AI Overviews in France: Revolution or Trap for Advertisers?

Introduction of AI Overviews in France

July 22, 2026, marked a significant milestone for the advertising market in France with the launch of AI Overviews and AI Mode by Google, two years after their introduction in the United States. This deployment, although gradual, is occurring at a steady pace and raises concerns among publishers who fear a decline in traffic to their sites. On the advertiser side, the impact of these new technologies remains largely unknown. The crucial question is how SEA will evolve when queries find their answers directly in summaries generated by Gemini, without requiring additional clicks. Léa Gueniffet, a consultant specializing in Google Ads and host of the podcast L’Effet Marketing, shares her insights on this new advertising dynamic.

Available Advertising Formats

Although AI Overviews and AI Mode are now available in France, integrated advertising is not yet active there. However, its arrival is imminent. Two main advertising formats can be distinguished:

• Traditional Search and Shopping Ads: Currently in effect in France, these ads appear above or below the AI blocks, thus repositioning the generated summary. Classic search campaigns are not disappearing but adapting to this new configuration.

• Ads integrated into AI Overview and AI Mode: Already in place in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and India, these ads blend into the responses generated by Gemini, mimicking natural recommendations. They transform the distribution criteria, shifting from keyword and bidding-based targeting to a content relevance and audience signal-focused approach.

This evolution requires advertisers to have greater maturity, as the parameters influencing distribution are now more complex and less predictable. Previously, it was sufficient to target specific keywords and manage bids to control ad distribution. Today, distribution depends on numerous factors, such as the relevance of the site's content, audience signals, and performance tracking. This increased complexity means that advertisers must be more sophisticated in their approach to succeed.

Impact on the SEA Model

The presence of AI summaries that answer queries directly without requiring clicks poses a major challenge to the traditional SEA model based on CPC. The click becomes a scarce resource and therefore more expensive. This trend is not new, but it is intensifying with AI. Transactional keywords, already difficult to exploit, see their costs rising, pushing advertisers to target queries earlier in the purchase funnel.

The AI Overview emphasizes this need to move up the funnel, as it is more often triggered by informational queries. In contrast, AI Mode could offer more transactional opportunities. The competition for available clicks is intensifying, driving up bids and benefiting Google.

Reevaluating the CPC is necessary, as it is no longer a sufficient KPI. Strategies must shift towards Smart Bidding focused on qualified conversions, where the cost per click is justified by conversion performance. Advertisers need to focus on the quality of conversions rather than just the cost per click, ensuring that each click leads to a meaningful action from the user.

Eligible Campaigns and Automation

Only certain campaigns are eligible in AI environments, prompting advertisers to adopt automation more extensively. However, it is crucial to maintain a balance. Experience with Performance Max has shown that total automation can lead to high acquisition costs and unstable performance.

Advertisers should avoid concentrating their budget solely on new technologies pushed by Google without prior testing. The balance between traditional Search and Shopping campaigns and new formats must be carefully orchestrated to maintain control and optimize results.

In 2026, the winning strategy on Google Ads relies on a judicious combination of manual management and automation, allowing for the leveraging of innovations while preserving the effectiveness of proven methods.

Attribution and Dependence on Google

The introduction of a conversational step in the user journey further complicates the attribution of conversions. Advertisers must rethink how they attribute sales and interactions, as the intermediate steps become more blurred. This increased complexity can reinforce advertisers' dependence on Google, which provides the tools and data necessary to navigate this new environment.

However, this situation also pushes companies to reevaluate their overall marketing mix. Rather than relying exclusively on Google, it becomes crucial to integrate other channels and strategies to diversify sources of traffic and conversions.

Experience with AI Max

The experience with AI Max is revealing of the challenges associated with adopting new advertising technologies. Despite Google's promises, the results after eight months of intensive testing remain unsatisfactory. This situation underscores the importance of not rushing into total automation without a thorough understanding of the implications and actual performance.

Advertisers must remain cautious and critical, carefully testing each new feature before fully integrating it into their strategies. The balance between innovation and control remains key to successfully navigating the ever-evolving advertising landscape.