Google I/O 2025 was, without exaggeration, the most disruptive event for SEO in the last decade. Google publicly buried the classic “10 blue links” model and planted its flag in generative search: AI Overviews, AI Mode, Deep Search, conversational agents and multimodal search.
If your organic traffic strategy is still measured only in clicks and rankings, it is time to reread the rules. This is not an algorithm update: it is a paradigm shift.
What Google announced at I/O 2025 — the part that actually matters
Beyond the marketing headlines, these are the five changes that really move the needle:
A new conversational tab inside Google Search, powered by Gemini 2.5. It allows long, complex, multi-step questions with synthesised answers and citations.
Deep research that cross-checks dozens of sources and produces a structured report. Your content must be citable or it will not appear.
Google no longer just answers: it takes action. Bookings, purchases, forms. Your website must be easy for an agent to consume.
Text, voice and image inside the same query. Poorly labelled images are no longer invisible: they become a missed ranking and discovery opportunity.
Already available in Spain. They cover around 14% of informational queries and continue growing month after month.
What real impact does this have on your SEO?
| Metric | Trend | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Organic CTR (top 10) | -15 to -30% | Users often stay with the AI Overview answer |
| Impressions | = or + | You appear, but you do not necessarily get the click |
| Branded queries | +10 to +20% | If you are cited, people search for your brand afterwards |
| Zero-click traffic | +40 to +60% | Searches that end without visiting any website |
You may get fewer clicks even when your content is better. What you gain is brand authority and citations in generative engines. The success metric changes.
What you should do now — the next 90 days
Do your pillar posts answer real questions? Do they use question-based H2s where it makes sense?
Article, BlogPosting, FAQ, HowTo, Product, Service. Without schema, engines extract your content worse.
Photo, bio, LinkedIn, years of experience. E-E-A-T influences which sources get cited.
Tell Anthropic, OpenAI and Perplexity which pages are your pillars. Low cost, high optionality.
Profound, AIResults, Otterly.ai. Set key queries and monitor whether you are cited.
Descriptive alt text, clean filenames, ImageObject schema. Gemini Vision analyses images.
Email, organic LinkedIn, your own community. Depending 100% on Google is fragile survival.
What changes for local businesses — Mallorca and the Balearic Islands
Queries such as “marketing agency in Palma” are starting to mix classic results with generative citations that name two or three companies. If your brand does not appear in that shortlist, you lose the first battle.
- Complete LocalBusiness schema
- Service pages by location with verifiable data
- Local case studies with identifiable clients
- Reviews and testimonials properly marked up
- Content about local regulations such as ENS, GDPR and Balearic Government grants
FAQs about SEO after I/O 2025
Will I lose organic traffic because of AI Overviews?
Yes, you will lose some clicks. But impressions usually remain stable. The metric shifts from CTR to “share of mention”.
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.
When will AI Mode arrive in Spain?
AI Overviews have been active since mid-2025. Full AI Mode is expected before Q1 2026.
What happens to classic SEO tools?
They are still useful for technical SEO, but they do not measure the new paradigm. Tools such as Profound, Otterly and AIResults are emerging.
Is link building still worth it?
Yes, with nuance. Generative engines value brand mentions on reputable websites more than ever.
How do I monitor whether my brand appears in AI Overviews?
Manually or with Profound, Otterly.ai, AIResults and Perplexity Crawler.
Is now the time to invest more in branded search?
Yes. Branded queries are the least affected and usually generate the highest conversion rate.
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.
