Search ads are Google’s money machine.

22 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, Phil Risher argues that Google’s recent transition from traditional "10 blue links" search results to an AI-driven search mode signals a major strategic shift. He emphasizes that search ads have long been Google’s primary revenue source and that embedding ads within AI-mode search results will likely become the dominant way to acquire customers. Risher asserts that agencies must anticipate this change and prepare their clients for a future where AI-powered search and integrated ads are central to marketing strategies.

Chapters

You don't need to know exactly what AI is going to look like in 3 years to predict these types of things. You just need to follow the signals that Google is changing search. Their honey hole of money is in search ads. They, for the first time in 25 years, stopped going to search the 10 blue links and now go to AI mode. Do you think that they're going to bet billions of dollars on this? All I can say is they made this huge shift. I have to believe that what they're doing is going to be what's going to be the best way to get customers in the future for our client. They know that ads is most important. So if they're shifting ads inside of AI mode, then I have to believe that this is what AI is going to look like in the future, and I have to prepare our clients for that.