By: Heidi Sturrock, Search Marketing Advisor at My SEM Strategist
Are you ready for the next chapter of search? Google's AI search experience is here, and it's changing how users find information and interact with ads. For businesses and marketers, this presents both challenges and exciting opportunities. If you're wondering how to make your Google Ads shine in this new AI-powered world, you're in the right place.
This article will give you a practical guide to leveraging Google Ads and AI Overviews, helping you prepare your campaigns for the future of search.
Here's what we'll cover:
Understanding Google's AI Search Experiences: We'll break down the differences between AI Mode and AI Overviews.
Automatic Eligibility for AI Ad Placements: Discover which existing campaign types are already set up for success.
Key Strategies for Appearing in AI Overviews: Learn about match types, bidding, and creative optimization.
The Importance of Landing Pages and Product Feeds: How these elements play a crucial role in your ad's relevance.
Monitoring and Measurement in the AI Era: What data is currently available to track your performance.
Google is rolling out two primary AI experiences: AI Mode and AI Overviews. Think of them as two different doors leading to information, each with its own unique design.
AI Mode is like a friendly, knowledgeable librarian who guides you through a conversation. It's an interactive chatbot experience, separate from the main search results. You can ask questions, refine your queries, and engage in a dialogue to discover what you're looking for. This mode is excellent for in-depth exploration and discovery.
AI Overviews, on the other hand, are more like a concise, direct answer from an expert appearing right at the top of your standard search results. They are integrated directly into the current search experience, providing immediate, non-conversational answers. The main goal of an AI Overview is to give users information more efficiently, often eliminating the need to click through to multiple websites. Many of you have likely already seen these in action.
While both offer opportunities for ads, the rollout is gradual. Currently, AI Overviews and their associated ad placements are available in English in the US on mobile and desktop. Google plans to expand ad availability to other English-speaking countries soon.
The good news is that if you're already running certain campaign types, you're likely automatically eligible to have your ads considered for AI Overviews. Google is working to make this transition as smooth as possible for advertisers.
The campaign types that currently have automatic eligibility include:
Existing Search Campaigns
Shopping Campaigns
Performance Max Campaigns
AI Max for Search (currently in beta)
Local Campaigns
App Campaigns
Appearing in AI Overviews isn't just about eligibility; it's about optimizing your campaigns to align with Google's AI matching criteria.
Google uses two main criteria to match your ads with AI experiences: the user's search query and the AI summary's content. Your keyword match type plays a significant role here.
Broad Match Keywords: These are essential for ads to appear within AI Overviews. They give Google's system the flexibility to match your ad with a wide range of relevant queries and AI-generated content.
Exact Match Keywords: While important for traditional search results (often prioritized for placements above or below the AI Overview), they are less likely to trigger ads within the AI Overview itself.
To maximize your chances of appearing within AI Overviews, you'll want a healthy mix of both. Prioritize broad match keywords to open the door to AI Overview placements, and use exact match for precision in standard search results.
If you've been hesitant to adopt some of Google Ads' AI-first features, now is the time to experiment.
AI Max for Search and Performance Max: These campaign types are designed to leverage AI for broader targeting and better performance across various placements, including AI Overviews.
Broad Match Keywords: As mentioned, these are key. Don't be afraid to test them out in a controlled manner.
Smart Bidding: Maximize Conversions and Maximize Conversion Value (with or without a target) are your best friends here. These flexible bidding strategies give the algorithm the room it needs to determine when and where your ads should show within AI experiences. If you're still using manual CPC bidding, you might find it harder for your ads to gain traction in AI Overviews.
Just like you optimize your ad copy for human eyes, you need to consider how Google's AI will interpret your content.
Responsive Search Ads (RSAs): These are crucial. When crafting your RSAs, think about the types of questions users might ask AI Overviews.
Question Formats in Headlines: Many advertisers are finding success by including questions in their headlines, making their ads appear more relevant to AI-driven prompts.
Avoid Excessive Headline Pinning: While pinning can be useful for controlling ad appearance in standard search, it limits the AI's flexibility. Give the system as many choices as possible by allowing it to dynamically combine your headlines and descriptions.
Strong Calls to Action and Benefit-Based Copy: These will continue to align with the types of queries AI Overviews prioritize.
Your landing pages are arguably the most critical component. All the ad copy in the world won't help if your landing page doesn't deliver.
Directly Answer the Query with Clear Content: Google's AI will crawl your landing pages to assess their relevance to the user's intent. This means adhering to strong SEO practices. Your content should be clear, concise, and directly address the questions or needs implied by the AI Overview.
Facts and Schema Markup: Just like traditional SEO, providing structured data through schema markup helps Google understand the content on your page, making it easier for your ads to be considered relevant for AI Overviews.
For Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, your product feeds are paramount.
Fresh Product Information: Regularly update your product feeds with the latest pricing, promotions, and high-quality visuals.
Comprehensive Data: Fill out as many fields as possible within your product feed. The more information you provide, the better Google can understand and match your products to relevant AI Overviews.
As with any broad targeting, a robust negative keyword list is essential. This helps filter out irrelevant terms and ensures your ads are only showing for the most valuable AI-driven queries.
Currently, detailed reporting specifically for AI Overview ad placements is limited. However, Google is continuously working on providing more insights. For now, here's what you can look at:
Standard Reporting: Keep an eye on your top impression and click metrics in search reports. Google indicates that AI Overview placements will appear here.
Search Term Analysis: Pay close attention to longer-tail keywords and question-style queries. These often indicate an AI-driven discovery and can give you clues about how users are interacting with AI Overviews.
Position Metrics: Monitor your top versus absolute top metrics. As AI Overviews appear at the top of the search results, they can push organic results down. Understanding these visibility shifts is crucial.
To fully embrace Google's AI search experience, here's a quick recap of your action plan:
Campaign Setup:
Enable Performance Max campaigns with a wide variety of assets (text, images, videos).
Experiment with broad match keyword targeting in a controlled manner.
Creative Optimization:
Create a high volume of diverse and comprehensive assets for your Responsive Search Ads.
Craft contextual and conversational copy points, including question-based headlines.
Ensure strong landing page alignment with your ad copy.
Use headline pinning strategically and sparingly.
Ongoing Management:
Regularly monitor new search terms, looking for long-tail and question-based queries.
Track shifts in traffic patterns and top placements.
Shift to value-based or AI-driven bid strategies whenever possible.
Stay current with Google's AI updates through resources like the Google Marketing Live.
Remember, AI Overviews are live and 100% auction-driven. You don't just buy your way in; you earn it with relevance. All the standard signals that contribute to strong Google Ads performance will also be used by AI Overviews to determine ad eligibility and placement.
Heidi Sturrock is a search marketing advisor who helps in house teams, agencies, and founders drive profitable growth with Google Ads.
You can find her on LinkedIn