Why You Need an SEO Brand Strategist Now: 6 Unmistakable Signals from Google’s New AI Mode
Jen Carroll
“Every query that you type into a Google box going to be answered by AI.”
That’s the future tech journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton envision. In a recent episode of their Hard Fork podcast, Roose and Newton took a dive into Google’s new AI Mode—which, as I’m writing this article, is still in beta and available only to Google One AI Premium users. I’m sure that will change soon.
For businesses that depend in any way on search engine optimization (SEO), this shift represents both the greatest threat and opportunity in digital marketing since mobile-first indexing. Google, facing unprecedented competition from specialized chatbots like Perplexity, must fundamentally reimagine search. The winners in this new race won’t be determined by technical and on-page SEO wizardry alone, but by something I believe is just as valuable: legitimately earned brand authority that resonates with human users, advanced algorithms, and chatbots alike.
For that, you need a legitimate communications specialist who can negotiate the convergence of disciplines many marketers think of separately: SEO and brand strategy. You need someone who can lead the development and seamless integration of:
- A custom approach to technical and on-page SEO that prioritizes the long game
- The nuanced arts of messaging and brand storytelling
- A strategic cultivation of third-party credibility through earned media and relationship-building
Enter the SEO brand strategist—a hybrid professional whose time has come.
Don’t have time to read this entire article? Skip to TL;DR at the end.
Understanding Google AI Mode and how it makes branding essential
The days of treating SEO and branding as separate initiatives are over. In an AI-driven search environment, the technical signals Google values most are precisely those that indicate strong, authentic brand connections. You can't optimize for one without the other anymore.
Signal #1: AI Mode fundamentally changes how brand authority translates to visibility
Google’s AI Mode represents a dramatic shift from the traditional “10 blue links” search experience we’ve grown accustomed to over the past two decades. Rather than simply ranking authoritative sites in SERPs (search engine result page), AI Mode now features select trusted sources directly within its synthesized answers. This creates a new visibility hierarchy where only the most authoritative brands earn mention in these AI-generated responses.
“It sort of writes a little essay,” Roose explained when describing how AI Mode responds to queries. “It has a little thing at the top, right under the query that says ‘four sites,’ and you can click to expand. It gives you little icons of which sites it’s pulling this stuff from.”
Not surprisingly, this approach bears a striking resemblance to what competitor Perplexity has been offering—a more direct, conversational interface that aims to answer questions without requiring users to click through to multiple websites.
This new paradigm means brand authority no longer just influences ranking position—it determines whether your brand appears at all in these AI-generated answers. Only the sources Google’s algorithms deem most authoritative on a topic will be synthesized into these responses, creating a winner-takes-all dynamic similar to featured snippets but with even higher stakes. With Google’s massive scale, this fundamental change in how authority translates to visibility could reshape not only best practices in branding and marketing strategy, but also the entire digital ecosystem.
Signal #2: Google’s cautious AI Mode rollout strategy reveals a high-stakes balancing act
Google is approaching this transformation with unusual caution, probably due in large part to its past mistakes. Currently, AI Mode is limited to paid subscribers of Google One’s AI Premium service, and even those users must opt-in through Google Labs. It’s being explicitly labeled as “experimental,” suggesting Google is carefully testing the waters before a broader release.
This measured approach speaks volumes about what’s at stake. As Roose notes, “This is really a story about Google being caught in between two imperatives, because on one hand, it has to change with the times… On the other hand, it can’t break its core business, which generated $54 billion last quarter.”
Google’s careful positioning reflects both the opportunity and risk inherent in fundamentally changing how users interact with information online.
Signal #3: Traffic will likely go only to the most trusted sources
Zero-click search certainly isn’t new, but AI’s affect could be next level. Roose and Newton talked about a study by Tollbit, which found AI search interfaces similar to Google’s AI Mode delivered a staggering 91% less click-through traffic than traditional Google searches. For pure AI chatbots, the reduction was even more dramatic—96% fewer clicks.
“I’m no mathematician,” Newton quipped, “but it’s pretty bad.”
While Google has questioned the methodology of this study, the implications for remain profound. If AI Mode eventually becomes the default search experience, websites could see dramatic reductions in referral traffic from what has traditionally been their primary source of visitors.
Roose and Newton do highlight a critical insight about which types of content might still drive clicks in this new environment. As Newton says during their discussion, “I’m finding that I’m using Google now for what are called navigational queries, where you are just like, I’m looking for this one train schedule, this one restaurant menu, and I know it’s a link that’s out there on the web.”
Despite the scary decline in overall clicks, certain valuable click opportunities remain. Searchers will still click through to authoritative websites when they need comprehensive knowledge, detailed product specifications, or specialized expertise that can’t be adequately condensed into an AI summary. When AI responses identify a particular solution or option as valuable, users often want to explore the original source for complete details, verification, or to take action—whether that’s making a purchase, reading in-depth analysis, or accessing tools and resources not available in the AI response itself.
This means creating content with exceptional depth and unique value that clearly extends beyond what an AI summary can provide is the key to remaining (or becoming) a click-worthy destination, which will require excellent SEO and branding strategies. The goal: to position your organization as the definitive knowledge authority in your niche. The battle isn’t just for visibility within AI Mode’s synthesis but for recognition as the essential click-worthy destination for users seeking comprehensive understanding rather than quick answers.
Signal #4: Brand authority metrics are already hidden foundation of rankings
This potential traffic reduction makes the findings from last year’s massive Google API leak even more significant. As I detailed in my July 2024 article, Future of SEO Exposed: 5 SMB Marketing Takeaways from Google’s Massive API Leak, that unprecedented leak of 2,500 pages of internal API documentation revealed that Google has long prioritized brand signals in its ranking algorithms—far more than its public statements suggested.
The leaked documentation confirmed the existence of metrics like “siteAuthority” (contradicting Google’s denials about domain-wide authority scores) and revealed sophisticated behavioral signals like “goodClicks,” “badClicks,” and “lastLongestClicks” that factor heavily into rankings.
What connects these revelations to the AI Mode rollout is clear: in both cases, established brand authority emerges as a critical factor in visibility. The sites that appear in AI Mode’s “carousel” of sources will likely be those Google’s algorithms already consider authoritative—the exact signals the API leak confirmed Google has been tracking all along.
As traditional SEO metrics potentially become less impactful in an AI-first search environment, the recognition signals that elevate certain brands above others will only grow in importance. It’s no longer just about ranking in the top ten results—it’s about being one of the handful of sources Google’s AI deems worthy of citation.
Signal #5: Google's defensive position in the attention economy
Google has long operated as the ultimate attention broker in our digital lives, a role that places it at the center of what author Chris Hayes calls “the attention economy” in his insightful book, The Siren’s Call. For decades, Google has functioned as an information condenser—helping users find exactly what they need among the overwhelming mountains of digital content. But this position is now under unprecedented threat.
The rise of AI chatbots represents a fundamental challenge to Google’s role as the primary gateway to information. As I explored in my recent article on attention economics, these technologies are creating what Hayes terms “attentional warlordism”—a zero-sum battle for increasingly scarce cognitive bandwidth. When users turn to ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity instead of Google for answers, they’re not just changing their search habits; they’re redirecting their attention from Google’s carefully cultivated ecosystem.
This explains why Google is approaching AI Mode with such strategic caution. The company isn’t merely protecting its $54 billion quarterly revenue—it’s defending its position as the primary broker of the world’s most valuable resource: human attention. By incorporating AI directly into search, Google aims to maintain its gatekeeper status, ensuring that when people seek information, they continue doing so through Google’s interface rather than migrating to specialized AI platforms.
In terms of branding and marketing strategy, this shift intensifies the challenge of earning recognition in an increasingly fragmented attention marketplace (for more on this, see my 2024 article, Small Business SEO in the AI Age). As Hayes notes, there’s a profound difference between capturing attention and achieving meaningful recognition. The sites that will succeed in Google’s AI Mode won’t just be those that optimize for technical SEO factors, but those that establish themselves as attention conservers rather than attention exploiters—providing genuine value that respects the finite nature of human cognitive bandwidth.
Signal #6: Google’s decades of data to likely favor established brand signals
Behind Google’s measured rollout of AI Mode lies perhaps its greatest strategic asset: an unparalleled index of the web built over more than two decades. While companies like OpenAI and Anthropic have developed impressive large language models, Google possesses something potentially more valuable—contextual understanding of virtually the entire public internet, including the behavioral data of billions of users interacting with that content.
The 2024 API leak revealed just how sophisticated this data advantage has become. Features like “NavBoost,” “OriginalContentScore,” and various PageRank iterations demonstrate that Google has been quietly building an intricate understanding of content quality and user behavior far beyond what they’ve publicly acknowledged. This massive dataset allows Google to train AI systems that don’t just generate plausible text but can actually distinguish between authoritative and questionable sources—a critical differentiator in the AI search race.
By embedding AI directly into search, Google isn’t just responding to competitive pressure—it’s leveraging (or perhaps weaponizing) its decades-long data advantage. While newer AI search tools may offer impressive conversational interfaces, they lack Google’s deep understanding of the web’s interconnected nature and the behavioral signals that indicate true content quality and brand authority.
For businesses navigating this landscape, the implications are profound. The brands that will emerge as trusted sources in AI Mode results are likely those that have built genuine authority over time—leaving consistent behavioral signals that Google has been quietly tracking all along. This reinforces the need for a holistic approach that integrates technical SEO expertise with authentic brand building and strategic communications—precisely the skill set of an SEO brand strategist.
The fluid authority principle: why no brand’s position is guaranteed
While these six signals from Google’s new AI Mode and the 2024 API leak confirm the importance of brand authority metrics, it’s critical to remember something equally important: authority is not a permanent achievement. A brand’s status as a trusted source exists in perpetual flux, continuously evaluated through a complex constellation of signals: user satisfaction metrics, engagement patterns, sentiment analysis from media coverage and social conversations, third-party reviews, expert opinions, influencer mentions, and emerging trust indicators we likely haven’t even considered yet.
For established brands, this multidimensional evaluation creates unprecedented vulnerability. Unlike traditional SEO where ranking declines typically occurred gradually over months, AI Mode’s sophisticated analysis could dramatically accelerate the consequences of declining brand perception. If a once-trusted company begins failing to deliver on promises, experiences a viral negative incident, faces critical media coverage, loses key industry endorsements, or simply falls behind more innovative competitors, the AI’s holistic assessment would likely trigger a rapid de-prioritization in search results. Google’s “badClicks” metrics represent just one dimension of this more comprehensive evaluation system that could quickly erode years of built-up digital authority.
In their podcast, Roose and Newton pointed to Chegg, the homework help platform that saw its traffic collapse after Google’s AI began directly answering student questions. While that case involved AI disintermediation, it demonstrates how quickly digital visibility can evaporate when behavioral signals shift. Any brand that stops delivering genuine value faces similar risks—perhaps even more rapidly in AI Mode’s environment.
For newcomers, the challenge is equally significant but reversed. Without established behavioral signals, emerging brands face a steeper climb to visibility than in traditional search. However, this doesn’t mean the system is impenetrable. In fact, brands with genuine innovation and value may find faster paths to recognition through:
- Focused expertise in clearly defined niches before attempting broader visibility
- Strategic partnerships that leverage established authorities' recognition signals
- Community-building efforts that generate authentic engagement metrics
- Earned media strategies that create credibility signals from trusted third parties
No brand’s position is permanently secure nor is any ambitious newcomer permanently excluded. The AI-driven search ecosystem appears designed to continuously reassess which sources provide genuine value—creating both ongoing vulnerability and perpetual opportunity.
This fluid authority principle further underscores why technical SEO expertise alone is insufficient. Maintaining visibility in AI Mode will require constant attention to the authentic signals of brand health—from customer satisfaction to engagement metrics to third-party recognition. It’s yet another reason why the integration of SEO and branding strategies has become not just valuable but essential.
While established brand authority emerges as a critical factor in visibility, no brand's position is permanently secure, nor is any ambitious newcomer permanently excluded. The AI-driven search ecosystem appears designed to continuously reassess which sources provide genuine value—creating both ongoing vulnerability and perpetual opportunity.
The expertise gap: why most agencies aren't prepared
The six signals we’ve explored reveal a fundamental truth: Google’s AI Mode represents not just an evolution but a convergence of SEO and branding strategies. This convergence exposes a critical expertise gap in the marketing industry few agencies that serve small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) are equipped to address.
The limitations of digital-only marketing agencies
Digital marketing agencies have thrived in the online environment of the past two decades, typically staffed with recent college grads who do the grunt work of SEO, SEM, and web design and report to digital marketing managers. With frequent turnover at the lower levels and all kinds of subcontractors hidden behind the curtain, many of these agencies are ill-prepared for an AI-driven search landscape that increasingly values brand signals over technical optimization alone.
Masters of a dying SEO paradigm, novices in the resurgent brand-building era
Most SEO and digital marketing agencies that cater to SMBs excel at technical optimizations—site speed improvements, schema markup implementation, keyword research, optimized on-page content, etc. However, they typically lack true content creation talent and a strong understanding of messaging strategy. Prior to AI, their “optimized” content tended to contribute to the now degraded internet, piling mountains of keyword-stuffed garbage onto an already rotting internet. Now, many rely on AI-generated content.
The fundamental problem remains: if you’re not an experienced communications professional with exceptional skills to begin with, how can you even tell if a chatbot is truly getting it right? AI output might sound impressive to a novice, but the likelihood that it’s off-message or missing a target audience’s challenges is extraordinarily high. The result is content that may check technical SEO boxes but utterly fails to communicate a brand’s unique value.
More critically, these agencies rarely understand the importance of developing comprehensive messaging frameworks—the strategic foundation that ensures every piece of content reinforces key brand differentiators and speaks directly to what an audience wants to accomplish in a given situation. They focus on getting visitors to the page through SEO and SEM tactics, but the “convince and convert” part of the process is often lacking. As Google’s API leak confirmed, this separation of technical optimization from persuasive messaging no longer aligns with how search engines actually evaluate websites.
Many digital marketing agencies can optimize every meta tag, build a good site structure (although poor site structure is something we still see all the time), and create volumes of optimized content—yet they still can’t break through against more established brand competitors because their messaging fails to resonate with either algorithms or audiences.
Fixation on outdated metrics
- Brand search volume
- Return visitor rate and frequency
- Engagement depth metrics
- Content sharing across channels
- Referral traffic quality
- Share of voice in industry conversations
- Path to conversion length
The 2024 API leak revealed metrics like “lastLongestClicks” and “OriginalContentScore” that suggest Google has long valued these quality signals more than they’ve publicly admitted. Yet many digital agencies continue optimizing for volume metrics that may become increasingly irrelevant in an AI-first environment.
Most telling is their reliance on out-of-the-box GA4 implementations that fail to capture these nuanced signals properly. Without custom event tracking, enhanced ecommerce setup, and properly configured conversion paths, standard analytics installations miss exactly the meaningful engagement patterns that increasingly matter for both brand building and search visibility.
Limited experience with traditional brand building
- Media relations strategies that generate high-value coverage
- Industry partnerships that amplify credibility
- Community building efforts that foster authentic engagement
- Thought leadership positioning that establishes expertise
- Cohesive messaging architecture that reinforces brand perception
The blind spots of a traditional brand strategist or branding agency
Conversely, the traditional brand strategy consultancy brings deep expertise in creating compelling brand identities and (sometimes) messaging platforms, but often lack understanding of how these assets translate to digital visibility.
Strong creative capabilities but limited technical understanding
Brand strategists excel at developing distinctive visual identities, crafting resonant brand stories, and creating emotional connections with audiences. Yet they often have limited understanding of how these creative elements translate into the technical signals that AI evaluations use to assess brand authority.
A beautifully articulated brand position statement provides little search visibility benefit if it isn’t properly structured for AI comprehension or integrated into digital touchpoints where Google can evaluate its impact on user behavior.
I’ve watched a traditional brand strategy consultancy create amazing brand assets but then completely fail to translate them into the technical language that search algorithms understand. These types of agencies will develop a brilliant brand voice without considering how that voice needs to be expressed consistently across digital touchpoints where Google is evaluating content quality. The result is often beautiful branding that remains virtually invisible in search.
Misaligned measurement frameworks
- Brand recall studies rather than organic brand search volume
- Ad awareness instead of direct site traffic
- Net Promoter Scores divorced from online review sentiment
- Message testing without tracking actual content engagement
This misalignment creates a critical gap between branding strategies, brand-building efforts, and measurable digital performance. While brand health remains important, the specific metrics that matter have evolved in AI-driven search.
Disconnection from SEO performance data
Perhaps most significantly, the traditional brand strategist frequently works without access to the performance data that would enable them to refine their approach. They develop branding strategies in relative isolation, without the continuous feedback loop that search and engagement metrics provide.
This disconnect becomes increasingly problematic as Google’s AI evaluations blur the line between brand perception and search visibility. Without access to technical SEO insights, traditional agencies can’t adapt their strategies to address specific visibility challenges or capitalize on emerging opportunities.
Why the future belongs to the SEO brand strategist
As Google’s AI Mode reshapes the search industry, neither a purely digital marketing / SEO agency nor the traditional brand strategy consultancy will likely possess the integrated expertise necessary to maximize visibility. The future belongs to hybrid professionals who bridge this gap—the SEO brand strategist.
The rare skillset: technical depth plus brand strategy expertise
The most valuable marketing professionals in the AI-first search era will combine technical and on-page SEO expertise with sophisticated brand strategy and management. These rare individuals understand both the algorithms that evaluate content and the human psychology that makes brands resonant and memorable.
They can translate technical SEO requirements into authentic brand expressions, ensuring that optimization efforts strengthen rather than compromise brand integrity. They recognize that the most effective tactics often lie at the intersection of disciplines—technical implementation that enhances user experience while reinforcing brand positioning.
The days of treating SEO and branding as separate initiatives are over. In an AI-driven search environment, the technical signals Google values most are precisely those that indicate strong, authentic brand connections. You can’t optimize for one without the other anymore. This integration is no longer optional—it’s the price of entry for sustainable visibility as search evolves.
Bridging measurement frameworks while embracing the current attribution reality
Effective SEO brand strategists bridge traditionally separate measurement frameworks, tracking both technical SEO performance and brand health metrics. They understand how these metrics interrelate and can provide meaningful insights about how brand-building efforts contribute to overall digital performance.
However, let’s be absolutely clear about something critical: perfect attribution is a myth in today’s fragmented digital landscape. Between legitimate privacy concerns, the resulting limitations in analytics platforms, cookie deprecation, and the inherent challenges of measuring “soft” brand awareness techniques, the quest for perfect channel attribution is both futile and misguided.
Smart integrated strategists don’t promise attribution miracles. Instead, they implement practical measurement approaches—campaign URLs, QR codes, custom tracking parameters, and brand surveys—while acknowledging the inherent limitations. They focus on identifying meaningful correlations and patterns rather than claiming direct causation for every interaction.
This realistic approach actually delivers more value than siloed attribution models. Rather than treating PR, content marketing, and technical SEO as separate budget items with supposedly distinct ROI calculations, integrated strategists demonstrate how these elements work together in a complex ecosystem where direct attribution is often impossible but collective impact is undeniable. The goal isn’t perfect measurement—it’s making more informed decisions with the understanding that some brand impacts will always remain somewhat mysterious yet no less valuable.
Balancing short-term gains with long-term authority building
Perhaps most importantly, an integrated brand strategist knows how to balance immediate visibility tactics with sustained authority building. While technical SEO can often deliver quick wins, the behavioral signals Google increasingly prioritizes require patient, consistent brand-building strategies over time.
The best SEO brand strategists create roadmaps that blend quick technical fixes with strategic brand development initiatives, setting realistic timelines for visibility growth based on a company’s current authority position and competitive landscape.
Finding an integrated agency: what SMBs should look for
As Google’s AI Mode transforms search, SMBs need marketing partners with the right blend of skills. Here’s how to evaluate potential agencies during this transitional period:
Signs of genuine integration. Look beyond marketing speak by requesting specific examples connecting SEO improvements to brand strategy outcomes. Review case studies for evidence of both technical expertise and brand storytelling, and ask to speak with both technical and creative team members about the same project.
Balanced expertise indicators. The right agency has technical team members who understand brand positioning and creative professionals who grasp SEO fundamentals. Their project workflows should integrate SEO and brand considerations from the start, not as separate phases.
Measurement approach. Seek transparency about attribution limitations rather than unrealistic promises. Valuable partners connect brand metrics with technical performance in their reporting and can explain which metrics matter most for your specific industry. They should implement practical tracking while acknowledging inherent measurement challenges.
Transition readiness. Ask pointed questions: “How are you preparing clients for traffic changes as AI Mode expands?” and “What visibility strategies work in both traditional search and AI-driven environments?” Their answers should demonstrate foresight and adaptability rather than rigid adherence to outdated approaches.
Red flags. Be wary of pure technical agencies that have superficially added “brand services” or traditional PR firms that outsource all technical SEO work. Avoid partners promising quick ranking improvements without brand development components or those showing no understanding of the Google AI Mode implications.
The ideal partner demonstrates genuine integration of technical and brand disciplines in their team structure, processes, and measurement approaches. They’ll acknowledge the complexity of the current search environment while providing a clear vision for building visibility that endures through AI advancements, balancing technical excellence with authentic brand building.
The SEO-brand convergence: a strategic imperative
The unveiling of Google’s AI Mode represents more than just another search feature—it signals a fundamental shift in how digital visibility will be earned and maintained. As we’ve explored through these six unmistakable signals, this evolution isn’t creating an entirely new landscape so much as revealing what has long existed beneath the surface: brand authority has always been the hidden backbone of search rankings.
What’s changing is the fluidity and transparency with which that authority translates to visibility. In this new reality, businesses can no longer afford to treat SEO and brand strategy as separate disciplines handled by disconnected specialists. The convergence is complete, the integration non-negotiable.
For SMBs seeking to navigate this transformed landscape, the path forward requires finding partners who truly understand both worlds—not just technical SEO consultants with a superficial understanding of branding, nor traditional brand strategists with minimal technical expertise. You need guides who live at the intersection, who understand that in Google’s AI-driven future, what’s good for your brand is good for your search visibility, and vice versa.
The SEO brand strategist’s time has indeed come. The question isn’t whether your business needs this integrated expertise, but how quickly you’ll embrace it before your competitors do.
Ready to navigate AI-driven search with an integrated approach? Contact The Dames Marketing & PR today to develop a strategy that builds SEO value and genuine brand authority for sustainable visibility for today’s online marketing environment.
TL;DR
- Google’s AI Mode is fundamentally changing search by emphasizing genuine brand authority over traditional SEO factors.
- Six key signals reveal this shift:
- AI Mode’s essay-like responses favor trusted sources
- Google’s cautious rollout highlights what’s at stake
- Traffic will predominantly flow to the most authoritative sites
- The 2024 API leak confirmed brand metrics’ importance
- Google is defending its position as the primary attention broker
- Google’s decades of data advantage will likely favor established brands
- These changes require integrated expertise combining technical SEO knowledge with sophisticated brand strategy—precisely the skill set of an SEO brand strategist.
- Neither pure technical SEO / digital marketing agencies nor traditional branding firms possess the complete toolkit needed to succeed in this new environment.
- Businesses should seek partners who demonstrate genuine integration of these disciplines to build sustainable visibility in Google’s evolving search platform.
