Google has lifted the lid on a wave of AI-powered updates that promise sharper targeting, faster creative, and clearer reporting. Below is a simple walkthrough of what is coming, why it matters, and the actions worth taking now.
AI Max for Search, more performance without a rebuild
AI Max brings Google AI directly into existing Search campaigns. It enhances search term matching, adapts your ad copy with text customisation, and opens up final URL expansions. The idea is simple, more reach and relevance, the same campaign structure, plus granular controls and transparent reporting so you can see what is changing and why.
Why it matters: better coverage of emerging queries, stronger alignment between intent and creative, less manual wrangling.
What to do now: review your brand and URL guardrails, tighten negative lists, and get comfortable auditing AI-assisted search terms and assets.
Ads inside AI experiences
Ads in AI Overviews: Google will surface text and Shopping ads within AI-generated overviews, clearly labelled as Sponsored. This shortens the path from discovery to decision by placing your message in the answer itself. Google plans to expand to select English speaking countries later in 2025.
Ads in AI Mode: AI Mode supports free-form, multimodal conversations. Google is testing ad placements that blend into these conversational answers, so your brand can participate while people explore, compare, and refine.
I’m genuinely excited about the possibilities with the new Ads in AI Overviews, currently available in the US (hopefully rolling out to English-speaking countries later in 2025). Ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode accelerate the path from discovery to decision by integrating ads directly into AI-powered responses, reaching consumers at the moment they’re exploring options. Paired with NCA in Demand Gen, which optimises YouTube campaigns towards acquisition goals, these tools are particularly powerful for raising awareness for brands. Running this activity ahead of peak periods allows marketers to strategically expand awareness-stage coverage, engage users earlier in the funnel, and ensure full-funnel impact across the customer journey.
Chloe, Senior Paid Media Account Manager
What to do now: strengthen your product data and creatives, prioritise high quality images, prices, and availability, and refresh copy that answers common questions succinctly.
Travel Ads inside AI Max for Search
Travel advertisers can pilot a feed-driven integration that plugs business data straight into AI Max. It works alongside your keywords and RSAs, with enhanced formats and deeper understanding of your inventory.
Why it matters: better reach into new, long-tail queries, more relevant delivery, and feed-level controls inside Search.
Action: validate your feed hygiene, titles, attributes, price accuracy, and policies. Set up robust conversion tracking for booking steps.
Campaign Total Budgets for planned spikes
New budget tools let you set a fixed budget for a defined period, from 3 to 90 days, across Search, Shopping, and Performance Max. You can ramp spend faster and choose to prioritise volume versus target accuracy for 3 to 14 days.
Use cases: seasonal pushes, product drops, payday bursts, or ad hoc promotions.
Suggested Assets, AI that actually saves time
Suggested Assets creates a review area where Google proposes text and image assets for your campaigns. You can introduce new variations to your Asset Groups quickly, keeping combinations fresh and coverage high.
Tip: set approval workflows, tag accepted assets, and track lift in ad strength and CTR after each batch.
Integrated Conversion Measurement for App campaigns
Google’s new integration offers more real-time and comprehensive attribution for App campaigns inside your third-party App Attribution Partner. It is designed to improve accuracy, especially where privacy limits traditional signals.
Action: coordinate with your MMP, confirm event mapping, and compare pre and post integration lag and coverage.
New Customer Acquisition in Demand Gen
NCA is coming to Demand Gen so you can tell Google you want net new customers on YouTube, then optimise to that goal.
Action: define what “new” means in your CRM, upload or sync first-party audiences, and test value rules for higher lifetime value segments.
Ads Advisor, always-on help and optimisation prompts
Ads Advisor is a 24/7 self-service assistant. It helps troubleshoot issues, highlights opportunities, and explains the shape of your account so you spend less time hunting and more time improving.
Action: build a weekly habit, triage its suggestions, and document changes with before and after metrics.
YouTube and CTV updates worth noting
-
VRC Non-Skips, an AI-optimised format for efficient, non-skippable reach, especially on Connected TV.
-
Lookalike Audiences in YouTube, find users who mirror your highest value segments.
-
CTV Network Packages, buy high quality, brand-safe CTV inventory from major publishers inside Google Ads.
-
Cross-campaign Reach and Frequency, manage overall exposure across multiple YouTube video campaigns, avoid waste, and hold your weekly reach steady.
Action: refresh your video creative for 6 and 15 seconds, set guardrails for frequency, and align measurement across YouTube, CTV, and Search so incrementality is clear.
Five quick takeaways
-
Let AI Max extend your reach, keep your controls tight, and audit early.
-
Prepare product and creative quality for ads that live inside AI answers.
-
Use Campaign Total Budgets to plan and protect promotional bursts.
-
Embrace Suggested Assets, test in small batches, measure the lift.
-
Level up measurement, App integration for accuracy, NCA for growth, and YouTube tools for efficient reach.