During Alphabet’s Q3 earnings call, Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that AI Mode is driving “incremental total query growth” for Search.
In plain English: people aren’t just replacing old searches with AI-assisted ones—they’re searching more.
Pichai also noted “strong and consistent week-over-week growth,” showing that AI Mode isn’t cannibalizing traditional searches but expanding how users interact with Google altogether.
Article Summary
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed AI Mode is driving “incremental total query growth”. Meaning people are searching more, not less, since its launch.
- AI Mode’s conversational design encourages multi-turn queries, teaching users to search iteratively instead of once and done.
- Each follow-up query creates new visibility opportunities, signaling a broader expansion of user behavior within Google’s ecosystem.
- This growth proves that AI is evolving search, not replacing it; users are staying in Google longer, engaging more deeply, and refining intent through dialogue.
- For marketers, this marks the rise of Conversational SEO, optimizing for entity relationships, context, and progressive intent rather than static keywords.
- Brands should prioritize structured, semantic content and measure visibility beyond clicks to stay relevant in AI-powered search.
- The takeaway: Search isn’t dying, it’s multiplying.
The Death of Search Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
For the past few years, we’ve all heard it:
“Search is dying.”
“Gen Z doesn’t use Google.”
“AI will replace the need for SEO.”
And honestly, the narrative made sense—up to a point. With the rise of TikTok and generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, Google’s dominance seemed to be fading. Marketers started shifting attention toward social search and AI visibility, assuming Google’s traditional search model had peaked.
But last week, Sundar Pichai changed that conversation.
In Alphabet’s Q3 2025 earnings call, he dropped a subtle but seismic line:
“We’re seeing incremental total query growth for Search thanks to AI Mode.”
It wasn’t flashy. But for SEOs and marketers, it’s one of the most important sentences uttered all year.
So, What Exactly Is AI Mode?
If you’ve somehow tuned out the last few months of Google updates (understandable, given the pace), AI Mode is Google’s hybrid search interface blending classic results with generative answers. It’s part of the larger rollout of AI Overviews, where Google now summarizes key information directly within the SERP, sometimes citing sources, sometimes not.
In essence, AI Mode lets users converse with Google the same way they’d chat with an assistant like ChatGPT. You ask a question, get a detailed summary, and can follow up with refinements like:
“What about for small businesses?” or “Show me examples.”
Each one of those refinements is technically a new query.
And that’s exactly where the growth is coming from.
The Hidden Genius Behind “Incremental Query Growth”
When most people heard that line, they focused on the PR spin.
But buried within it is a major behavioral shift: AI is teaching people to search differently.
Historically, users ran a single query, skimmed the top results, clicked once, and left. Now, they’re:
- Engaging in multi-turn conversations
- Following contextual threads rather than isolated searches
- Staying inside the Google ecosystem longer
That means each search session now contains multiple mini-queries, all chained together by intent.
For Google, it’s a dream scenario: higher engagement, better ad opportunities, and proof that AI isn’t killing Search—it’s evolving it.
For marketers, it’s both an opportunity and a challenge. Because now, it’s not about ranking for one query… it’s about being part of an entire search journey.
From Static Queries to Dynamic Conversations
Think about how you use ChatGPT or Perplexity. You don’t just type once and walk away; you refine, clarify, expand, and dig deeper.
That’s exactly what’s happening inside Google now.
A single query like:
- “Best CRM software for startups”
Can turn into:
- “Which ones integrate with Gmail?”
- “Compare HubSpot and Pipedrive pricing.”
“Which is easiest for teams under 10 people?”
Those aren’t separate users. They’re the same user exploring deeper, and every follow-up creates a new data point, a new query, and a new opportunity for visibility.
This is the new reality of search: one intent, many touchpoints.
The Real SEO Story Behind Google’s Numbers
The fact that Google’s seeing week-over-week growth in total queries means two things:
- Users trust AI Mode enough to use it repeatedly: When SGE first rolled out, many treated it like a novelty. Now, people are relying on it for quick research, recommendations, and summaries.
- Google’s search experience is sticky again: Generative answers encourage follow-up questions within Google rather than pushing users off-platform. That means longer dwell time, more interaction, and more ad impressions.
And from an SEO perspective, this is a green flag.
It means that instead of competing for a shrinking number of clicks, brands can focus on showing up within the conversational flow of AI-driven search, through citations, supporting content, and entity relationships.
The Rise of “Conversational SEO”
This shift makes one thing clear: traditional keyword optimization isn’t enough anymore.
As AI Mode drives more conversational queries, Google relies less on exact-match terms and more on semantic understanding. That’s where entity-based optimization, structured data, and strong topical authority come in.
In other words, if your content has been built around NLP-friendly structures—like FAQ sections, clear hierarchy, and natural language phrasing—you’re sitting on a goldmine right now.
Every time Gemini or AI Mode interprets a user’s question, it’s scanning for entities, context, and relationships. If your site’s content reinforces those clearly, you increase your odds of being referenced or cited in AI Overviews.
What This Means for Content Teams
For brands and agencies, the new search landscape means content strategies must evolve to match conversational discovery.
Here’s how:
1. Optimize for Progressive Intent
Build your content around how users refine their thinking. Each article should answer the main query and anticipate the next three follow-ups. Interlink them using descriptive anchors to mirror how conversations naturally unfold.
2. Strengthen Entity Connections
Use consistent language around people, places, products, and concepts. Align your schema and internal linking with these entities so AI Mode can easily map your content’s relevance.
3. Measure Visibility, Not Just Clicks
Your brand may not always get the click, but if it’s cited, quoted, or referenced in AI summaries, that’s still brand exposure. Track impressions, mentions, and citations using tools that capture AI-based visibility (a growing metric in Search Everywhere Optimization).
Google’s Grand Strategy: Keep You Inside the Loop
Let’s be honest: this isn’t just about user experience. It’s about ecosystem control.
By making AI Mode the default, Google keeps users from wandering off to ChatGPT or Perplexity. Each conversational step happens inside a walled garden where Google can show ads, surface brand mentions, and capture behavioral data.
And it’s working. “Incremental query growth” isn’t just a stat, it’s proof that AI Mode is winning back engagement that might’ve otherwise gone elsewhere.
The irony? The same technology everyone thought would end Google Search might be what saves it.
Why SEOs Should Be Celebrating This
Let’s face it: for the past year, every SEO has had a tiny existential crisis, wondering if their job title was about to become obsolete. But this data flips the narrative.
AI Mode doesn’t mean fewer searches; it means more frequent, higher-intent ones.
Users are searching in context, asking richer questions, and relying on Google for deeper insights.
If you can optimize for that reality, aligning your content, structure, and authority with the way LLMs interpret information, you’re not losing clicks. You’re gaining presence in the spaces where decisions actually happen.
The Bottom Line
Search isn’t dead. It’s different.
Google’s AI Mode is reshaping behavior, expanding search frequency, and teaching users to think more conversationally. And if Sundar Pichai’s numbers are any indication, we’re entering a new age of AI-augmented discovery, not decline.
The brands that win next aren’t just “ranking.”
They’re recognized, cited, and trusted across every AI-driven environment—from AI Mode to Overviews, from ChatGPT to Perplexity.
Ready to Stay Visible in the AI Search Era?
Your audience isn’t just searching; they’re conversing.
If you want your brand to show up in those conversations, it’s time to evolve your strategy.
Book a free discovery call with SEO Sherpa and let’s build your Search Everywhere system, so your brand stays visible in every mode of search that matters.
Leave a Reply