Why a Former Google Insider’s AI Search Strategy Matters Now

According to a recent report in Search Engine Journal, a former Google Ads leader has shared how they would build an AI search strategy today, based on years of scaling ad platforms. The core message is that search is changing faster than most businesses realise.

The significance is hard to overstate. For two decades, winning online meant ranking high on Google’s page one. Now, AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s own AI Mode are generating answers without showing a traditional list of links. If your business isn’t part of those answers, you’re invisible—no matter where you rank.

Why the Old SEO Playbook Is Breaking

The most striking finding from the article is that AI assistants often cite pages that sit well below position 21 in classic search results. That flips decades of SEO wisdom on its head. Optimising for “position one” no longer guarantees you’ll be the answer people see.

In our own work with Australian clients, we’ve seen the same pattern. Companies with strong brand mentions on trusted third-party sites—like industry publications, Reddit, or review platforms—get cited by AI tools even when their own website ranks poorly. Meanwhile, some businesses that dominate traditional search results are completely absent from AI answers. The game has moved from ranking a page to becoming the trusted source an assistant chooses.

What This Means for Australian SMBs

For small and mid-sized businesses in Australia, this shift is both a threat and an opportunity. Many SMBs have invested heavily in local SEO, Google Business Profile optimisation, and keyword rankings. Those efforts still matter, but they are no longer the whole story. If your customers start asking AI tools for “best plumber in Melbourne” or “affordable accounting software for small business,” you need to be the answer an assistant picks—not just the top blue link.

That means thinking beyond your own website. Australian SMBs should focus on getting mentioned by trusted local media, industry associations, and customer review sites. AI assistants treat third-party mentions as a stronger signal of authority than anything you write about yourself. The businesses that adapt early will capture search traffic that competitors won’t even see coming.

What You Can Do Now

  • Run an AI citation audit. Write five questions your ideal customers actually ask, then check ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Mode to see if your business is named, linked, or absent. Focus on the gaps.
  • Update your most important pages. Rewrite key service or product pages with clear headings, direct answers near the top, and comparison tables. AI tools extract information from well-structured content.
  • Build third-party mentions. Pitch a helpful tip or data point to an Australian trade publication, a local news site, or a niche blog your customers read. One earned mention can do more than ten blog posts.
  • Encourage and respond to reviews. Active review profiles on platforms like G2, ProductReview.com.au, or Google Maps signal trust to AI assistants. Ask happy customers to leave detailed feedback.
  • Monitor your citation trendline weekly. Use a free or low-cost tool to track how often your brand appears in AI answers. If the number stays flat for a month, change your approach.

Adapting to AI search doesn’t require a massive budget—just a willingness to shift focus from your website to your reputation across the web. MS&VG’s AI-powered SEO service helps Australian SMBs identify the exact signals AI assistants use and build a citation strategy that works, so you’re ready for the search landscape that’s already here.