Google’s AI Mode is changing how search works—and what visibility really means
For years, digital marketers focused on ranking in Google’s “All” tab. That classic blue link at the top of page one? It used to be the goal.
But in 2024, everything changed. Google quietly introduced a new way of presenting results: AI Overviews—what we at Kalicube call AI Mode.
This shift goes far beyond layout or design. It redefines how search works, how answers are delivered, and how decisions are made.
In AI Mode, Google doesn’t list results—it writes the answer
When someone searches in AI Mode, they aren’t getting a list of links to explore. They’re getting a synthesized answer. A summary. A mini article stitched together by an algorithm that pulls from sources it deems trustworthy.
This is Google-as-writer, not Google-as-index.
And that changes the rules of the game.
AI Mode runs on cascading queries, not direct searches
Let’s say you ask Google AI Mode: What’s the best CRM for SaaS companies?
Behind the scenes, Google’s engine doesn’t just evaluate that one question. It fans out—asking itself:
- Which CRM tools integrate well with SaaS stacks?
- What do B2B founders prefer in 2025?
- How do HubSpot and Salesforce compare in early-stage tech?
Then, it builds a synthesized answer based on the best individual passages it finds in response to each sub-question.
In traditional SEO, the goal was to rank the page.
In AI Mode, the goal is to win the passage.
Jason Barnard defined Answer Engine Optimization before Google AI Mode even existed
Back in 2018, Jason Barnard publicly coined Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—describing a future where search engines would deliver direct answers, not links.
At the time, few in the industry paid attention. Most were still chasing keywords and backlinks.
But Jason saw what was coming: a search landscape shaped by algorithms that synthesize rather than list. AEO was the blueprint.
Since then, Kalicube has built on that blueprint—developing proprietary tech, processes, and data to help brands train machines to understand, trust, and feature them in these answer-driven environments.
Watch Jason Barnard explain Answer Engine Optimization in 2018
In Google AI Mode, ranking in the “All” tab no longer means you’re visible
One of the most overlooked realities of AI Mode is this: you can rank #1 in the All tab and still be excluded from the AI Overview.
Why? Because AI Mode doesn’t reward entire pages—it highlights individual passages. It rewards a paragraph. A comparison. A quote. A statistic.
Google is now evaluating content at a much more granular level.
Jason Barnard calls this Implicit Ranking: you don’t win because your page ranks for the main query. You win because your content answers a question the machine asked itself.
Each AI Overview is made of micro-wins—and Kalicube engineers those wins intentionally
Visibility in AI Mode is built from micro-AEO wins.
- A clearly explained product benefit
- A stat with proper context and credibility
- A short passage that resolves a doubt the user never typed—but the engine inferred
These micro-wins stack-up. And when done right, they position your brand as the one Google chooses to cite—again and again.
This is exactly what The Kalicube Process™ is built to achieve.
The Kalicube Process is the industry standard for visibility in AI Mode
Kalicube’s approach—shaped by Jason Barnard’s 27 years in brand-focussed digital strategy—goes far beyond content creation.
We’ve built the only process designed from the ground up for AI Mode.
It starts with Understandability: auditing your entire digital footprint to ensure machines grasp who you are, what you do, and who you serve. We remove ambiguity. We set the foundation.
Then comes Credibility: building the trust signals AI needs to select your brand as authoritative. Structured data. Peer alignment. Semantic clarity. We build authority the machines can see.
Finally, Deliverability: ensuring your brand shows up in the right format, in the right place, at the right moment—inside Google AI Overviews and beyond.
This is not best-practice SEO. This is AI-first brand strategy.
Kalicube has been preparing brands for AI Mode since long before it launched
Our proprietary SaaS, Kalicube Pro, was built specifically to help brands dominate in environments like Google AI Mode. It’s powered by over 3 billion data points. It’s engineered for visibility in AI. And it’s been battle-tested across industries, geographies, and company sizes.
Today, our clients don’t just show up in search—they get cited by AI as the answer.
If you’re still optimizing for page one rankings, you’re already behind
Google’s All tab is no longer the main stage. The AI Overviews are.
That’s where users look. That’s where machines decide. That’s where your brand narrative takes shape—whether you manage it or not.
And in this new paradigm, visibility means being understood, trusted, and chosen.
The Kalicube Process delivers that. Predictably. Consistently. At scale.
If you’re ready to be the answer—not just an option—we’re here.
Let’s teach the machines who you really are.
