Last updated on June 11th, 2025 at 02:45 am
Google Has Become a Verb – Now AI Is Changing How We Search. “Google it” has become a verb, and we’re used to searching for anything and everything on the internet. Whether we want product or service reviews, information about a place, or to educate ourselves on a topic, we instinctively turn to search engines.
Now, artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the digital search landscape. One area seeing dramatic change is AI-powered search platforms. Advertisers are beginning to shift their focus to match evolving user behaviours and preferences. AI search ads are also adapting to these changes, offering more precise and impactful strategies for targeting audiences effectively.
What Is AI Search?
AI search refers to the use of artificial intelligence to enhance the user’s search experience by understanding their intent and delivering accurate, contextual responses. Today’s users expect results that are relevant to their queries, not just keyword matches.
Platforms like Google and Microsoft Bing are integrating AI into their search algorithms to satisfy user intent better. These AI-driven engines go beyond matching keywords; they analyze query context, user behaviour patterns, and purpose to generate responses that feel human-like and are more informative.
What Are AI Ads?
AI ads are advertisements placed via AI platforms that are optimized to appear within AI-generated search summaries. The advantage of AI ads lies in their high level of targeting, they can leverage AI’s deep learning capabilities to understand the context of user queries in real-time and match ads to that intent.
AI Search vs. Traditional Search
Traditional search, which we’ve used for decades, relies on keyword-based algorithms to rank ads and results. AI search, by contrast, analyzes natural language, user history, and behavioural patterns to understand the deeper meaning behind a query.
For example, in traditional search, users typically see a list of blue links. In an AI-powered search, users might receive a summarized answer with citations from multiple sources.
Google, still the dominant player in search, is actively incorporating AI into its search functionalities. A recent example is AI Overviews, which appear at the top of search results as instant summaries. While helpful for users, these can be challenging for publishers. If content isn’t adapted for AI visibility, it may lose reach on both search engines and chatbots. That’s why publishers must now structure their content to be easily crawled, indexed, and featured in AI-generated answers.
Why Is AI Ad Spending Increasing?
- Laser-Targeted Campaigns: AI understands user intent better than traditional algorithms, allowing for more precise audience targeting.
- Higher Engagement Rates: AI search ads are delivering better engagement and conversion rates than traditional keyword-based ads, creating rising demand for AI-powered advertising.
- Changing User Behavior: More users are relying on AI chatbots for short, direct answers. While Google currently commands around 89.57% of the global search engine market (StatCounter, Global Stats), this trend could shift as AI chatbots become more widely adopted.
- Efficiency & Cost Savings: Businesses are restructuring operations to integrate AI, especially in advertising, where automation can improve performance and reduce manual effort.
- Publisher Strategy Shift: Publishers are realizing that keyword-optimized content alone is no longer sufficient. To remain visible in AI-generated snippets, they are now focused on producing well-structured, algorithm-friendly content.
Impact on SEO and Publishers
When users receive summarized answers directly from AI or search engines, the need to click through to websites is reduced, which can decrease website traffic. However, publishers can maintain relevance by:
- Creating high-quality, niche, and expert content
- Offering step-by-step guides and in-depth resources
- Ensuring websites are crawlable and logically structured
- Providing unique value beyond what an AI summary can deliver
Is Google Using AI for Ads?
Yes. Google has introduced several AI tools within its advertising ecosystem, including:
- Performance Max: An AI-powered campaign type that optimizes ads across all Google properties.
- Smart Bidding: AI adjusts bids in real-time based on conversion data to maximize results.
- Responsive Search Ads: Advertisers provide multiple headlines and descriptions, and AI selects the best combinations based on performance data and user engagement.
How Is AI Useful in Optimizing Google Ads?
AI assists advertisers by:
- Predicting which ads will perform best
- Understanding and adapting to user behavior
- Providing insights that are difficult to identify manually
- Automating campaign adjustments to reduce manual work
Who Is Leading in AI Search Ads?
While Google remains a dominant force in search, emerging players like Perplexity AI and OpenAI are gaining attention for their search-like capabilities. Browser companies are also exploring ways to integrate AI-driven search features into their platforms to keep pace with these trends.
Final Thoughts
AI search is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s already here. As user behaviour shifts, advertisers must also evolve their strategies. Spending on AI-powered search ads is surging because of their ability to deliver relevant, personalized, and high-performing results. Is search functionality going beyond keywords? It certainly seems so in the era of AI.
Advertisers who embrace this shift early will be best positioned to thrive in the competitive, AI-driven digital landscape.