Search isn’t what
it used to be.
We don’t mean yet another PPC or SEO algorithm update. We’re talking about what was once a generic tool which has been completely rewritten and rewired into a hyper-personalised assistant.
With the introduction of AI Mode and AI Overviews, your search results don’t just reflect keywords anymore. They reflect you – your habits, calendar, Gmail, Maps, YouTube history, purchases and more. AI knows your world, so every search is unique to the individual and the old rules no longer apply.
What’s the
Big Deal
This isn’t a minor algorithm tweak. It’s an epic shift into how search engines think. At Make, we don’t just react to change, we help brands like yours get ahead:
The Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is no longer neutral, it’s filtered by who the user is.
Potential customers now discover brands based on who is searching, why they’re searching and what’s happening in their life… not just keywords.
Key Shifts
in Strategy
Search Is Now a Feeling, Not Just a Function.
This new level of audience understanding requires a new strategy. Here’s how:
1) Search = Moments, Not Funnels
People don’t follow a neat, linear journey. They drop in and out based on different emotional and behavioral points.
What to do: Create modular, intent-aware content that meets users at any stage in their decision-making.
2) Search Is Emotional & Contextual
Search queries reflect feelings, like “my knees hurt when I run”.
What to do: Speak like a human. Optimise for emotional cues and life situations, not just SEO checklists.
3) Visibility ≠ Discovery
If Google doesn’t know your brand exists, you won’t make the list.
What to do: Get proactive and invest in discovery via TikTok, influencers, UGC, Reddit, PR. Show up before people even know they’re looking for you.
4) SERPs Are UX-Driven
You’re not just competing for a click, you’re competing to be the source for AI summaries.
What to do: Structure your content for skimming, scanning and summarising. Use schema. Be the source, not the summary.
5) Clicks Are Shrinking
AI answers reduce traffic. Fewer people are clicking through after reading the AI answer. Be the source AI pulls from.
What to do: Track AI Overviews and optimise high-authority queries and sources.
6) Search Reflects Life Events
Search is syncing with real-world moments and events in your calendar.
What to do: Build “moment-based” guides e.g. “what to pack for Paris” or “best lunch spots near King’s Cross”..
7) Audience = Individuals
You must train Google to understand who you’re about.
What to do: Use social listening, sentiment data, user panels. Understand your people so well that Google starts to understand them too.
8) Authority Over Everything
Google’s new mantra? Trust the people who have done the thing.
What to do: Build EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) the right way – real author bios, real citations, press mentions, knowledge panels. Shout about your credentials.
9) Your Competition? Reddit and Forums
AI trusts authenticity, and nothing’s more authentic than user conversations.
What to do: Seed smart content into communities and mimic real language, learn how people speak when they really care.
10) Search Happens Outside Google
TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest. Even Discord. People search wherever they spend their time.
What to do: Show up beyond the SERP. Diversify and optimise for the platforms where your audience actually hangs out. Read our blog on how social content is redefining search.
So What’s
Next?
Here’s your action plan for a post-keyword world:
Rethink SEO: It’s now about audience, authority and behaviour. Less traffic, more relevance.
Invest in audience insight, not just keyword tools.
Stop trying to be for everyone – own your niche.
Expand into platforms like TikTok SEO, YouTube Shorts, Reddit etc.
Be the source AI trusts and quotes, putting you in the new top spot and not just another content producer.
This isn’t just about keeping up with Google. It’s about understanding people better than Google does and showing up where and when it matters most. Search has changed. Let’s make sure your strategy has too.
We’ve already helped forward-thinking brands adapt to this new search reality – crafting smarter content, sharper strategies and search experiences built for humans and algorithms. See what this looks like in action and let us help you too – get in touch.
