ChatGPT Ads Show Premium CPMs as AI Overviews Cut Clicks

B2B demand gen is entering a new phase: answer engines are becoming both the place people get answers and the place you may have to pay to be seen. That shift matters now because two things are happening at the same time—paid visibility is showing up inside ChatGPT, and organic visibility from Google’s AI results is expected to drive fewer clicks out to your site.

If you’ve been treating “AI search” as a future problem, these updates make it a current budget and measurement problem. Your pipeline still needs volume, but the mechanics of how attention turns into traffic are changing.

The news: premium ChatGPT ad pricing + less traffic from AI Overviews

**1) Early details point to premium CPMs for ChatGPT ads.**

Search Engine Journal reported that its PPC Pulse “recaps early details on ChatGPT’s premium ad pricing,” specifically noting early details reported as **CPMs for ChatGPT ads**. (Search Engine Journal)

That’s the key signal: the market is already framing ChatGPT inventory as premium-priced, and it’s being discussed in the language media buyers actually use (CPM).

**2) Google AI Overviews are expected to send less traffic.**

Search Engine Roundtable covered a video update titled “AI Overviews To Send Less Traffic,” explicitly framing the expectation that AI Overviews will drive fewer visits to external sites. (Search Engine Roundtable)

**3) There’s also mention of opting out of Google AI Overviews.**

In the same Search Engine Roundtable item, the title includes “Opt Out Of It,” indicating discussion/mention of opting out of AI Overviews. (Search Engine Roundtable)

Taken together, the story is simple: **paid reach inside ChatGPT is being priced like premium media, while Google’s AI layer is expected to reduce outbound traffic—and there’s at least conversation about opting out of that AI layer.**

What this means for B2B marketers and media buyers

1) “Traffic” is becoming a less reliable success metric for AI-era visibility

If AI Overviews are expected to send less traffic (Search Engine Roundtable), then the classic loop—rank, earn the click, retarget, convert—gets weaker at the top of the funnel.

That doesn’t mean your content stops mattering. It means you need to plan for a world where:

• Your brand can be present in the answer, but
• The user doesn’t always need to click through.

For B2B, this is especially painful because long sales cycles often depend on multiple site touches, stakeholder sharing, and retargeting pools. If fewer people click, you’ll feel it in audience growth and in the “invisible” early-stage influence that’s hard to attribute.

2) ChatGPT is starting to look like a paid channel, not just an influence channel

The Search Engine Journal note about “premium ad pricing” and early CPM details (Search Engine Journal) should change how you think about ChatGPT:

• You may be buying reach where the user is actively seeking an answer.
• You should expect scrutiny on efficiency because “premium” CPMs raise the bar for creative, targeting, and downstream conversion.

The practical implication: **ChatGPT may join your media plan the way LinkedIn or premium programmatic does—high intent, high cost, high expectations.**

3) The opt-out conversation forces a strategic choice: participate vs. protect

Search Engine Roundtable’s mention of “Opt Out Of It” (Search Engine Roundtable) puts a new decision on the table. Even without getting into the mechanics (not covered in the provided claims), the strategic question for marketers is clear:

• Do you want your content to be used in AI Overview experiences if it may send less traffic?
• Or do you prioritize controlling distribution, even if that reduces visibility inside the answer layer?

This isn’t just an SEO question. It’s a revenue question. If AI Overviews reduce traffic (Search Engine Roundtable), then any decision that affects your presence there can impact brand discovery, demand capture, and the top-of-funnel volume your paid teams rely on.

What to do right now (action items)

1) Update your KPI stack for “answer engine” outcomes

If AI Overviews are expected to send less traffic (Search Engine Roundtable), you need KPIs that don’t depend entirely on clicks.

Do this now:

• Separate **visibility** KPIs (share of presence in answers) from **traffic** KPIs (sessions, clicks).
• Build a reporting view that tracks performance across answer engines by name: **ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, Brave, Meta AI**.

You’re not changing goals—you’re making sure your measurement matches the distribution reality.

2) Treat ChatGPT inventory like premium media from day one

Search Engine Journal’s reporting frames ChatGPT ads with “premium ad pricing” and CPMs (Search Engine Journal). That’s your cue to plan tests like you would for any expensive placement.

Do this now:

• Define a tight test objective (pipeline quality, demo starts, target-account reach—pick one).
• Set clear cost guardrails before you launch (premium CPMs can burn budget fast).
• Build creative that answers the question directly (because the user is in an “answer-seeking” mindset).

3) Decide your AI Overview posture: maximize presence or prioritize traffic

Because the same Search Engine Roundtable update both expects less traffic and mentions opting out (Search Engine Roundtable), you should make an explicit policy decision rather than letting it happen by default.

Do this now:

• Align SEO + paid + web analytics on what you value most in 2026: **distribution inside answers** or **click-through volume**.
• If you choose “distribution,” optimize content to be quotable and easily summarized.
• If you choose “traffic,” evaluate the opt-out discussion carefully with stakeholders (the claim indicates it’s being discussed; your team needs a point of view).

4) Rebalance budget expectations between organic and paid discovery

When organic surfaces send less traffic (Search Engine Roundtable) and paid surfaces show premium pricing (Search Engine Journal), the middle ground disappears. You’ll likely need to:

• Accept fewer organic clicks from AI layers, and
• Be more selective about where you pay for reach.

Do this now:

• Identify which product lines or offers can support higher acquisition costs.
• Reserve budget for experimentation in emerging answer-engine placements (starting with ChatGPT, given the CPM pricing discussion). (Search Engine Journal)

Bottom line

ChatGPT ads are already being discussed in terms of premium CPM pricing (Search Engine Journal), while Google AI Overviews are expected to send less traffic—and even include mention of opting out (Search Engine Roundtable). Your job now is to measure visibility beyond clicks, test paid answer-engine inventory with discipline, and choose a clear posture on AI Overviews instead of drifting into one.