Google Search and AI – How We Navigate a Changing Landscape

Sign up to any ad-tech newsletter, scroll LinkedIn, or attend any advertising event, and you’ll be bombarded with articles, opinions, and hot takes about AI.

We as an industry have an infatuation with this technological concept that promises less work and better results (aka more time for happy hour!).

One of the areas where AI has had the greatest impact in the industry is in search advertising.

Questions about whether ChatGPT will shake up the industry have arguably been affirmed by Google’s investment in its AI Overviews, which dominate the top of any search query’s results page.

Can AI Do Our Job For Us?

Of course, the answer to this question is a resounding no — at least not in its current form.

Google has been shoving its AI solutions down our throats for a few years now, and we have yet to see anything that can replace the nuanced, strategic mind that our clients require.

Google Ads’ current AI tech may have a use case for low-involvement ecommerce brands, where the purchase funnel is over before you can say ‘PMAX’.

But for lead-based brands, the process of running search campaigns requires a touch more subtlety.

The bottom line is: AI is only as good as the data it has, and most SMBs have blockers that prevent them from providing such data.

In these cases, we need analytical minds to see past the AI recommendations and find creative solutions.

Why this matters to you:
If your brand relies on lead generation or nuanced audience targeting, AI-driven automation might miss the mark.

You still need a human-led strategy to make the most of your search spend.

Ok, So Why Are We Using It Then?

AI’s current use cases in advertising agencies remain a point of contention.

In our experience, AI can be used for any job that doesn’t completely lean on accuracy and polish.

For example, we can use AI to give me ad copy ideas, keyword lists, even strategic direction — but we’re still required to proofread copy to ensure it’s on-message, sift through keywords from the perspective of a human that is searching, and ensure strategy fits with client business goals.

The benefit?

Saving mental energy, time, and effort, without diminishing the finished product.

How We Can Continue to Rank in the AI Age

Organic ranking is typically categorised as an SEO issue, but we shouldn’t sleep on its effectiveness in assisting paid search rankings.

The same things that help your business rank highly in organic search results also improve ad strength and keyword quality scores.

As AI continues to dominate the first half of the results page, the focus in ad auctions will shift toward appearing in the first spot below AI Overviews (known as Absolute Top Impression Share).

Why this matters to you:
Whether your strategy is SEO, paid search, or both — prioritising high-quality, relevant content across your website will put you in a better position to succeed, regardless of where the AI panel sits.

Where Is Search Headed?

Globally, consumers are trending toward a more conversational search experience — driven by a reliance on AI chatbots over traditional search results.

This style puts greater emphasis on website content that specifically answers your customers’ questions, rather than shoehorning in keywords.

In theory, as people increase their trust in AI Overviews, paid search may decrease its role in answering these questions with a commercial angle in mind.

We’re seeing this foreshadowed already — through Google’s continued push toward Display, PMAX, and now “AI Max”.

These aren’t just new campaign types — they’re signs of a shift in the platform's own strategy, acknowledging that traditional search is evolving.

While these different campaign types contain significant limitations, specifically around brand safety/voice and user experience, our best move forward is to embrace the technology and control what we can control.

Strategically, the future of search ad buying will likely follow trends we have seen in programmatic advertising: 

• A focus on attention-grabbing, higher-impact content that extracts more value out of the diminishing impression share available
• Blacklisting: Relying on copy restrictions to steer AI campaign types away from false/detrimental ad copy generation.
• Audience focus: increased emphasis on audience targeting rather than keyword targeting.

With this in mind, BFJ Digital is currently running due diligence research on the latest AI products that Google is releasing, and keeping up to date with how they actually perform in real auctions.

Watch this space for further insights as we take on this journey together.

Got questions about how AI in search might affect your marketing strategy?

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