Google I/O 2025 introduced AI search developments including AI Mode, Deep Search and multimodal capabilities. These announcements expanded ways to search; they did not remove linked results or the foundations of SEO.
Clicks and rankings remain useful. Combine them with queries, conversions and sampled presence in AI answers, without assuming that all metrics move in the same direction.
What Google announced at I/O 2025 — the part that actually matters
These are five announcements from the event, distinguishing what was presented then from subsequent availability:
Google announced the US rollout of AI Mode, with follow-up questions and links to the web. At that event it presented the introduction of Gemini 2.5 in Search.
A deeper research capability was presented to gather information and produce reports with sources, with an initial rollout planned in Labs.
Google showed capabilities to help with tasks such as finding tickets and reservations. The announcements did not mean every action was available that day in every country.
Visual and conversational capabilities expand ways to ask a question. Describe images accurately where appropriate; poor labelling does not demonstrate a penalty.
AI Overviews presents generated answers with links when Google considers them useful. Its presence depends on the query; a fixed percentage cannot be applied to every website.
What real impact does this have on your SEO?
| Metric | What to observe | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks and CTR | Changes by query and page | Compare rankings, demand and visible results |
| Impressions | Visibility by segment | Not equivalent to visits or conversions |
| Branded queries | Demand and trends | Do not attribute changes to AI without evidence |
| Mentions and citations | Documented samples | Not a measure of the entire audience |
Measure the effect in your own data. A citation can provide visibility without a visit, but does not guarantee brand growth or mean that every page will lose clicks.
What you should do now — the next 90 days
Check whether pages answer real questions and their headings describe each section clearly. A question format is not mandatory.
Keep structured data valid and consistent with visible content. Google requires no special schema for AI Overviews or AI Mode.
Identify who is responsible and support relevant claims. Adding a photo or biography does not guarantee that a source will be cited.
llms.txt is a proposal for making information available to agents. Google says it does not affect visibility or rankings in its search engine. It does not replace robots.txt.
Record questions, platform, language, date and results for each sample. Check any monitoring tool against verifiable observations.
Use relevant images and descriptive alternative text where appropriate. Check that URLs work and markup does not describe something different from the image.
Email, organic LinkedIn, your own community. Depending 100% on Google is fragile survival.
What changes for local businesses — Mallorca and the Balearic Islands
In local search, keep business name, address, phone and services consistent. Check responses for relevant queries; the number of businesses cited is not fixed.
- Complete LocalBusiness schema
- Service pages by location with verifiable data
- Local case studies with identifiable clients
- Reviews and testimonials properly marked up
- Accurate content about applicable rules and grants, with clear scope and dates
FAQs about SEO after I/O 2025
Will I lose organic traffic because of AI Overviews?
Not necessarily. Analyse clicks, impressions, CTR and conversions by page and query. Mentions can complement those metrics but do not replace them.
Do I need to rewrite my entire blog?
Not all at once. Prioritise 10-15 articles that already receive traffic and the pillars of your topic cluster.
Is AI Mode available in Spain?
As of 1 October 2026, Spain and Spanish are included in the official availability of AI Mode. Check Google’s help for current access conditions and features.
What happens to classic SEO tools?
They remain useful for crawling, indexing, content and links. AI monitoring tools provide additional samples; review what they measure and their limitations.
Is link building still worth it?
Relevant links can support discovery and provide context. Prioritise useful content and relationships; do not promise AI citations or rankings in exchange for a number of links.
How do I monitor whether my brand appears in AI Overviews?
Document checks on relevant queries and compare monitoring tools with those results. A crawler is not a report of every brand mention.
Is now the time to invest more in branded search?
It depends on demand, competition and business results. Assess branded and generic queries separately; do not assume branded searches always convert better or are protected from changes.
DO YOU WANT TO ADAPT YOUR SEO TO THE AI ERA?
We run an SEO + AEO audit on your website: schema, authorship, conversational intent and presence in AI Overviews. A 90-day plan with prioritised actions.
Team in Palma de Mallorca, no outsourcing.
Sources: Google I/O 2025 · AI Mode availability · Google AI features · Google AI optimization.
