Evolution of Search
The innovation of Search began in 1996 with PageRank, which was part of a research project at Stanford University. Then it was helping to understand the quality of a webpage with the quality and quantity of the links that point to it. Now it still exists one of the important systems that identifies reliable sources from the billions of pages in Google’s index. In 1998, Google’s search engine was born with the results page of ten blue links.
Since then, Google search has evolved over the years with great improvements like images, news, shopping, books, maps, weather, jobs search, videos, etc. The UI of the results page was also changed drastically since the launch. In 2024, Google introduced AI Overviews – an easier and quicker way to search and explore insights, which transformed the way information is searched since 1998. Instead of blue links, Google modified the results UI, which shows results within a Summary block in the Position Zero, with information in a key points list, and source links are displayed, which are clickable. This feature is transforming the way users search and find information. For instance, instead of a traditional keyword search, users input longer search prompts, and the results are powered by the Gemini Model, Google’s Artificial Intelligence.
In 2025, Google further enhanced the search landscape by introducing a conversational search interface, which can help with complex queries that can go beyond the traditional keyword research and AI overviews, transforming from information to Intelligence.
How does AI work in Google Search?
How do AI Overviews and AI mode work differently from traditional search?
- AI overview and AI mode may use the “query fan out” technique -issuing multiple searches related to the topics, subtopics, and data source to develop a response. Then Google’s advanced models identify the supporting pages from the web and display a wider set of links that are helpful than the classic search.
AI Overviews and AI mode use different models, hence the search results for queries will also vary. Google recommends following the same foundational SEO best practices, technical requirements following the search policies, and creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.
Hence, working on the optimization plan based on Google’s recommendations, building the foundation of the entire structure, content, and experience for the B2B website, is the key to the website’s visibility, engagement, and lead generation.
