When you search on Google today, the first thing you see is often not a list of blue links but an answer written by AI. Since February 2026, AI Mode and AI Overviews have been rolling out in Turkey in Turkish as well, and that changes how brands get found online. In this post I explain what has changed and what a brand needs to do to stay visible, based on how I apply it in practice.
What changed?
- AI Overviews: a short AI-written summary at the top of the results page, with source links next to it.
- AI Mode: a separate search tab that breaks a question into sub-topics, runs many searches at once and continues like a conversation with follow-up questions. You can ask by text, voice or photo.
Globally the trend is the same: at I/O in May 2026, Google announced that AI Mode had passed one billion monthly users.
Fewer clicks, not less visibility
The biggest shift: when people get the answer on the results page, they click through to websites less often. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, users clicked a result in only 8 percent of searches that showed an AI summary, compared with 15 percent when there was no summary. Links inside the summary itself were clicked in about 1 percent of cases.
That doesn't mean SEO is over. AI answers are built from sources, and they cite a few websites. So the question is no longer only "where do I rank?" but "does the AI mention my brand and cite me when it explains this topic?"
What is GEO?
This new discipline is called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): getting your content used as a source in the answers of AI tools like Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. The good news is that GEO builds on good SEO; you are not starting from zero.
Seven steps for brands
1. Answer the question in the first paragraph
AI favours content that answers clearly and directly. Answer the main question in the first two sentences of a page, then add detail. What you offer, who it is for and what affects the price should be stated plainly on your site.
2. Structure your content
Subheadings, short paragraphs, lists and an FAQ section help both readers and AI. Behind the scenes, use structured data (schema) for your company, products, services, authors and FAQs.
3. Prove who you are
Google looks for signals of expertise and trust: who wrote this, and do they have real experience? Real projects, client work, team and about pages and author information matter. Generic, copy-pasted or fully AI-written content falls behind.
4. Get your brand name mentioned across the web
AI doesn't learn about a brand from its website alone. Consistent mentions on LinkedIn, Instagram, industry sites, news, directories and forums raise your chances of being named in answers. Keep your company name, address and contact details identical everywhere.
5. Don't neglect your Google Business Profile
For local searches, AI answers draw heavily on Google Business Profiles. Complete yours, add current photos and reply to reviews.
6. Produce images and video
AI Mode lets people search with photos and video too. Product photos, short promo videos and how-to content work for both search and social media. Give images meaningful file names and descriptions.
7. Change what you measure
Looking only at site traffic can mislead you. In Google Search Console, track impressions, searches for your brand name and, most importantly, conversions: forms, WhatsApp messages, calls and quote requests. Fewer but better-qualified visitors often means more business.
In short
Search is moving from "ten blue links" to "one answer". To be part of that answer, your site needs content that is clear, structured, trustworthy and grounded in real experience. For industries that are late to digital, this is an opportunity: brands that act now can stand out in AI answers while competitors are still catching up.
If you'd like to review how your brand shows up online, get in touch.
