Google expanded ads in AI Mode to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore in late October 2026, with additional market expansion planned. Google says queries in AI Mode are on average longer and more conversational than traditional searches, which changes how commercial intent can appear during research and follow-up questions.
Advertisers do not create a separate AI Mode campaign or dedicated budget. Eligible Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can participate automatically when relevant, while reporting remains aggregated into existing campaign and search-term views. This guide explains what Indian and global businesses can control, what they cannot isolate and how to improve readiness without assuming that every AI interaction is a new conversion channel.
1. Understand where the ad can appear
AI Overviews provide generated summaries on the results page, while AI Mode supports deeper conversational exploration and follow-up questions. Ads can appear within or alongside these experiences when Google identifies commercial relevance and labels them Sponsored. Layouts continue to be tested, so do not design a strategy around one screenshot or placement.
2. Confirm current country and language eligibility
Google currently documents ads within AI Overviews and AI Mode in selected countries, including India, with English availability and market-specific limitations. Pakistan may support text ads only, and Indonesia is listed for AI Overviews rather than AI Mode. Verify the live help page before forecasting reach because countries, languages and formats can change.
3. Know which campaigns participate
Existing eligible Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can enter the auction automatically. There is no separate AI Mode campaign switch, budget or bid strategy. Audit the campaigns already serving in each target market, because weak conversion definitions or stale product data can now affect an additional search experience without a new setup step.
4. Separate direct from contextual matching
An ad can match directly when a query has clear commercial intent or contextually when buying intent emerges from the user’s question and the AI response. Exact and phrase keywords remain useful for direct intent, while AI-powered targeting can be eligible for broader contextual matching. Treat this as a reach trade-off that requires stronger negatives and measurement.
5. Map real conversational questions
Collect long questions from sales calls, support tickets, WhatsApp conversations, on-site search and search-term reports. Group them by problem, comparison, compatibility, price, location and risk. Do not turn every question into a keyword. Use the map to improve ads, product facts and pages so the business can answer the context around the purchase.
6. Strengthen conversion data before expanding
Confirm primary conversions, duplicate-event controls, enhanced conversions where appropriate, offline outcomes and transaction values. A form submission should not equal a qualified opportunity when many leads are irrelevant. Smart Bidding can only optimise toward the outcomes supplied, so connect later sales evidence when the business has the systems and lawful basis to do so.
7. Refresh campaign assets for deeper intent
Provide distinct headlines, descriptions, images, offers, locations and sitelinks that explain who the product is for and what makes it suitable. Avoid unsupported superlatives and vague “best solution” copy. Google may combine assets in new layouts, so every asset should make sense alone and remain consistent with the destination page.
8. Prepare for independent AI explainers
Some AI-surface ads can include an explainer generated by Google to show why an option may relate to the search. Advertisers cannot manually write, approve or opt out of these explainers. Keep public website facts accurate, specific and current, and monitor how the brand is represented without confusing generated context with advertiser-authored copy.
9. Make landing pages answer the next question
Long conversational queries often carry several needs at once. A useful landing page should clarify fit, limitations, price or pricing method, evidence, delivery, returns and next steps. Use descriptive headings and original proof. Do not send every exploratory query to a generic homepage that forces the visitor to restart research.
- Keep the main promise aligned with the ad and actual offer.
- Show eligibility, compatibility or service-area limits early.
- Use real photographs, comparisons and customer evidence with permission.
- Make contact, booking or purchase actions clear on mobile.
10. Keep Merchant Center facts complete
Shopping participation depends on dependable product identity, titles, descriptions, images, price, availability, shipping and return information. The visible page, structured data, feed and checkout should agree. Conversational discovery can expose missing dimensions or compatibility facts, so prioritise attributes customers repeatedly ask about rather than adding promotional adjectives.
11. Use negatives and exclusions deliberately
Existing controls such as negative keywords, brand exclusions and asset pinning continue to apply, but there is no separate opt-out from AI Mode or AI Overviews while remaining in the same eligible Search experience. Review irrelevant intent, regulated claims, unsupported locations and low-value research patterns. Avoid broad exclusions that also block valuable discovery.
12. Read reporting with its limitations
Google includes AI Mode and AI Overview activity in standard campaign metrics and aggregates relevant queries in search-term reporting. Advertisers cannot currently isolate a complete standalone AI Mode performance report. Annotate rollout dates, compare qualified outcomes and avoid claiming that a campaign lift came from AI Mode when the reporting cannot prove it separately.
13. Build a franchise-market workflow
For franchise networks, centralise brand facts and conversion definitions while allowing location pages to reflect real services, hours, territories and proof. Audit whether national campaigns send conversational demand to the correct outlet. One generic page for every city can create poor relevance and operational confusion even when the ad itself earns attention.
14. Run a 30-day readiness sprint
Days 1–5: confirm eligibility, campaigns and measurement. Days 6–10: map conversational questions and negatives. Days 11–18: improve assets, priority pages and product data. Days 19–24: review search terms, lead quality and market differences. Days 25–30: document results, limitations and the next controlled change.
15. Optimise for usefulness, not the label
Do not increase budget merely because a campaign can appear in AI Mode. Scale when incremental qualified demand and contribution are improving. Repair when ads attract research that the website cannot convert. Hold or reduce spend when economics weaken. The durable advantage is a business that understands and answers buyer questions across every search surface.
Key takeaways
Put the framework into action
- Eligible Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can participate automatically; there is no separate AI Mode campaign or budget.
- Long conversational queries make accurate conversion data, complete assets and useful landing pages more important.
- AI Mode activity is aggregated into existing reporting, so measure qualified business outcomes without claiming unsupported channel-level attribution.
Research sources
Sources & further reading
This article provides general business education, not legal, tax or financial advice. Adapt the framework to your market and consult qualified professionals where required.