Short answer
Yes. Google AI Mode builds its answers from the same web index that powers regular Search, so pages that are crawlable, relevant and trusted are still the ones it uses. What changes is the goal: you are aiming to be one of the few sources an AI answer cites, not one of ten blue links, so depth and clarity matter more than keyword volume.
What still matters most:
- Crawling, indexing and site speed.
- Pages that match search intent and answer the question in full.
- Links and mentions from trusted sites.
- Structured data and a clear brand entity.
What matters more than before: follow-up questions. AI Mode lets people ask a chain of questions, so pages that cover a topic end to end, with comparisons, costs and next steps, get used more than pages built around one keyword.