How Google’s AI mode compares to traditional search and other LLMs

PLUS: How integrated data can shape your marketing strategies

Author

Zihan Lyu
June 26, 2025

Hi there,

Welcome back!

Highlights from today's newsletter:
🔍 Websites with more organic search traffic get mentioned more in AI search
📈 The SEO KPIs that actually matter (and how to track them)
🤖 Retail visibility is being rewritten by LLMs

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TOP OF THE SERPS 🏆

Our sister publication—ClickZ—is on the ground this week at CommerceNext Growth Show 2025, where one message came through loud and clear: the way consumers search, discover, and connect with brands is undergoing a significant shift.

In one standout session, Jason Zollan of Constructor warned that retail media’s explosive growth is echoing the early days of search — where relevance was once sacrificed for revenue. Drawing parallels to the pre-Google era, Zollan challenged brands to treat every ad slot like a search result: useful, contextual, and trust-preserving.

That message resonated across other sessions too. At an industry roundtable on the "end of SEO," retail leaders shared how LLM-powered discovery is upending the funnel. As blue links fade and AI answer engines take the lead, traditional SEO metrics are collapsing — but the right kind of content is winning. Think long-form explainers and first-party data-rich experiences that LLMs can quote with confidence.

The takeaway? Brand visibility in the search journey no longer depends on a position in Google. It depends on whether your content earns trust — from both the shopper and the machine. Retailers that harmonize paid and organic signals, optimize for intent, and design for AI-driven discovery are seeing both higher relevance and deeper engagement and larger order sizes.

As Zollan put it: “Your site isn’t a billboard — it’s the most important real estate your brand owns.” The retailers winning today are those treating search as the connective tissue between revenue and reputation in the AI age.

👉 Full breakdown inside, including why now is the arbitrage moment for those ready to build for both bots and buyers.

AI & SEO 🖱️

GENERATIVE AI SEARCH
How Google’s AI Mode Compares to Traditional Search and Other LLMs [AI Mode Study]
Google's AI Mode distinguishes itself from traditional search and LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity by preferring sidebar links and offering distinct citation patterns.

SEOs should note a strong correlation between high Google domain rankings and AI citation visibility, underscoring the importance of robust online content strategies. While AI Mode leans toward more unique domains, it still relies on commercial and transactional insights, reminding SEOs to adjust content depth based on query intent.

AI SEARCH TRENDS
Websites With More Organic Search Traffic Get Mentioned More in AI Search
Websites with higher organic search traffic are more frequently mentioned in AI search systems, as analyzed through Brand Radar's comparison of AI mentions and search traffic.

Patterns show a strong correlation for Perplexity, moderate for Google AI Overviews, and weaker for ChatGPT. This emphasizes the importance of creating user-generated content and being active on forums.

SEARCH STRATEGY CHANGES
How AI Overviews Are Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Search
AI Overviews are reshaping search by emphasizing user intent over keyword ranking, resulting in decreased clickthrough rates but higher value interactions as users receive comprehensive answers within search pages.

Marketers must adapt by creating content optimized for AI parsing and focusing on brand mentions over traditional SEO tactics to maintain visibility and influence.

EXTRA CLICKS FOR THOUGHT 💡

CONTENT STRATEGY
Balancing Content That Converts With Content That Builds Brand Authority
Balancing authority-building content with conversion-focused material is essential for effective marketing.

Focus on creating content that engages and connects with audiences, making your offerings accessible when interest peaks. Aim for a unified marketing strategy that fosters brand connection, inherently driving conversions, rather than relying separately on page ranking.

INTEGRATED MARKETING DATA
How Integrated Data Can Shape Your Marketing Strategies
Integrating data from diverse sources allows marketers to understand customer journeys and effectively measure impact, addressing challenges of fragmented data.

By implementing macro-level KPIs, standardized metrics, and data-driven storytelling, marketers can navigate this complexity and focus on long-term goals.

SEO METRICS ANALYSIS
The SEO KPIs That Actually Matter (And How to Track Them)
Choosing the right SEO KPIs is critical to proving business impact, especially with AI-driven search changes.

Track measurable outcomes like conversions and visibility, aligning KPIs with business goals and maturity to effectively demonstrate SEO's role in growth.

SOUNDS OF SEARCH 🎧

SEO experts discuss the future of search, emphasizing AI's evolution and its impact on user behavior and data transparency.

Google's evolving landscape is critically examined, particularly its role in AI integration and the subsequent challenges faced by SEO tool providers. There's a keen focus on the implications for content quality and brand trust, crucial elements in navigating SEO changes and staying relevant in an AI-driven environment.

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