For the better part of two decades, Google search was the line item media buyers rarely had to defend. AI Overviews complicated that. Google now answers more queries on the results page itself, which changes how often people click through to an advertiser and what each click is worth.
That, in turn, means fewer prime ad slots around the search results people see, and Google’s automated buying tools, now the default for most campaigns, are quick to pay up for the ones that remain. Q4 makes it worse as seasonal advertisers bid up CPCs in the quarter that matters most.
Nearly a month into that quarter, advertisers want to know what all that extra spend is buying. Across conversations with 18 media buyers, Digiday found clients putting Google through the kind of scrutiny usually saved for newer channels.
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