The rules of SEO just changed. Again.
Google’s newest update, AI Mode, isn’t just a feature. It’s a shift in how people search, how content is found, and how local businesses are discovered.
For marketing agencies, this isn’t optional. It can literally make or break your agency.
In this post, I’ll break down the five most important things every marketing agency needs to know about Google AI Mode, how to rank within it, and how you can use Paige, the fully automated Google Business Profile management platform, to help your clients stay ahead. Watch how we used Paige in real-time here.
Let’s dive in.
1. Google AI Mode Ranks GBP Listings Based on Real Activity, Not Just Relevance
Forget everything you knew about static optimization. Google AI Mode isn’t just looking at your business name, categories, and keywords. It’s evaluating:
- How often your GBP is updated
- How recent your photos, reviews, and posts are
- Whether you’re engaging with customers
- If your listing is consistent and complete
This isn’t speculation, this is based on Google’s own behavior in AI Overviews and Search Labs. Businesses with outdated profiles get ignored. Businesses with frequent updates? They're the ones showing up in AI-generated summaries.
What this means for agencies:
You can’t “set and forget” a GBP anymore. It needs weekly attention, just like social media. That’s why agencies are turning to Paige, an AI-powered GBP manager that automates:
- Review responses
- Google posts
- Photo uploads
- Profile optimization
This way, your clients stay active and visible, without you lifting a finger.
2. Generative AI Rewards Businesses That Answer Questions, Literally
AI Mode uses a technique called query fan-out, which breaks a user’s question into dozens of micro-queries. The businesses that pop up in the results are the ones providing clear, and helpful answers.
So how do you feed Google these answers? It’s definitely not through your website, but through your Google Business Profile’s Q&A section.
When a profile includes real Q&As, especially ones that include local keywords, services, and scenarios, Google’s AI can pull from those responses to generate summaries or showcase your business in Overviews.
Paige helps here too. She asks and answers high-value, SEO-rich questions on your GBP based on your business, services, and service area, automatically.
Examples of powerful AI-friendly GBP Q&As:
- “Do you offer emergency plumbing services in Sacramento?”
- “What’s the average cost for a hair color treatment at your downtown location?”
- “Is parking available at your Dallas showroom?
3. Your Photos Are Now Ranking Signals, Not Just Eye Candy
In AI Mode, search is multimodal. That means users can now ask questions by uploading a photo or snapping a picture, and Google can respond with business listings that match visual context.
If your Google Business Profile has no photos, or worse, the same five images from 2019, you’re invisible in multimodal AI search.
Photo activity directly impacts your GBP visibility.
And it’s not just about quantity, it’s about quality, frequency, and metadata.
With Paige:
- You upload once, she optimizes every photo for local keywords, file names, meta descriptions, and location data (geotags).
- Then, she drips them out strategically over time to keep your GBP fresh and constantly updated.
You’re not just uploading photos, you’re feeding AI Mode signals that say, “This business is active and relevant right now.”
4. Review Signals Matter More Than Ever, But Only If You Respond
Google has said for years that reviews are a local ranking factor. But in AI Mode, reviews don’t just influence your visibility, they become the content source.
Here’s what AI Mode is doing with your reviews:
- Summarizing them (“Customers love the fast service and affordable prices…”)
- Quoting them directly in AI Overviews
- Using review volume and freshness as trust signals
But here’s the kicker: responding to reviews is now part of that trust signal.
If you’re not replying to reviews, especially negative ones, Google assumes you’re inactive or disengaged.
- Flags fake or policy-violating reviews
- Suggest responses (or posts them for you)
- Learns your brand voice so replies feel human, not robotic
This helps your clients maintain a review profile that Google trusts and AI Mode favors
5. Staying Active on GBP Is No Longer Optional, It’s the Only Way to Rank
AI Mode is built on the idea of constant relevance. If a business is inactive, even for a few weeks, it starts sliding down the rankings.
Let’s say your client hasn’t:
- Posted in 30 days
- Uploaded a photo since last year
- Responded to reviews in 2 months
In the AI Mode era, that’s a death sentence for local visibility.
Paige solves this with full automation:
- Weekly GBP post publishing (with images and local keyword targeting)
- Monthly video creation using your GBP photos
- Review audit alerts and real-time response support
- Ranking reports and visibility heatmaps sent straight to your inbox
This means your clients are always on, always engaged, and always in the best position to show up in AI-powered search results.
Final Thoughts: AI Mode Changes Everything, Except for One Thing…
You don’t control how Google’s AI works. But you do control what you feed it.
Your clients’ Google Business Profiles are the #1 way to influence what AI Mode sees, summarizes, and ranks.
If you’re not updating your clients’ GBPs weekly, you’re falling behind.
If you’re trying to manage this manually across dozens (or hundreds) of profiles, you’re already underwater.
That’s why smart agencies are using Paige to:
- Automate all GBP activity
- Ensure clients stay AI-relevant
- Deliver real, visible ranking improvements
Want to future-proof your agency? Start your $1 trial of Paige and watch your clients’ rankings rise in AI Mode.
