What Brands Who Rely on Google Ads & SERP Should Do Now
Over the past 20 years, Google has been the gateway to the internet. Every marketing plan, from SEO and paid search to content and analytics, has orbited around one assumption: people Google things.
But 2024–2025 changed that.
AI assistants exploded in adoption, and AI Overviews took over Google’s results pages. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity normalized asking questions conversationally. Companies are wondering:
What happens if “Googling it” stops being the default?
And what does that mean for Google Ads, SEO, and brand visibility?
At Xeno Media, we dove into the best available research, current usage data, and emerging predictive models to understand where search is actually going, and what brands need to do about it right now.
Are people actually replacing Google with AI?
The short answer: not yet, but the shift is very real.
Some key data points from 2024–2025:
- Google still handles far more searches than AI-assistant-based search. But AI assistant usage is growing rapidly.
- Perplexity began testing ads in late 2024 — a sign that AI-powered search engines are becoming serious about monetization. TechCrunch+1
- As of late 2025, ads in Google AI Overviews are now being expanded beyond the U.S. to other English-speaking markets. Search Engine Land+1
- Reports from several agencies show that AI-powered search is “redefining paid search” in 2025 — a clear sign that this isn’t niche anymore. Adthena+1
Search is no longer a single place. It’s becoming an ecosystem.
The hidden shift: AI reduces clicks and changes the value of visibility
Early signals from advertisers and SEO analysts suggest:
- On queries where AI Overviews appear, the old “click-through to organic link” behavior is changing. Because AI-generated answers often give a complete response, users may no longer feel the need to click. Azarian Growth Agency+1
- Some marketers report declining CTRs as a result. AdVenture PPC+1
- That said: if you are referenced (or advertised) inside an AI overview, you may get more qualified traffic — because AI tends to surface fewer but more relevant links or ads. blog.google+1
So while total “visits from search” may decrease in some categories, the remaining visits may be more intent-driven — which could mean higher conversion and value per visit.
Will Google’s power really shrink?
We asked ChatGPT to model a hypothetical forecast (for illustrative purposes): if AI-assistant tools grow aggressively while Google’s pure-search growth remains modest, by 2030 AI-powered assistants could represent a growing portion of “search-related demand.”
Because high-value queries (research, comparison, planning) tend to migrate early to AI tools, even a small share of total volume can disproportionately affect the queries that drive purchases and conversions.
That said: Google isn’t stepping aside. With features like AI Overviews and Google AI Mode, along with embedded ads, Google is shifting how it retains control over discovery and monetization.
What brands must do now (the new 2025–2027 playbook)
Shift from SEO to “Search Everywhere Optimization” (SEO + GEO + AI visibility)
- Strengthen your brand’s “entity signals” across the web, in directories, public profiles, structured data, etc.
- Use structured data (schema.org: Organization, Product, Service) to help AI systems recognize and surface your brand.
- Publish content that answers full questions using guides, FAQs, comparisons, and long-form explainers, since generative-AI systems tend to surface and summarize comprehensive, authoritative content.
- Make sure you appear in forums, Q&A sites, industry directories, the places where AI engines may pull data.
Upgrade your paid-search / advertising mindset
- Recognize that ads may no longer be only “text ads + keywords + SERP.” They may appear inside AI summaries, as “suggested next steps,” or in other AI-native ad formats.
- Invest in clean conversion tracking, high-quality data feeds, and first-party audience signals so that AI-driven ad placements can be measured properly.
- Optimize creative and copy for clarity and relevance — because AI engines may summarize or rephrase ad copy when surfacing ads.
Build moats outside Google entirely
- Develop owned audiences: email lists, communities, direct-to-customer touchpoints, social, partnerships.
- Strengthen brand identity so people search for you by name, not just your offering.
- Create content that’s memorable, human, and valuable, all the things that AI summarization can’t fully replicate in terms of brand feel.
Prepare for “AI Assistant Ad Platforms”
- Even though today the largest-scale ads inside AI search are run by Google, other players are experimenting. For example, Perplexity’s sponsored follow-up questions show how non-Google AI search tools may monetize. Search Engine Land+2Business Insider+2
As the ecosystem grows, be ready to test ads (or at least visibility efforts) on non-Google AI platforms — before the space becomes oversaturated.
Why this matters now
Because AI-powered search and assistant tools are evolving so quickly, the rules of visibility, discovery, and advertising are changing with them.
Brands that treat AI assistants as “just another channel,” and optimize accordingly, now stand to gain first-mover advantage. Those that wait for the next phase may find themselves scrambling.
At Xeno Media, we view this as the new frontier: an environment where SEO, ads, content, and analytics converge, and where adaptability wins.
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