Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, explains how keyword match types fit into the AI Max overview (AIO) and AI mode ad placement – addressing ongoing confusion among advertisers testing AI Max and mixed match type setups.
Why do we care. As ads expand to AI-powered placement, marketers need to understand which keywords are appropriate to use – and when – to avoid narrowing or misreading performance.
Back in May. In response to questions from Marketing Director Yoav Eitani, Marvin confirmed that an ad can run above or below the AI Overview. or within AI Overview – but not both in the same auction:
- “Your ad may start showing above/below AIO or within AIO, but not both at this time.” Marvin confirmed.
While both exact and broad match keywords can be eligible to run ads above or below AIO, only broad match keywords (or keywordless targeting) are eligible to run ads within AI Overview.
What has changed. In the following interview with Paid Search expert Toan Tran, Marvin clarified that Google has revised the way eligibility works. Previously, the presence of an exact match keyword would prevent a broad match keyword from working in AI Overview. That’s not the case anymore.
- “The presence of a similar keyword in an exact match will not prevent a broad match keyword from triggering an ad in AI Overview, as an exact match keyword is not eligible to display Ads in AI Overview and therefore cannot compete with a broad match keyword.” Marvin said.
Since exact match keywords are not eligible for AI overview placement, they don’t compete with broad match keywords in that auction – meaning broad match can still trigger ads within AIO even if the same keyword exists as an exact match.
Big picture. Google enforces a clear distinction between traditional keyword matching and AI-powered intent matching. Ads in AI Insights rely on a deep understanding of both the user query and the AI-generated content, which is why relevance is limited to broad targeting signals.
An important point. Exact match keywords and terms won’t show ads in AI Overview — but neither will they prevent broad matches from doing so. For marketers dependent on AI Max and AIO placements, broad matchmaking and keywordless strategies are now essential to unlocking access to Google-driven AI environments.
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