Google’s new AI Mode, powered by Gemini Live, is changing how people search. Instead of typing a question, users can now point their phone at something – like a broken machine or an unknown product – and ask what it is, how to fix it, or where to get it.
This marks a shift from traditional, text-based search to pre-visual and real-world interactions.
How Search Behaviour Is Changing
People are no longer just typing questions. They’re using cameras to search by sight, speaking naturally instead of typing keywords and asking about things in real time and context. Search today is driven by what users see, say and experience – not just what they type. To keep pace, SEO needs more than keywords. Implementing structured data and schema markup helps search engines better understand and display content. Optimising your Google Business Profile boosts visibility, while using alt text best practices supports images and visual search. Modern SEO must balance human behaviour with technical precision.
What This Means for SEO
Here’s how this impacts SEO and website visibility:
Visuals Matter More
Search now uses images, so product photos and visuals need to be clear, high quality and properly tagged (alt text, descriptions).
Context Over Keywords
People might no longer search for a leaky tap fix – they’ll point at their tap and ask, “How do I fix this? Content needs to answer real-life scenarios.
Local Info Counts
If someone points at a product and asks, “Where can I buy this?’ Businesses with updated local listings and accurate stock info will show up first.
Real-World SEO Examples
SEO has evolved beyond just keywords – visual and contextual search are changing how people discover brands.
- Retailers could appear in search results when someone points their phone at a jacket on the street, without typing “leather jacket”. To prepare, brands should optimise product images with alt text and structured data to ensure visibility in visual search.
- Plumbers or home improvement brands might show up when someone scans a leaking pipe and asks how to fix it. To capitalise on this, businesses should create visual DIY guides, tag them with schema markup, and include step-by-step image content.
- Restaurants might be discovered when someone scans a dish and asks what it is or where to try it. To increase their chances of being found, they should use menu schema, upload high-quality food photos, and geotag content.
Conclusion
AI is transforming search from a text-based activity to a multimodal, experimental journey – people no longer just type queries; they show, ask and interact in real time. As search becomes increasingly visual and context aware, SEO must evolve with it.
Success in this new landscape means creating content that’s not only helpful but also structured for AI understanding – across images, videos, voice and real-world scenarios. Brands that embrace this shift toward multimodal, experience-driven SEO will be best positioned to lead as the future of search unfolds.
