Google’s New AI Mode: A Threat to Traffic or a Wake-Up Call for SEO?

There’s no polite way to say it – Google’s latest AI Mode button is a game-changer. We’re not just talking interface tweaks. This marks a fundamental shift in how users discover and interact with content.

Rather than serving up a neat stack of organic results, Google’s pushing AI-generated summaries front and centre. Users will get their answers directly from the SERP, with fewer reasons to click through. CTR? Down. Organic real estate? Shrinking. Business as usual? Not likely.

But we’re not rattled – we’re ready.

At Door4, we’re proactively aligning our SEO strategies with Google’s evolving search experience. As AI Mode reshapes how users engage with content, we’re helping clients stay visible by focusing on long-form, high-value content, robust FAQ structures, and enhanced use of structured data. This ensures our clients’ websites not only meet the technical standards for AI inclusion but also deliver the kind of user-focused, authoritative answers that AI Overviews favour. In short, we’re helping brands secure their place in the AI-first search results of tomorrow.

Alex Feathers, SEO Lead, Door4

At Door4, we’ve already been preparing for this evolution. We don’t just chase rankings. We create content that earns its place in AI-led answers: authoritative, well-structured, and genuinely helpful. We’ve seen the writing on the wall for keyword-stuffing and thin content. The brands that win are the ones that go deep, not broad.

Here’s what matters now:

• Complex, long-tail queries – answered clearly and confidently.

• Structured content that machines and humans can parse with ease.

• Topical authority – built over time, not spammed overnight.

This isn’t the death of organic search, it’s the rebirth of content strategy. And for home and garden brands that are willing to invest in real substance over shallow optimisation, it’s an opportunity.

So while others scramble to react, we’re already shifting gears. Because the future of search isn’t just SEO – it’s content that deserves to be surfaced, no matter the format.

Got questions about what this means for your brand’s search presence? Let’s talk.