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Gemini-powered search, fewer clicks and how publishers are adapting in 2026
At its I/O developer conference in May 2026, Google announced that the classic Search box would become an "intelligent" box integrated with AI Mode, running on Gemini 3.5 Flash, according to TechRepublic. Users can now type long, conversational prompts, move between regular results and AI Mode, and ask follow-up questions directly on AI Overviews. The box is multimodal, accepting text, images, video, files and URLs, and search agents can carry out multi-step tasks. For websites, the main concern is fewer clicks: a Pew Research Center study found users clicked a traditional result 8% of the time when an AI Overview appeared, compared with 15% when one didn't.
| Change | What it means |
|---|---|
| Intelligent search box | The search bar expands for longer, chat-like queries |
| AI Mode integration | Users switch between links and AI conversations |
| Follow-ups on AI Overviews | Users can keep asking without clicking away |
| Multimodal input | Search with photos, videos, files or links |
| Search agents | AI can do multi-step research or tasks |
| Personalisation | Google says Search becomes more personalised the more users chat with it |
Google says users will "continue to get a range of results from Search, just like [they] do today."
This is often called zero-click search: the user gets an answer without visiting a website.
Expects fewer clicks, but notes that when mobile search reduced click-through rates in the past, total clicks still grew. He recommends first-hand experience, original content, expert perspectives and opinion pieces, which he says currently perform best.
Says Google's March 2026 core update favoured sites that directly serve users, such as product sellers, community sites and fast-moving news or opinion content.
Calls for a "fundamental evolution" in marketing. She recommends generative engine optimisation (GEO), structured data and schema markup, and citation optimisation.
Google is not alone. AI assistants and agents from other companies increasingly answer questions directly. New standards such as the Personal Agent Protocol (announced by Meta and Sierra in October 2026) show the industry preparing for AI agents that act for users. Websites need to work for both human readers and AI systems.
A conversational search experience powered by Google's Gemini models. It is now integrated with the main Search box, so users can ask complex questions and follow-ups.
Studies suggest they reduce clicks to traditional results. Pew found click-through roughly halved when an AI Overview appeared.
Optimising content so it is understood, trusted and cited by AI-powered search and answer engines, alongside traditional SEO.
No, but it is changing. Quality, expertise, structured data and brand authority matter more, and success is measured in visibility and citations as well as clicks.
Google's merger of Search and AI Mode makes conversational answers the default way many people search. Publishers and businesses that invest in original, expert, well-structured content and build direct audiences will be better placed than those relying only on traditional rankings.
