Is Google AI Overviews Killing Sponsored Results?
For most people, the conversation around Google AI Overviews has focused on rankings, traffic loss, and whether SEO is “dead.” However, it’s missing an equally bigger shift.
What’s actually happening in the Ad space is far more disruptive: AI Overviews are changing how intent is expressed — and that is fundamentally rewiring Google Ads.
And I say this as someone who has lived inside the Google Ads ecosystem for over 20 years.
The Old Google Ads World Was Built for Analysts, Not Writers
For two decades, one of the most reliable things about Google Ads was how simple the keyword world was.
Yes, the platform itself became complex — Display Network, Shopping, PMAX, audience targeting, attribution models — but at its core, paid search was a spreadsheet game.
Most campaigns targeted: one keyword, maybe two, at most three
In many cases, a single keyword — your brand name — drove the majority of profitable volume.
That worked because Google trained users to search in fragments, not sentences.
People didn’t ask questions. They typed keywords.
“Sore throat symptoms”
“Cold medicine”
“Commercial insurance NJ”
“Personal injury lawyer Newark”
Google showed links. Advertisers bid. The intent was clean. Predictable. Monetizable.
And because of that, Google Ads attracted a very specific type of marketer: analytical, numbers-driven, spreadsheet-obsessed operators.
You didn’t need to be creative. You didn’t need to understand the narrative. You needed to understand bidding, pacing, Quality Score, and A/B testing. That world is disappearing.
AI Overviews Didn’t Just Change Rankings — They Changed Behavior
AI Overviews introduced something much more profound than a new SERP feature.
They retrained users. People now understand that if they type a full question into Google, they often get a direct answer — without clicking a single link.
And users like that.
Google, 25 years ago, trained users to: “Type a keyword and sort through websites.”
Google today is training users to: “Ask a question and get an answer.”
That shift breaks the foundational assumption Google Ads was built on: that keywords equal intent.
Why Query Length Now Determines Ad Visibility
One of the most important insights recently surfaced by Search Engine Land is how query length impacts ad position relative to AI Overviews.
The pattern is clear:
Short, keyword-style queries → higher likelihood ads appear above AI Overviews
Long, conversational queries → AI Overviews dominate, ads pushed below or removed
Sensitive industries (healthcare especially) → long queries almost always trigger AI first
That makes sense. If someone types: “Here are my symptoms, what’s going on?”
Google does not want a paid advertiser answering that. But if someone types:
“Cold symptoms” or “Best sore throat medication”
Now we’re back in monetizable territory.
So ads aren’t dead — they’re being segmented by intent clarity. Which brings us to the real disruption.
Advertisers Are Now Competing With the AI Itself
If I’m an advertiser in healthcare, insurance, automotive, or legal, I’m no longer just competing with other advertisers.
I’m competing with:
AI Overviews above me
Organic results below me
And sometimes… nothing at all
That’s deeply uncomfortable for most Google Ads operators. Why?
Because most advertisers are not equipped to run long-query, question-based campaigns.
But now intent looks like this - a real question vs a keyword:
“What’s the best car insurance for someone who owns a Ford F-150, works in construction, and drives 20,000 miles a year?”
That’s not a keyword. That’s language.