AI-generated summaries now answer many informational search queries directly on the results page, reducing the need to click through to a website at all. This shift has real implications for how paid search budgets should be allocated going forward.
Why This Matters for Advertisers
When AI can answer a question directly in the search results, fewer people click through — including on ads targeting that same informational query. Budget aimed at purely educational keywords is increasingly competing against an answer the searcher may never need to click past to get.
The Shift Toward High-Intent Keywords
The practical response many advertisers are taking is reallocating budget away from broad, informational keywords and toward keywords that signal a person is closer to actually buying — comparison terms, pricing questions, and "near me" style searches that AI summaries are less likely to fully satisfy on their own.
It's Not All Bad News
Transactional and commercial-intent searches — the ones that matter most for conversion — remain less affected, since AI Overviews are most useful for answering questions, not completing purchases or bookings.
What to Actually Do About It
- Audit which of your keywords are purely informational versus commercial intent
- Shift budget toward bottom-of-funnel, high-intent terms where AI answers matter less
- Keep an eye on emerging ad formats appearing directly within AI-powered search experiences
The Bottom Line
AI Overviews aren't ending paid search, but they are reshaping which keywords are still worth paying for. The advertisers adapting fastest are the ones reallocating toward intent rather than holding onto strategies built for how search used to work. If you'd like help auditing your own keyword mix against this shift, that's a conversation Project Five Digital is glad to have.