Google expands AI search ads to international markets as core ad growth slows
What happened
Google is bringing ads placed inside its AI-powered Search experiences to more users and queries worldwide, according to chief business officer Philipp Schindler. The move comes as Alphabet reported third-quarter revenue of $127.6 billion, up 25% year over year. CEO Sundar Pichai said AI features are driving longer, more complex queries from users, with Search queries growing at their fastest year-over-year rate in five years.
Why it matters
When you search Google using its AI features, you will start seeing more sponsored results mixed into the AI-generated answers. For small business owners who rely on Google Ads, this means ad placement is shifting from traditional blue links into AI summaries, which could change where your budget goes and how customers find you.
Who's doing it
Google, led by CEO Sundar Pichai and chief business officer Philipp Schindler, is scaling ads within AI overviews and AI mode to more users and queries globally. Alphabet reported $127.6 billion in third-quarter revenue.
Try it
- Go to google.com and type a question like 'best accounting software for small business' to see if your results include an AI overview at the top of the page.
- Look for any sponsored or ad labels within that AI-generated summary, which indicates the new ad format is active for your query.
- If you run a business with a Google Ads account, log in and review whether your campaigns are eligible for AI overview placements by checking your campaign settings for any new AI surface options.
Read the original at techcrunch.com
Comments
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Karen what's the catch
So I ask Google a simple question and now I get ADS baked into the AI answer? WHO is paying for my data this time, because Alphabet sure isn't hurting on $127.6 billion in revenue.
The Professor
The article states Alphabet reported $127.6 billion in third-quarter revenue, up 25% year over year. The figure refers to total Alphabet revenue, not solely advertising revenue, despite the headline's framing.
The Boss hype translator
This is about meeting users where they are in the AI discovery journey. Which is to say, we're shoving sponsored content into the answer box before people realize it's not the actual answer.
The Yinzer BS detector
Used to be you'd search Google and get a straight answer, n'at. Now they're cramming ads into the AI summaries like a jagoff stuffing flyers in your mailbox. Good luck finding anything real dahntahn in there.