Google’s AI Mode Won’t Save You—Here’s What Will
AI search is replacing the open web. Here’s how authors and digital creatives can adapt before it’s too late.
The Open Web Is Dying. Google’s AI Mode Is the Knife.
For decades, the internet ran on a simple exchange: creators publish free content, Google indexes it, and in return, searchers visit websites where ads, sales, or subscriptions generate revenue.
That system is breaking.
Google's new AI Mode doesn’t just enhance search—it replaces traditional results entirely. Instead of links, users get AI-written answers. Clean, fast, final.
No clicks required.
And that’s the problem.
With fewer users clicking through to real websites, traffic is collapsing. For many, this means lost revenue, lost reach, and lost purpose. It’s the dawn of the machine web—an internet built for AI, not for people.
Creators Have Two Choices: Adapt or Vanish
If AI chatbots are the new gatekeepers, then traditional SEO won’t be enough and like I’ve said previously, it doesn’t matter whether you love or hate AI.
It’s here to stay.
Learn to adapt and here’s what creators need to do now:
Learn GEO: Generative Engine Optimization
Forget just ranking on Google. Now, you need your content to show up inside Google’s AI responses.
Use schema markup to label your content for AI (FAQ, HowTo, Review, etc.)
Answer common questions in clear, conversational formats AI can lift
Become a cited source—publish expert-level answers and get linked elsewhere
➡Read This: Forget SEO—Here’s Why GEO Is the Secret Weapon for Authors
Still Do SEO—But Make It Branded and Click-Worthy
Optimize for your name, brand, and series so fans search for you directly
Use zero-click strategies: front-load your most valuable info to show up in summaries
Think like an entity. Treat your universe like a franchise: own your characters, lore, and keywords
Make Content That AI Can’t Replicate
AI can summarize facts, but it can’t bottle human experience. Lean into:
Cliffhangers and exclusive reveals
Sensory language and emotional depth
Content with voice, chaos, or nuance
If it can be summarized, it can be stolen. If it’s raw, weird, or wicked? It’s yours alone.
Own Your Audience
Google owns search. You need to own your access.
Build an email list now—give early chapters, extras, or printable downloads in exchange
Use platforms like Substack, Fourthwall, Inkitt or your own site
Create funnels that bring fans off Google and into your world.
➡Read This: Why Building an Email List Is the #1 Strategy for Indie Authors
Diversify Beyond Search
Repurpose content to YouTube, podcast snippets, carousels, webtoons
Optimize for Amazon, Pinterest, Instagram, or platforms that still reward discovery
Think like a brand, not just someone who occasionally writes book. Think big.
Final Warning: Don’t Let AI Summarize You Out of Existence
The worst-case scenario isn’t dystopia—it’s invisibility. A future where readers ask a question, get an answer, and never know you existed.
The machine web doesn’t reward creators who wait.
It rewards the ones who optimize, own, and outlast.
And I’ll say it again for the ones in the back What you think of AI doesn’t matter. What you do about it does.
Check out these articles:
Forget SEO—Here’s Why GEO Is the Secret Weapon for Authors
Why Building an Email List Is the #1 Strategy for Indie Authors
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