Google has officially launched its highly anticipated AI Mode in Germany, marking the first time this experimental feature is available within the European Union. After months of waiting — and a global rollout in over 180 countries outside the EU — users across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Spain can now activate the new search mode.
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This expansion closes a major regional gap that had frustrated European users, positioning Google’s AI-driven search system as a revolutionary shift in how we interact with the web. Now, AI Mode will be available in over 200 countries and territories total, including many across Europe, as Google informs on their blog.
What is Google AI Mode?
Google AI Mode represents a fundamental redesign of Google Search. Unlike the earlier AI Overviews, which occupied only a portion of the results page, the new AI Mode transforms the entire interface into a conversation-driven experience. Users can ask questions and receive AI-generated summaries compiled from multiple web sources. They can continue the conversation by asking follow-up questions directly within the same thread, creating an interactive chatbot-like experience powered by live web data.
This change marks a significant shift in how users access information on Google. Traditional blue links are now replaced with dynamic, AI-generated answers, which could drastically alter how search results are presented and consumed. As a result, Google is no longer just a search engine — it is becoming both the search and the answer provider. This transformation will impact how businesses, advertisers, and publishers approach SEO and digital marketing.
The introduction of Google AI Mode also signals a potential shift in website traffic patterns. With fewer traditional blue links to click on, users may be less inclined to visit external websites for detailed information. Instead, they can get comprehensive answers directly from Google’s AI-driven responses.
As Google AI Mode continues to evolve, both the search experience and the ways businesses engage with their audience will undergo dramatic changes.
Expert’s perspective on the launch
The question with introduction of Google AI Mode in Germany is, how will it impact advertising and SEO?David Gabriel, CEO of the Smarketer Group, assessed the situation and shared with us his perspetive on what this change means for advertisers, brand managers, and the online marketing ecosystem.
What does this mean for advertisers, and what would you advise clients who ask how they should position themselves technically and content-wise?
David Gabriel: The AI mode shifts visibility from traditional SERP placements to context-based answers, and it already integrates ads above, below, and soon directly within the AI responses. For advertisers, this means that consistent, data-driven, and structured content – particularly clean product feeds, up-to-date prices, and schema markup – become increasingly critical for being cited in the answers and considered for the new ad placements.
Campaigns should be broader in scope, using Google Ads’ new features, so that their ads can be paired with complex, multi-part queries in the AI Mode. From our agency’s perspective, this means we now need to lay the foundation with our clients in terms of data quality and structured content – before this channel becomes fully established. Those who invest now will secure a competitive advantage when the majority of users shift to searching in AI Mode.
Thinking beyond just the advertising business: Which content or formats are particularly favored in AI Mode, and how can we produce them in a targeted way? And does this mean that classic traffic channels through Google will experience a (further) decline and loss of importance as users increasingly get answers directly in the AI Mode?
David Gabriel: In the AI Mode, well-structured, multimodal content is particularly favored – FAQs, step-by-step guides, comparison tables, decision aids, as well as high-quality images and (short) videos – because they are easier for the AI to process and integrate into the answers. Those who provide these types of content in high quality and consistent form increase their chances of being mentioned and gaining clicks through the source links in the AI responses.
For classic traffic channels, a further decline is expected, especially for information-driven search queries, while new click paths will emerge through source links and integrated shopping modules. As an agency, we see this as a strategic pivot: We need to gradually adapt our content strategies and measurement methods, while also building new ones in parallel to existing channels. This is an opportunity to guide our clients as partners through this transition – not just as an advertising agency, but as a strategic advisor for their entire digital presence.
Even though the feature has only been available in the U.S., UK, and India since May, Google is likely working on advertising solutions for monetization. How do you see the situation regarding advertising formats?
David Gabriel: Google has already introduced ads in AI overviews in several markets and is experimenting in the U.S. with text and shopping ads directly within the first AI response. An expansion to additional countries and languages is expected in the coming months. Advertisers should structure Performance Max, search, and shopping campaigns so they can be displayed in these new placements. For us as an agency, this specifically means: We are preparing our campaign structures, data feeds, creatives, and bidding strategies now, so they can achieve maximum relevance and ROI in this context-based, AI-driven environment as soon as these placements are available in Germany.
We see this as an evolutionary step, not a revolution: The core principles of good performance advertising remain the same, but the execution will become more complex and data-driven.
Conclusion: Adapting to the future of search with Google AI Mode
Google AI Mode is undoubtedly a transformative shift in how users search for and interact with information online. As this feature becomes more widely adopted across Europe, businesses must adapt their advertising, SEO, and content strategies to stay relevant in this rapidly evolving search environment. The traditional model of organic search results is being replaced by a more context-driven, AI-powered experience, requiring advertisers and publishers to rethink their approach to digital marketing.
To stay ahead in this new landscape, it’s crucial to focus on data-driven, structured content and to incorporate multimodal formats such as FAQs, step-by-step guides, comparison tables, and videos — formats that the AI can easily process and incorporate into its responses. For advertisers, taking advantage of new Google Ads features and focusing on data quality will be critical for success in the AI-driven environment.
In the end, Google AI Mode is not just a new feature, but a sign of things to come. It represents the next phase of search, where Google becomes both the search engine and the answer provider, fundamentally reshaping how users interact with the internet.
Businesses that embrace this change and invest in high-quality, structured content today will be better positioned for the future of search. As David Gabriel aptly put it, those who prepare now for the AI-driven shift will have a distinct advantage when this new search experience becomes the norm.
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