Google AI Overviews + Ads Are Surging. Your B2B Plan Must Too

Google is turning the search results page into a two-layer experience: paid placements you can buy, and AI-generated answers you can’t.

That matters now because the overlap between ads and Google AI Overviews is no longer occasional—it’s accelerating fast. And when AI answers show up more often on the same queries you’re paying to win, the rules of attention, click-through, and attribution change.

The news: Ads + Google AI Overviews are exploding

Two developments, taken together, should change how you think about search and demand capture in 2026 planning.

First, Semrush reported a sharp increase in results pages that include both ads and Google AI Overviews. Their headline finding is explicit: **“SERPs with Ads + AI Overviews Grew by Over 394% in 2025.”** (Source: Semrush)

Second, there’s now a real business impact being attributed directly to AI Overviews. NewsAPI coverage of AI Overviews ads highlighted that **DMGT attributed a decline in digital ad revenue to Google’s AI Overviews**, stating **“digital ad revenue down 15% to £148.3M due to Google's AI Overviews.”** (Source: NewsAPI: AI Overviews Ads)

Those two facts are the signal: AI Overviews are appearing more often *alongside* ads, and at least one major publisher is publicly tying revenue declines to that shift.

What this means for B2B marketers (and media buyers)

1) Your paid search is increasingly competing with an answer, not just other advertisers

Semrush’s finding—**394%+ growth in SERPs that show both ads and AI Overviews in 2025**—means more of your high-intent queries are likely to include an AI-generated response at the top of the page *in addition to* ads.

In practical terms, you’re buying presence in an environment where Google also provides an “instant answer” layer. Even when your ad still shows, user behavior can change when the page itself is designed to satisfy the query without a click.

2) The publisher revenue story is a warning about downstream performance and measurement

DMGT’s statement (via NewsAPI coverage) is notable because it ties a concrete financial outcome to AI Overviews: **a 15% decline in digital ad revenue, to £148.3M, attributed to Google’s AI Overviews.**

You don’t need to assume your exact outcomes will match a publisher’s. But you *should* treat this as evidence that AI Overviews can shift value away from traditional click-based ecosystems. For B2B, that creates two immediate risks:

• **Attribution risk:** If fewer people click through, the signals your pipeline reporting relies on can weaken—even if awareness and consideration are happening.
• **Inventory/value shift risk:** If publishers see revenue pressure, the broader paid media market may respond (pricing, placements, partner strategies), and your mix may need to adjust.

3) AEO becomes a demand-capture strategy, not a content nice-to-have

When AI Overviews appear more often on pages that also run ads, you’re effectively facing a blended SERP where:

• Paid buys visibility
• AI answers shape perception and shortlist brands

That’s exactly where Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) becomes operational. Your goal isn’t just “rank” or “write thought leadership.” It’s to increase the odds that your brand’s positioning, proof points, and category language are the material that answer engines (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, Brave, Meta AI) can confidently use.

Action items: What to do right now

1) Audit your highest-spend queries for AI Overview exposure

Start with the queries you spend the most on and the queries that historically drove your best conversion rates. You’re looking for where AI Overviews show up *and* ads appear—because Semrush has shown that combination is rising fast (394%+ growth in 2025).

Output you want: a prioritized list of “money queries” where the SERP experience is changing.

2) Rewrite landing pages for “answer extraction,” not just conversion

If AI Overviews are increasingly present on commercial SERPs, your pages should make it easy for systems to extract clear, correct, defensible answers.

What to change immediately:

• Add tight, plain-language definitions of your category and use cases
• Put key claims in scannable formats (short paragraphs, bullets)
• Make “who it’s for” and “when to use it” explicit

This doesn’t replace conversion copy; it supports it by aligning with how AI answer layers synthesize information.

3) Expand measurement beyond last-click expectations

DMGT’s revenue attribution (15% down, to £148.3M, due to AI Overviews) is a reminder that click-based economics can be disrupted.

In your reporting, pressure-test how dependent you are on last-click from search. If search clicks soften while demand remains, you need supporting indicators (share of voice on priority topics, branded search trends, assisted conversions) to avoid cutting spend in the wrong places.

4) Build a “SERP + Answer Engine” coverage plan

Treat Google AI Overviews as one answer engine in a broader set that includes ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, Brave, and Meta AI.

Operationally, that means:

• Mapping your top buying questions (not just keywords)
• Creating one authoritative “best answer” asset per question cluster
• Ensuring consistency in how you describe the problem, the approach, and the proof

The objective is to win both layers: paid visibility and AI-mediated recommendation.

Bottom line

Semrush’s data shows **SERPs with both ads and Google AI Overviews grew by over 394% in 2025**, and NewsAPI coverage reports **DMGT attributed a 15% digital ad revenue decline to AI Overviews**. For B2B marketers, that’s your cue to treat AEO as core demand capture—because the SERP is becoming an ad auction *and* an answer engine at the same time.