2025 UK PPC Trends – Why AI Overviews Are Reshaping Google Ads Strategy

Google’s new AI Overviews are transforming how people search, and how brands appear on results pages. As this feature expands into the UK in 2025, advertisers must rethink their keyword targeting, bidding strategy, and ad creative to stay visible in this new AI-driven search environment.

The Rise of AI Overviews in Google Search

Google’s AI Overviews, previously called “AI Mode,” are the smart summaries that appear at the top of search results when users ask complex or multi-step questions. Instead of showing ten blue links, Google now compiles answers from multiple sources and presents them directly within the search results — often before users even scroll down.

In 2025, Google began integrating ads directly into these AI Overviews across more English-speaking markets, including the UK. That means paid ads may now appear within the AI-generated answer box rather than in the traditional ad slots above or beside search results.

This fundamentally changes user behaviour. People may click fewer traditional ads because the AI Overview already delivers an answer. However, it also opens new opportunities for brands whose content and campaigns are optimised to appear inside these interactive summaries.

What It Means for UK Advertisers

For UK businesses, this shift represents both a challenge and a major opportunity. The challenge is that traditional Search ad performance could dip as AI Overviews occupy more visible real estate. The opportunity lies in being among the first brands whose ads and product listings are eligible to appear inside these new AI placements.

To prepare for this change, advertisers should expand beyond narrow exact-match keywords. AI Overviews tend to trigger on more conversational and exploratory searches — queries like “best composite decking for small UK gardens” rather than “buy decking boards UK.”

This makes Broad Match keywords combined with Smart Bidding more powerful, as they allow Google’s AI to match your ad to emerging search phrases that might not have enough historical data yet.

Ad creative also needs a new mindset. Instead of pushing a hard sale, successful ads in AI Overviews are those that guide and help the user, then lead naturally to your offer. Phrases like “Here’s how to protect your car’s paint long-term” or “Find out how composite decking lasts through UK winters” align better with the intent of AI-generated summaries.

Another important shift is the renewed importance of feed optimisation. Google’s Performance Max and Shopping campaigns already feed data to AI surfaces. High-quality product titles, accurate descriptions, and rich imagery are crucial to ensure eligibility and improve performance across these placements.

Finally, measurement and attribution must evolve. You may see impression and click patterns changing as more users engage with AI Overviews. Setting up experiments that compare AI-eligible campaigns to traditional Search can help you understand how user journeys are changing — and how your cost per conversion adjusts over time.

The Bigger Picture: Adapt or Fall Behind

2025 marks a turning point for Google Ads in the UK. As AI continues to shape how users discover information, the brands that adapt early will dominate new spaces where attention is shifting. Those who stick to old bidding methods and fixed-match strategies will see reduced visibility, higher CPCs, and weaker results.

The good news is that this transition also levels the playing field. Smaller and mid-sized businesses that adopt AI-ready PPC strategies can now compete with larger brands on relevance and automation — not just on ad spend.

How 1 Click Magic Helps You Stay Ahead

At 1 Click Magic, we help UK businesses future-proof their Google Ads strategy for the AI era. Our team — made up of ex-Google specialists — combines advanced campaign design, feed optimisation, and conversion tracking to make sure your ads appear where modern UK buyers are actually searching.

Here’s what we do for our clients:

Conduct in-depth campaign audits to assess your readiness for AI Overviews and identify lost impression opportunities.

Restructure Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns using Broad Match + Smart Bidding frameworks specifically optimised for AI-driven visibility.

Refine your product data feeds and creative assets so they qualify for the new AI surfaces.

Craft ad copy and landing content designed for conversational, answer-driven searches rather than outdated “click-bait” ads.

Build custom dashboards and tracking setups that reveal how AI Overviews are affecting your UK traffic and conversion performance.

If your current Google Ads setup was built for yesterday’s search, now is the time to evolve.

Book a free 30-minute PPC audit with 1 Click Magic — and let’s ensure your campaigns are ready for AI Overviews, Performance Max, and every new challenge 2025 brings to UK advertisers.