Google brings AI Mode ads to 10 more countries and U.S. follow-up searches

Google is opening more of its conversational search experience to advertising as growth in its Search business slows. On October 28, 2026, the company said it was bringing AI Mode ads to 10 additional countries and launching ads in U.S. follow-up queries, extending paid placements further into ongoing search conversations.

New markets, and ads beyond the opening question

• Rolling out now: Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore.
• Planned for the fourth quarter of 2026: additional markets including Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. change concerns where advertising can appear within an exchange. Google calls the placements multiturn ads: they allow an ad to appear when someone asks a follow-up question in AI Mode. Google says ads will be labeled Sponsored and that it will continue testing new formats for helpfulness and relevance.

Longer questions create an advertising opportunity

Google says AI Mode queries are three times longer, on average, than traditional searches. Its argument is that these more conversational requests help it understand what people want and connect them with relevant businesses and services. The commercial pitch rests on understanding a more detailed request, rather than just a few search terms.

Those requests also extend beyond typing. Chief executive Sundar Pichai said one in five AI Mode searches globally involves voice, images or documents, TechCrunch reported. The outlet described the advertising expansion as a bid for new revenue opportunities as growth in Google's core Search advertising business slows.

19%First quarter

Google Search revenue growth in Q1 2026.

17%Second quarter

Google Search revenue growth in Q2 2026.

12%Third quarter

Google Search revenue growth in Q3 2026.

Google's early evidence centers on clicks

Google says its research finds people comfortable with AI Mode ads and considers the ads highly relevant. It also reports similar click-through rates—the share of displayed items that receive a click—for sponsored and organic product-list items within AI Mode. Organic items are unpaid listings.

That comparison measures engagement with product listings, not whether clicks become purchases or produce revenue gains. It offers an early signal of user response, but does not establish whether the international and follow-up placements will accelerate Search revenue growth.