strategy: structured content, authoritative narratives, conversational engagement, and creative integration into AI-led results.

Jacob Joseph, VP of Data Science at CleverTap, underlines the data challenge. “This is uncharted territory. As AIdriven search takes hold, conventionally reliable metrics like keyword rankings or CTR will lose ground. Instead, we’re seeing the early emergence of directional indicators like brand mentions in AI responses, voice and visual search presence, and conversational journey metrics,” he explains.

Joseph emphasises that marketers need to track not just if they are found, but whether they are trusted and quoted by AI. Assisted attribution models and sentiment analysis will play a key role in this new measurement universe.

Vishal Prabhu, Creative Controller at White Rivers Media Solutions, offers a practical angle from the creative side. “Earlier, people turned to Google or YouTube, but now AI can scan the entire internet — forums, groups, articles, videos — and deliver options in a direct, conversational way. This shift means brands can’t rely on traditional SEO tricks or keyword stuffing anymore. They need to create content that’s genuinely helpful, credible, and aligned with user intent so AI includes them in its answers,” he says.

Prabhu also notes that sponsored slots within AI overviews open new opportunities but require a careful balance to feel native rather than intrusive. The metric game shifts accordingly: it’s about how often a brand is included in AI-generated answers, the actions taken within those summaries, and overall brand sentiment.

The marketing playbook that has defined Indian search for the last two decades is being rewritten in real-time. Marketers who evolve from chasing clicks to owning conversations stand to lead. Those who don’t might soon find themselves yelling into the void, hoping an AI somewhere picks up their faint echo.