Google Ads Inside AI Mode – What Will This Mean for Search?

Google is known to experiment with their Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Allowing for user interaction to test and determine whether a change is positive for advertisers and user experience.

For the majority of cases, these tests tend to be what may feel as minor changes for user interaction; This can be something along the lines of how ads are shown, increase/ decrease in map pack listings and so on. However, a recent test users are reporting Google Ads within AI Mode.

Google AI Mode is Google’s attempts to replicate the utility of LLM/ AI search found within tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Google AI Overviews is powered via their own Google Gemini AI model.

The main goal for AI Mode is to allow users to find satisfying answers to complex questions without having to sift through endless search results. This tool pulls information from the Google’s Index to efficiently answer questions asked via users.

It is essentially a more in-depth version of their AI Overviews.

AI Mode will also share links with users to guide them to trustworthy articles/ web pages for further information (P.S. I covered this in more detail in another blog, AEO for B2B marketing).

The following screenshot has come directly from Search Engine Land (great source by the way).

As you can see the Sponsored links are prevalent within the AI Mode (kind of hard to miss it really), which can be reduced to be less intrusive on the page.

As this is a test, there is no concrete answer for this just yet. However, from our experience, we believe there will be a feature in Google Performance Max campaigns.

Since Performance Max campaigns allow advertisers to utilise all of Google’s properties (Search, Display, Shopping, etc…), this may be the latest tool to convince advertisers to hand over all their control (and budget) to Google for Return On Ad Spend.

The obvious answer is, if implemented, users can expect to see ads appear within their AI Mode responses. We expect this will typically be for help suggested requests, for example “DIY plumbing repair tips” may present plumbers in your area.

If this test roles out as a permanent feature within Google Ads, then we will see a new avenue for advertisers to promote their clients (or their own) services in highly relevant searches.

This can also give advertisers such as myself (who really don’t like to give Google control over their ads), a reason to experiment with Performance Max campaigns more.

B2B marketing specialises in long-term niche search queries in which typically results in more conductive research, planning and aftercare boundaries need breaking down before a conversion.

AI search does help break down these boundaries for businesses. It is a tool in which B2B can efficiently “check the boxes” before an enquiry can be made. This speeds up the buying cycle, which shortens the time for a positive ROI.

Well, I predict the majority of users will carry on as usual, some may taken note of the new change and find it useful. But others may find this inclusion to be untrustworthy, spammy, and too ‘advertiser friendly’ and not ‘user experience friendly’ to look for alternative search engines/ AI models.

Whilst ChatGPT is hesitant to introduce ads into their service (not forever, they are coming but more on this later), Google are “paving the way” for this practice to be more common.

In my personal opinion, yes.

Especially as OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently raised the topic of monetisation within ChatGPT. Expressing that he understands that ads will come eventually, as the platform receives nothing from conversions made through users searches. However, he wants to maintain trust amongst ChatGPT and it’s users.

“I think if ChatGPT finds you the… To zoom out even before the answer, one of the unusual things we noticed a while ago, and this was when it was a worst problem, ChatGPT would consistently be reported as a user’s most trusted technology product from a big tech company. We don’t really think of ourselves as a big tech company, but I guess we are now. That’s very odd on the surface, because AI is the thing that hallucinates, AI is the thing with all the errors, and that was much more of a problem. And there’s a question of why.

Ads on a Google search are dependent on Google doing badly. If it was giving you the best answer, there’d be no reason ever to buy an ad above it. So you’re like, that thing’s not quite aligned with me.

ChatGPT, maybe it gives you the best answer, maybe it doesn’t, but you’re paying it, or hopefully are paying it, and it’s at least trying to give you the best answer. And that has led to people having a deep and pretty trusting relationship with ChatGPT. You ask ChatGPT for the best hotel, not Google or something else.” – Search Engine Journal

Well to put it simply, someone has to be first. Google is often seen as the leader for search engines, and for them to monetize the AI space

AI’s Cost Money to Run

The ad space in AI Mode may be a way in which to plug the financial hole that LLM/ AI’s take to run. A report this year proved that manners DO cost something. As Sam Altman reported that expressing gratitude or showing consideration for ChatGPT has cost “tens of millions of dollars”.

• Will Google add sponsored links into AI Mode? My best guess is yes.
• Will it create new avenue streams for B2B? Also, yes
• Will it create a mistrust with some users? Probably
• Will it push Performance Max on Pay Per Click advertisers? Yeahhhh…

In conclusion, Google are likely going to monetise the AI Mode however they see fit. And with the history of Google implementation and other search engines following suit. It’s likely that we will see other search engines and LLM/ AI’s follow suit.