Admux

Guide

Ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode: what you control

You don’t buy ads in AI Overviews or AI Mode separately. Your existing Google Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are eligible automatically, at no extra charge, and Google decides when to show them inside or next to its AI answers. You can’t target these placements on their own, opt out of them, or see their results separately.

Facts verified 5 steps

1. What makes a campaign eligible

Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns qualify with no new campaign or budget. Text and Shopping ads are the formats Google shows; it is testing others, such as local inventory and vehicle ads.

Eligible campaign types
Existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are automatically eligible; no new campaign or separate budget needed.[1]
Ad formats
Text ads and Shopping ads; Google is experimenting with other types such as local inventory ads and vehicle ads.[1]

2. How ads get matched to AI answers

AI Max for Search, broad match, Shopping and Performance Max can match on the query and on the AI answer’s context. Exact and phrase match qualify only when the query itself shows commercial intent.

Contextual matching
AI Max for Search, broad match, Shopping and Performance Max are eligible for both contextual matching (query + AI response) and direct query matching.[1]
Exact and phrase match
Eligible only when the query expresses direct commercial intent; not eligible for contextual matching on exploratory questions.[1]
AI Max for Search
A suite of targeting and creative enhancements for Search campaigns: search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion.[2]
AI Max explained

3. What you can and can’t control

You keep your existing guardrails: negative keywords, asset pinning and brand exclusions. You can’t target AI placements on their own or opt out, and you can’t edit the AI explainers Google may show next to your ad.

Advertiser controls
Existing guardrails such as negative keywords, asset pinning and brand exclusions continue to apply.[1]
Placement-only targeting or opt-out
Not possible: you can't target only AI Overviews/AI Mode or opt out of them separately from Search.[1]
AI explainers
Google may show AI explainers (text generated by Gemini models) next to ads; advertisers can't write, edit, approve or opt out of them.[1]

4. Where it’s available

Ads inside AI Overviews and AI Mode are English only, in the countries Google lists. Ads above or below AI Overviews run wherever AI Overviews do.

Language
English only for ads within AI Overviews and AI Mode.[1]
Ads above/below AI Overviews availability
All 200+ countries and territories and all languages where AI Overviews are available.[1]
Multiturn ads in AI Mode
Ads in follow-up queries in AI Mode launched in the U.S. (announced 2026-10-28).[3]
Countries table

5. How to read results

AI placement results sit inside your normal campaign totals, and the queries that triggered them appear in aggregate in the search terms report. There is no separate AI breakdown to optimize against.

Reporting
AI Overviews / AI Mode performance is included in aggregate in standard campaign reports; no separate breakout is described.[1]
Search terms report
Triggering queries are included in aggregate in the search terms report.[1]

Questions

Do ads in AI Overviews cost more?

No. Google says they use the same auction and bidding as Search, with no extra charge.

Can I see my AI Overviews ad performance?

Not separately: Google reports it inside standard campaign metrics and the search terms report.

Sources

  1. About ads in AI-powered experiences in Google Search - Google Ads HelpGoogle Ads Help · checked 10 Nov 2026
  2. About AI Max for Search campaigns - Google Ads HelpGoogle Ads Help · checked 10 Nov 2026
  3. Ads in AI Mode expand to new markets (The Keyword, 2026-10-28)Google blog · checked 10 Nov 2026
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