Zero-click searches could be stealing your traffic.
AI Overviews now dominate the top of many search results, giving users quick answers without ever clicking through. So, how do you keep your Google Ads campaigns competitive in 2025? Start by getting back to the basics.
The foundation for a strong Google Ads campaign hasn’t changed much. Even with new AI tools expanding what’s possible in paid media, the basics still matter. Establishing core elements like conversion tracking, keyword targeting, and negative keyword lists is essential, as is developing engaging creative assets that help your ads stand out and drive results.
However, many are using Google Ads’ AI features and new technologies to their advantage. Automated campaign features powered by AI are allowing paid media specialists to optimize and customize their Google Ad campaigns more intuitively—and quicker—than ever before.
Performance Max and Smart Bidding are two types of automated paid search campaigns, often used together. Both use Google’s AI machine learning models to optimize ad placements by automatically bidding on top search ranking positions. These tools also generate relevant Display and Search ad assets, like text and images.
If you’ve done a Google search recently, chances are you encountered an AI Overview at the top of the results page. These information summaries are pulled from sites relevant to search queries and are leading to increased search visibility for businesses with strong web content.
By giving users quick answers, AI Overviews reduce the need to scroll through results, effectively replacing the traditional path to clicks. This is contributing to a rise in zero-click searches and a decline in paid ad CTRs, meaning fewer search users are clicking on paid ads.
For every 1,000 Google searches in the U.S., 360 clicks go to the open web. (Source: Seer Interactive)
Still, by optimizing your web content with insights from SEO and keyword research, your site has a better chance of appearing in an Overview and staying visible in search results. This can help increase brand awareness even if users aren’t directly clicking on your ads.
Let’s learn more about some key trends that are transforming the way Google Ads are running in 2025.
As zero-click searches and AI-powered tools reshape how users interact with search engines, Google Ads strategies must evolve to keep up. Below are key trends that signal where paid media is headed—and what marketers should be doing now to stay ahead.
As data privacy regulations shift, creating relationships with clients outside of paid ad engagement will become more important than ever. Prioritize offline conversions and make sure you’re pursuing leads through other interactions with business owners and consumers in addition to your paid ad strategies.
AI isn’t just being used in Google Ad campaigns—it’s also affecting how people are choosing to search.
AI-powered search assistant tools like SearchGPT and Perplexity offer a way for search users to interact conversationally with their chosen keywords and queries, providing them with a unique format for discovering information.
As a result, these AI tools are threatening to not only increasingly take traffic away from traditional Google searches, but also transform the way consumers are searching. Consider experimenting with these search assistant tools and integrating their formats into your paid ads.
Potential disruptions to traditional digital advertising platforms may come in the form of legal challenges over data privacy. Third-party cookies may disappear entirely or provide significantly less reliable data trackers for search users’ activity.
Begin utilizing multiple data sources, including metrics related to offline conversions and lead generation, to get a full picture of whether your paid advertising strategies are paying off—or where they need to change to meet new standards of search and legal compliance.
Between legal uncertainties, competition with AI tools, and technology shifts, Google Ads continue to play a large role in lead and demand generation.
Paid search campaigns for industrial B2B companies require a different approach than direct-to-consumer advertising. Whether you’re ready to experiment with the latest AI-powered Google Ads tools or are just starting out in paid search, Highway 9 is here to help lead you to the finish line.
Our team has the industry expertise needed to guide your business’ paid search strategy to target unique audience segments, effectively track conversions, and increase conversion volume over time, all while adapting to new standards of AI-driven search.
Additionally, as a HubSpot Gold Partner Agency, we integrate HubSpot’s SEO tracking and optimization tools seamlessly into Google Ad campaigns, allowing for effortless automation, stronger conversion tracking, and increased ROI from paid media.
We’ll see you in the future of Google Ads. Want to stay ahead of the latest PPC trends shaping your campaigns? Start here.