Google Ads in AI Mode & AI Overviews

Actionable strategies for Google’s AI Surfaces

Join Mike Ryan, Head of Ecommerce Growth at smec, as he dissects the mechanics of Google’s new AI surfaces. He will move beyond the general hype to provide a technical breakdown of how ads are ranked, displayed, and measured in this new environment. You will walk away with a clear view of how to adapt your Search, Shopping, and Performance Max strategies to secure market share in 2026.

In this webinar, you will learn all about:

You’ll learn all about:

• The new AI ad infrastructure: A clear walkthrough of how ads appear above, below, and within AI Overviews and AI Mode across different global markets.
• Ranking without keywords: How Google’s relevance model is shifting toward AI understanding and landing page quality, and how Broad Match, AI Max, and PMax compete for territory.
• The 2026 readiness checklist: Critical steps for feed hygiene, Smart Bidding, inventory governance, and avoiding campaign cannibalization.
• Navigating limitations: The current reality of transparency—including the absence of per-surface reporting—and how to test and forecast despite these constraints.
• Consumer intent shifts: How to adapt your funnels and attribution for the rise of longer, chat-driven, and non-commercial search queries.

You can access the webinar presentation in our exclusive Knowledge Hub here.

Speakers

Mike
Ryan

Head of Ecommerce Insights
smec