Google I/O 2025: The Future of Search & AI - Key Takeaways

Every year, Google I/O gives us a glimpse into the future, and 2025 didn’t disappoint. Unlike past years, where updates felt incremental, this one felt like a huge shift.

AI is no longer just something to watch - it’s shaping the way people search, shop, and interact with brands right now. 

Here are the highlights and key takeaways:  

1. Search Just Got Smarter (and More Human)

Source: https://blog.google/products/search/google-search-ai-mode-update/#shopping 

AI Mode will mark a big shift in how we search, with Google now embracing the kind of conversational experiences users already know from tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot and Claude.

Imagine this: instead of typing in a query and scrolling through blue links, Google’s new AI Mode summarises results, adds links, and lets users ask follow-up questions, all while remembering what they’ve already said. 

AI Mode is launching first in the U.S. as of late June 2025, every U.S. user sees the new AI tab in Google Search, no experimental sign-up needed.

For UK users, the rollout is likely arriving later in 2025, with expected general availability around Q3 — between July and September. That means UK marketers should be preparing now: by the time it lands, your content, ads, and measurement systems need to already be AI Mode ready.

Google’s Gemini model (version 2.5, for the tech-curious) powers these experiences, and the shift is huge. Search is becoming a conversation, not a one-time question. 

What it means for marketers: 

• People are asking longer, more specific questions. This means your content strategy needs to lean into long-tail keywords, not just the big generic ones. 
• Context is everything. Google's AI remembers what users ask across multiple queries, so your content should anticipate those follow-ups too. 

Tip: Helpful, specific, and context-aware content will win. Think guides, explainers, FAQs - but better. 

2. Ads Are Evolving Inside AI Experiences

Google will bake ads into AI Mode and AI Overviews (AIOs), which are now live in multiple countries and languages.  

That means:  

• Ads will be shown inside Gemini-generated summaries. 
• You’ll be able to target mid- and long-tail search intent. 
• You’ll still get performance data in Google Ads (though some data gaps exist - more on that below). 

According to Google, AI Overviews are driving a 10%+ increase in overall search usage (source). People are engaging more because the results feel more relevant and useful. 

3. AI Shopping Gets a Big Upgrade

Source: https://blog.google/products/shopping/google-shopping-ai-mode-virtual-try-on-update/ 

If you’re in eCommerce or retail, this one’s big. Google is combining its Shopping Graph (which powers over 50 billion products) with Gemini to offer:

• AI-powered product discovery 
• Price tracking and purchasing suggestions 
• Virtual try-ons (for clothes, using your own photo) 
• Possible checkout directly within AI Mode (coming soon) 

For marketers, this means: 

• Your product feeds (via Merchant Center) are now even more important. 
• Optimising titles, descriptions, images, and video assets matters more than ever. 
• Smart, helpful content will feed the shopping algorithm — not just your ads. 

4. Local Search Gets the AI Treatment Too

AI Mode summarises results for local queries, often pulling from Google Business Profiles, Yelp, and trusted directories. 

If your business has physical locations, make sure: 

• Your local listings are accurate and up to date. 
• You’re getting good reviews. 
• You’re present on sites like Yelp and Yell — Google’s pulling data from there too. 

Even small, local businesses can win big here with structured data and strong listings. 

5. Measuring Success Is Getting... Tricky

One challenge everyone’s talking about? Tracking performance in AI Mode. 

Right now: 

• AI Mode doesn’t pass referrer data to Google Search Console. 
• Rank tracking won’t work the same way — results are highly personalised. 
• You might not even get a click — the AI summary could answer the user’s question before they visit your site. 

 So, what do you measure? 

New success metrics for the AI-first era: 

• Brand lift (are people searching for your brand more?) 
• Content visibility and share of voice 
• Engagement quality over volume 
• Incrementality testing (e.g. “did traffic go up after we ran X campaign?”) 

6. Practical Moves You Can Make Right Now

 Let’s not panic. Let’s plan. Here’s what your brand can start doing today: 

• Update your structured data: It helps Google understand your content and show it properly in AI results. Think: product schema, FAQs, local business info, etc. 
• Audit your content for “follow-up readiness”: Does your content anticipate and answer the next question a user might have? If not, it should. 
• Double down on brand building: In a world where the AI decides what to show, brand familiarity gives you an edge. Be the name people search for, not just the answer to their query. 
• Invest in helpful content: Video, image, UGC-style explainers - Google is surfacing it all. Use your creative budget to educate and connect. 
• Don’t abandon SEO basics: Titles, metadata, speed, mobile - they still matter, and they still support AI Mode indexing. 

Key Takeaways: Google I/O 2025

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t the End of SEO - It’s a New Chapter 

These updates can feel overwhelming. If you're a brand that wants to stay visible, valuable, and one step ahead of the competition, this is your moment to evolve. And we’re here to help. 

At STM AGENCY, our search and performance experts are already integrating these changes into smart, actionable strategies for our clients - across B2C and B2B. 

From future-proofing your content to navigating AI Mode ad opportunities, we’ll help you make sense of what matters and get real results. Get in touch with us.