Ads can now appear above, below and sometimes inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, served through campaign types most advertisers already run. There's no separate opt-in. It makes feed and landing-page quality matter more, measurement a little murkier, and the old assumption that SEO and paid live in separate worlds less true than ever.
For a while, AI Overviews sat above the search results as an answer with no ads in it. That's changed. Google has expanded eligibility for ads inside AI Overviews and AI Mode through Performance Max, Shopping, broad match Search campaigns and AI Max for Search. Ads can appear above, below and in some cases within the AI-generated answer.
The important part for most advertisers: you don't opt into this separately. If you're running the eligible campaign types, you're already in.
Want to know how much of your spend is already flowing into AI surfaces - and whether it's working? That's day-to-day work for our team.
Why Google's doing it
AI Overviews answer more queries without a click. That's a problem for a business built on clicks. Putting ads inside the answer is how Google keeps the search business intact as behaviour shifts - and 58% of consumers now say they use generative AI instead of traditional search for recommendations, so the shift is real.
What actually changes for you
- The answer is the competition. In a classic results page you compete with other ads. In an AI Overview you compete with the model's synthesised answer. Being the most relevant, best-structured option matters more.
- Feed and creative quality do more work. Shopping and PMax feed the AI surfaces. Clean titles, complete attributes and strong assets are what get you surfaced well.
- Measurement gets murkier. Placement-level visibility into AI surfaces is still thin. Lean harder on incrementality thinking and blended efficiency, not just last-click.
- Don't panic-exclude. The instinct to carve these placements out usually costs more than it saves. Watch performance first.
Search behaviour and the surfaces behind it are moving faster than the reporting.
Source: industry research, 2026; compiled by The Digital Lighthouse.What to do about it
Keep your feed hygiene ruthless, make sure your landing pages actually answer the query rather than just rank for it, watch search terms and placements as the data fills in, and treat measurement as a blend rather than a single number. This is a moment to be evidenced and calm, not to rip up the plan.
Nobody has fully worked out AI-surface attribution yet, us included. What we're doing is watching blended efficiency closely, keeping feeds and creative sharp so we're surfaced well, and being upfront with clients about what we can and can't see. Anyone claiming total clarity here is selling something.
If you want a read on how much of your spend is already flowing into AI surfaces, and whether it's pulling its weight, that's a natural part of a strategic review.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my ads into AI Overviews?
You don't opt in separately. Ads become eligible for AI Overviews and AI Mode through Performance Max, Shopping, broad match Search and AI Max for Search - if you run those, you're already eligible.
Can I opt out of AI Overview placements?
Controls are limited and evolving. Rather than excluding the surface outright, most advertisers are better served watching performance and steering with feed quality, negative keywords and creative first.
Does this change my budgets?
Not directly - it changes where impressions can appear, not your budget. But it can shift performance, so review efficiency as the data comes in rather than assuming like-for-like.
How do I measure ads in AI Overviews?
Placement-level reporting is still thin. Lean on blended efficiency and incrementality thinking rather than last-click, and treat AI-surface measurement as directional for now.