Google plans to expand ads within AI Overviews to additional English-speaking markets beyond the U.S. by the end of 2025. These ads will appear alongside AI-generated summaries, changing the competitive landscape from traditional text ads above links to placements embedded in the answer experience. For contractors, this blurs intent on diagnostic and research queries, making precise targeting, strong conversion signals, and tight call tracking essential. The piece emphasizes prioritizing calls and booked jobs over vanity metrics, warning against loose automation like maximize clicks without guardrails.

Google’s AI Overview Ads Are Expanding — Here’s What Contractors Should Do Before It Hits Your Market

TL;DR: Google plans to roll out ads inside AI Overviews to more English-speaking markets beyond the U.S. by end of 2025. Expect ads to appear alongside AI-generated answers, especially on complex, “how do I…” searches. For HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops: protect the phones. Tighten your intent targeting, shore up call tracking, prep creative that wins urgent service intent, and test with guardrails. Don’t let automation chase vanity impressions.

What’s Changing (and Why It Matters)

Google is expanding ads within AI Overviews to additional English-speaking markets by the end of 2025. These are the AI-generated summaries that sit at the top of the SERP and attempt to answer complex queries in one shot. Ads will live alongside those summaries—less like classic text ads stacked above blue links, and more like paid placements stitched into the AI answer experience.

Background: Google introduced ads in AI Overviews at Google Marketing Live 2025. The plan is a gradual rollout to help users and advertisers adjust. Frederik Boysen (CEO, Profitmetrics.io) shared this update after attending a Google Access event, underscoring that search advertising is shifting toward generative experiences, not just ten blue links.

For contractors, this matters because intent is blurring. Some “diagnostic” searches (“furnace smells like gas,” “breaker keeps tripping”) could trigger an AI Overview. If ads appear inline there, you’re competing in a new frame: the answer, not the list. That can help or hurt depending on how tight your targeting and creative are.

Where AI Overviews Likely Hit Hardest

• Informational and troubleshooting: “Why is my AC freezing up,” “toilet keeps running,” “tankless vs tank water heater.”
• Comparison and cost queries: “Heat pump vs furnace cost,” “panel upgrade cost,” “water heater replacement cost.”
• Complex, multi-step problems: “No hot water after replacing element,” “GFCI keeps tripping when it rains.”

Emergency, high-intent “near me” searches will still lean heavily on Local Services Ads, Maps, and standard Search. But AI Overviews will siphon attention on top- and mid-funnel queries that often lead to calls later the same day. That’s the wedge.

My Take: Calls Over Clicks, Always

Don’t chase AI placements for the novelty. Make them earn their keep in booked jobs.

Generative experiences are engagement-heavy and conversion-light unless you force discipline. If you run “maximize clicks,” expect a lot of junk. If you feed weak conversion signals, expect automation to optimize for the wrong behavior.

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Google Marketing Live 2025; Frederik Boysen (CEO, Profitmetrics.io) via a Google Access event