Yes, your regular Search campaign can now show ads in Google’s AI Mode, but only in a small test and only for searches with clear, direct intent. Google confirmed in September 2026 that exact and phrase match keywords are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode, where before the route in was broad match, AI Max for Search or Performance Max. For a Canadian small business the practical answer is simple: you can’t target or opt into the placement, the AI Mode ad test has only been documented in the US, and the thing you control that matters most is the page your ad sends people to.
Here’s what’s confirmed, what isn’t, and what we’d actually do about it.
What changed in September 2026
On September 4, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported that advertiser Anthony Higman had spotted regular Search campaigns using exact and phrase match keywords serving ads in AI Mode. Google’s Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, confirmed it as “a small experiment that recently kicked off” and added that exact and phrase match keywords are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode only “where there is explicit and direct user intent” (Search Engine Roundtable’s report).
That’s a real shift. When Google first announced ads in AI Mode, it said advertisers using Performance Max, Shopping, and Search campaigns with broad match (including AI Max for Search) would be eligible (Google’s Marketing Live announcement). If you ran a tight exact and phrase match account, which plenty of trades and clinics do to control spend, you were effectively shut out.
Two caveats worth holding onto:
- Google hasn’t defined “explicit and direct intent.” In practice it likely means short, clearly commercial searches (“furnace repair Vernon”) rather than long conversational ones (“what should I check before calling someone about a noisy furnace”). That’s our reading, not Google’s wording.
- It’s an experiment. No end date, no published country list, and no promise it becomes permanent. Higman argued publicly that it looked bigger than a small test. Google described it as limited. Plan around the limited version.
Marvin also made Google’s preference clear: AI Max and Performance Max for Search are the products it says are built to capture complex conversational intent and its newer AI Mode ad formats.
What AI Mode ads look like
Google’s own description is that, where relevant, ads may appear “below and integrated into” AI Mode responses. The confirmed format in this test is a text ad, the same headline and description assets your Search campaign already runs.
The best independent look at how often they show up comes from SE Ranking. Its study of AI Mode ads checked 50,032 commercial keywords across 20 niches, using US AI Mode results collected on June 30, 2026. Its findings:
- 29.45% of those keywords returned a text ad in AI Mode, close to one in three.
- When ads appeared, 71.1% of the time there were two of them together, and 28.9% of the time just one.
- Only 11.53% of advertiser domains were also cited as sources in the same AI answer, and only 1.95% at the exact URL level.
Keep the scope in mind. That’s a US-only snapshot of commercial keywords from a single collection date, before the September exact and phrase match test was confirmed. It tells you ads in AI Mode are common for buying-intent searches in the US. It doesn’t tell you anything about Canadian results. The citation finding is the useful lesson: paying for the ad slot doesn’t earn you a mention in the answer itself. Those are separate games.
Which campaign types are eligible
Here’s how the pieces fit, based on what Google has said and documented.
| Campaign setup | AI Overviews (ads within) | AI Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Search, broad match | Eligible | Eligible (per Google’s 2025 announcement) |
| Search with AI Max for Search | Eligible | Eligible, and Google’s preferred route |
| Performance Max | Eligible | Eligible |
| Shopping | Eligible | Eligible |
| Search, exact or phrase match only | Eligible | Small test, explicit and direct intent only (Sept 2026) |
| Can you opt out or target the placement? | No | Not offered |
The AI Overviews column comes from Google’s help page on ads and AI Overviews, which says text and Shopping ads from existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are eligible, that ads follow the normal auction, and that you can’t opt out. It also says Google doesn’t show ads in AI Overviews for sensitive verticals, naming healthcare and finance among them. If you run a clinic or a financial practice, expect fewer AI placements regardless of setup.
Is Canada included?
For ads inside AI Overviews, yes. Google’s help page lists Canada among the countries where ads within AI Overviews are available, in English, on mobile and desktop. Ads above or below AI Overviews can show anywhere AI Overviews are available.
For ads in AI Mode, unconfirmed. Google’s original announcement described AI Mode ads as a test and named no countries. The September 2026 coverage of the exact and phrase match experiment didn’t name any either. We couldn’t find a Google source confirming AI Mode ads are serving in Canada as of this writing. If Google publishes a country list, that settles it. Until then, treat AI Mode ads as a US test that may reach Canada, not something to plan a Canadian budget around.
AI Mode itself is available to Canadian searchers, which we covered in our Google AI Mode survival guide for Canadian businesses. Organic visibility there matters now, whether or not ads follow.
How to tell if your ads served there
Short answer: you mostly can’t, yet.
- Google’s AI Overviews help page says Google Ads “currently doesn’t offer segmented reporting” for ads shown within AI Overviews, and those impressions are reported as Top Ads.
- We found no Google documentation of a dedicated AI Mode placement segment.
- If you use AI Max, Google’s AI Max reporting help documents a search terms view you can filter to the AI Max match type (with a Source column), keyword report rows for AI Max expanded matches and landing page matches, and a landing pages report showing which URLs AI Max chose. That shows what AI Max matched, not which surface the ad appeared on.
What you can do is watch for patterns. Longer, question-shaped queries appearing in your search terms report, or a shift in Top Ads impressions without a matching change in your own settings, are hints. They aren’t proof, and anyone telling you they can isolate AI Mode spend from standard Search results today is guessing.
Should you turn on AI Max?
Not by default. AI Max for Search bundles three things: search term matching beyond your keyword list, text customization (Google rewriting and combining your headlines and descriptions), and final URL expansion (Google picking which page on your site to send people to). Google’s help documentation recommends pairing it with conversion-based automated bidding.
For most small Canadian accounts, our rule of thumb:
- Turn it on if your conversion tracking is clean (real calls and form leads, not page views), you’re getting a steady flow of conversions each month, and your site has several strong service pages Google could reasonably send people to.
- Hold off if your tracking is shaky, your budget is tight, or your site has thin pages you’d never want an ad landing on. Final URL expansion can and will pick them.
- Either way, check the search terms and landing pages reports weekly for the first month and add negatives fast.
One date to know: Google’s AI Max reporting page says that starting February 2027, campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads will be automatically upgraded to AI Max. If you run DSA, decide before then rather than letting it happen to you.
Budget implications
AI Mode doesn’t come with its own budget line. Any AI Mode or AI Overviews impressions draw from the same daily campaign budget you already set. A few practical effects:
- Broader matching spends faster. Moving from exact and phrase to broad or AI Max to chase AI placements widens the net. More impressions, more clicks, often a higher share of weak ones.
- The exact and phrase test is low-risk. If Google expands it, your existing tight keywords simply become eligible for another surface. You don’t need to change anything to be included.
- Don’t chase the placement. You can’t target it, can’t opt out, and can’t measure it cleanly. Spend decisions should still be made on cost per qualified lead, not on whether an ad showed in AI Mode.
Why landing pages matter more than ever
Here’s the bit that’s fully in your control. Someone clicking an ad from an AI Mode answer has usually already read a summary of their options. They arrive further along, with sharper expectations. If your page is slow, generic, or makes them hunt for a phone number, they’re gone.
It also shows up in what you pay. Google’s Quality Score has three components: expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience, which Google defines as how relevant and useful your landing page is to people who click your ad. A weak page drags all of your ad costs up, on every surface.
A quick landing page checklist for Search ads in 2026:
- One page per service, matching the ad’s promise in the headline.
- Phone number and a short form visible without scrolling on mobile.
- Real proof near the top: reviews, photos of actual work, service area.
- Loads fast on a phone over cell data.
- Conversion tracking on calls and form submissions, tested.
We go much deeper on this in PPC landing page optimization.
FAQ
Can my exact match keywords show ads in Google AI Mode?
Possibly. Google confirmed in September 2026 a small experiment where exact and phrase match keywords in standard Search campaigns are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode, limited to searches with explicit and direct intent. You can’t opt in. If your campaign is included, it happens automatically.
Are AI Mode ads available in Canada?
Not confirmed. Ads inside AI Overviews are available in Canada in English, according to Google’s help page. For AI Mode ads, we couldn’t find a Google source naming Canada as of October 13, 2026, so treat them as a US test for now.
Do I need AI Max to advertise in Google AI Mode?
Not strictly. Broad match Search, Performance Max and Shopping campaigns are eligible, and the September test adds exact and phrase match for direct-intent searches. Google does position AI Max and Performance Max as the main route into AI Mode and its newer formats.
Can I see how my ads performed in AI Mode?
Not directly. Google says it doesn’t offer segmented reporting for ads in AI Overviews, which are reported as Top Ads, and we found no documented AI Mode segment. AI Max reports show which search terms and landing pages it matched, not where the ad appeared.
What we’d do
If you run Google Ads for a small Canadian business, don’t rebuild your account around AI Mode yet. Keep your exact and phrase structure, fix your conversion tracking, and put the effort into landing pages that convert the more informed clicks AI search sends you. Test AI Max on one campaign only when the data supports it.
If you want a second set of eyes on your account or your landing pages, take a look at our PPC management, run a free website audit, or get in touch and we’ll give you an honest read on where your ad spend is leaking.
