LLMs and AI Mode don't replace traditional search, but they expand the ways users find answers and brands gain visibility. In this new scenario, appearing depends less on pure ranking and more on useful, structured, quotable, and contextualized content to be understood by AIs.

Artificial intelligence is not just changing the format of answers in Google search results. 

She is also creating new search environments in which the user interacts with generative systems, delves deeper into questions, and receives increasingly complete answers without necessarily following the traditional logic of clicking on a list of links.

In this context, two themes gain importance for brands that want to maintain organic visibility: LLMs, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, and AI Mode, Google's conversational search experience. 

Understanding how these systems work is the first step in creating content that is more quotable, useful, and better suited to the new dynamics of search.

What are LLMs?

Large Language Models (LLMs) are models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. They produce complete responses based on patterns learned from large volumes of text.

In LLMs, there is no traditional ranking or indexing. The model will use the content it knows to form the answer. The chance of being cited depends on how the content is distributed, cited, and contextualized, and not on ranking factors, as is the case with traditional Google search and other search engines.

Can LLMs replace search engines?

From all indications, no.

Despite the growth of LLMs like ChatGPT, which has seen a 300% increase in monthly traffic in Brazil in recent months, reaching 24 million visits, it hasn't taken those visits away from Google.

On the contrary: Google has grown. In the last two years, the search engine has seen a 100% increase in traffic, reaching 303 million monthly visits in Brazil. In other words, LLMs have complemented searches, not replaced the way users perform them.

And when we look at the actual traffic generated by each channel, Google still accounts for, on average, 28% of organic traffic to large websites, while ChatGPT, in turn, generates only 0,5%.

Best practices for making a website citable by LLMs.

Just as with AI Overviews, strengthening traditional SEO strategies has proven effective for appearing in LLMs, such as:

  • Pages with original, up-to-date, relevant, and detailed content, whether in text blocks or FAQs, are more likely to be used as a reference;
  • Clean HTML, visible content, and no JavaScript hiding important information.
  • Using schemas, headings, and structured data to make the content more readable.

How can you tell if websites are receiving traffic from LLMs?

Although traffic from LLMs still represents a small share compared to traditional search engines, it can already be monitored as a complementary signal of organic visibility.

One way to track this trend is to analyze, using tools like GA4 and Looker Studio, the traffic originating from sources such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI platforms. This data helps to understand if the website is being visited based on responses, recommendations, or interactions initiated in these environments.

This volume doesn't yet replace traditional organic traffic, but rather it's a new indicator that may gain relevance as users incorporate these tools into their search routine. Therefore, it's worth monitoring its evolution, comparing trends, and observing which pages are starting to receive visits from this type of channel.

AI Mode: Google's new conversational search.

A few months ago, AI Mode was launched in Brazil, a new Google feature that allows you to converse with AI within the search engine interface. 

Meet AI Mode – Try a whole new way to search

What is AI Mode and how does it work?

AI Mode is Google's most advanced search experience yet, and it works as if Gemini were embedded within the search interface.

In other words: instead of accessing Gemini externally (like at gemini.google.com), it will now be possible to interact with it directly within Google by activating a new tab called "AI Mode". You perform a search normally and, if you want a deeper and more multimodal experience, click on this tab to enter this new search mode.

This mode uses the Gemini model to understand and respond more naturally, with advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities; you can type, speak, or even send an image to ask your question. All this without leaving the traditional results page.

In this experience, you will be able to:

  • Type, speak, or even send a photo to ask questions;
  • To receive more complete answers that combine text, image, and audio (multimodality);
  • To delve deeper into the subject with follow-up questions, without having to rethink everything from scratch;
  • Get supporting links to navigate beyond the AI ​​response.

What is the impact of AI Mode?

Since AI Mode is designed for the user to interact and primarily navigate within the platform itself, it's expected that, even if it references its sources, the number of clicks coming from those sources will be significantly lower than those from traditional searches.

However, AI Mode needs to be activated manually. It is a separate mode, not a replacement for the current search.

Therefore, despite being more technologically advanced, adoption is still low: in the United States, only 1,3% of desktop searches result in the use of AI Mode . And it is likely that the initial scenario will be similar in Brazil.

How do I appear inside AI Mode?

The rule is the same as that implemented for LLMs, meaning that traditional SEO strategies, focused on in-depth and well-structured content, are fundamental for AI Mode to reference our websites.

The search now also takes place in the answers.

Search is no longer just a battle for clicks. Now, it's also a battle for authority and context.

Ultimately, the challenge remains producing truly useful content. The difference is that now it needs to be understood, cited, and recommended by artificial intelligence.

And perhaps the most important question is: is your brand prepared to appear in the new search environments?

If the challenge now is to build relevance in an increasingly AI-driven landscape, it's worth having a chat with Grilos. HouseCricket helps brands transform content into authority and visibility in new search formats.