Google Expands Ads in AI Overviews to 10 New Countries

Google is expanding ads in its AI Mode search feature to 10 new countries and introducing "multiturn ads" in the US that appear within follow-up queries, as Alphabet reports slower search ad revenue growth due to lower monetization of AI-driven searches. The expansion includes Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, and Singapore, with Brazil, Mexico, and the UK planned later this year. Google says these ads, labeled "sponsored," target users with commercial intent during conversational searches, though they may not appear without purchase signals. This shift exacerbates the "zero-click" crisis for online publishers, as AI Overviews appear on nearly half of queries and have driven a 61% drop in traffic to other pages. SEO expert Lily Ray advises users to scroll past AI results or set preferred sources to find publisher content.