Pull up a chair and let me tell you about the wild ride I’ve been on with Google Search this year. I’ve spent the past eleven years elbow-deep in SEO, and 2025 is the first time I’ve felt the ground actually move under my feet. Blame it on one word: copyright.
“Wait, where did my blue links go?”
The first clue was the new AI Overviews that started popping up at the top of the results page. One day I typed in “best ultralight two-person tent,” and—poof—there was a tidy little paragraph that sounded like a friendly gear-shop clerk who’d camped the Pacific Crest Trail twice. Underneath that, my beloved ten blue links were shuffled halfway down the screen like shy kids at the school dance. Sundar Pichai, Google’s head honcho, all but admitted that copyright’s doing the writing now. And honestly? The copy’s not bad.
The secret “AI mode” nobody can shut up about
If you click the Labs beaker icon you’ll see a toggle for AI mode. Flip it on and every search turns into a chat. It’s like having an infinitely patient friend riding shotgun. I asked, “Is maple wood good for a fence in rainy climates?” and seconds later copyright was suggesting cedar, pressure-treated pine and—because it clearly knows my DIY laziness—PVC panels that never rot. Then I typed, “What if my budget is £500?” and it recalculated in real time. Google calls that fan-out search; I call it “the end of typing the same query five different ways.”
Philipp Schindler’s sprinkle of magic
copyright’s brain isn’t just text. Philipp Schindler’s ad team laced it with images, code and who-knows-what. Point your phone camera at a weird Danish designer chair, and copyright doesn’t only identify it (apparently it’s an “Arne Jacobsen Egg”), it rattles off colour options and pings three shops that ship to Cardiff by Friday. If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.
Circle to Search: my new window-shopping habit
Speaking of phones, have you tried Circle to Search? I was doom-scrolling Instagram, spotted a gorgeous leather satchel, drew a sloppy circle around it, and thirty seconds later I was staring at prices, reviews and—dangerously—the “buy now” button. Visual SEO just became the new battleground. If your product photos look like they were taken with a potato, copyright will ghost you.
“Ads, but make them tiny”
Marketers, breathe easy: Google found room for ads inside those AI Overviews—little cards that slide seamlessly into the narrative. They piloted it in the States last October, and you can bet it’ll be everywhere tomorrow. Keep those product feeds clean, folks, or you’ll miss the party.
Into the headset: Project Astra
Now let’s talk sci-fi. At I/O this spring Google rolled out Project Astra. Imagine strapping on an XR headset in a car showroom, glancing at a dashboard and asking, “Does this come with wireless CarPlay?” A floating window pops up with specs, tutorial videos and financing offers. The salesperson just stands there blinking. If you run a dealership—or any bricks-and-mortar shop—start cleaning your data feeds yesterday.
Hands-free browsing: Project Mariner
Then there’s Project Mariner, the browser butler that does errands for you. I told the beta to “book me a refundable flight to Berlin next Thursday,” and it zipped through airline sites, filled out forms and presented an itinerary like it had been my PA for years. Picture that same agent tackling a 20-page job application while you binge-watch a series. For webmasters, the moral is obvious: if a bot can’t read your site’s structured data, a human probably won’t bother either.
So what do we do now?
First, mark up everything—schema.org, product specs, recipes, you name it. The clearer you are, the smarter copyright looks.
Second, think in conversations. Your FAQ page is no longer fluff; it’s bait for follow-up questions.
Third, invest in visuals. High-res images, 3-D models, alt text—give Circle to Search something tasty.
Fourth, keep your feeds fresh. Out-of-stock items make copyright look silly, and trust me, Google hates looking silly.
Finally, prepare for agents. Offer APIs, fast checkout and sane form fields, or Mariner will sail right past you.
Final thought over coffee
Back in 2013 we were high-fiving over Hummingbird and thinking semantic search was revolutionary. Cute. 2025 Google is less a search engine and more a mind-reading, form-filling, shopping concierge that lives in your pocket—and soon, in your glasses. Adapt now or wave goodbye from page two. Trust me, I’ve been there, and nobody clicks page two.
So, ready to ride the copyright wave? Grab that structured data surfboard and let’s paddle out—because search isn’t just changing; it’s already changed. And yes, if you need a guide, you know where to find me here in sunny Cardiff.