The Google search results page you knew a year ago is already a relic. A significant change is unfolding, and it’s called AI Overviews. These AI-generated summaries appear at the very top of search results, aiming to give users instant answers without a single click. For businesses in Dubai that depend on paid search for lead generation, this is a serious development. The initial data shows a clear trend: click-through rates (CTR) are dropping while cost-per-click (CPC) is on the rise. Why? Because AI is siphoning off the easy, informational traffic, leaving a smaller, more competitive pool of users for advertisers to fight for.
This isn’t a signal to panic and pull your ad spend. It’s a signal to adapt. The nature of AI Overviews Paid Search interactions requires a smarter, more focused approach. Your old playbook might not produce the same results, but with the right adjustments, you can protect your performance and continue driving high-quality leads. When your competitors are confused or slow to react, a decisive strategic shift gives you a powerful advantage. This is about working with the new system, not against it. We’ve identified four critical pivots your business needs to make right now to stay competitive and keep your lead pipeline full.
Go Deep, Not Wide: Focus on High-Intent Keywords
The biggest impact of AI Overviews is on broad, top-of-the-funnel queries. Questions like “what are the benefits of a free zone company” or “how does digital marketing work” are prime candidates for an AI-generated summary. Users get their answer then and there, with no reason to click your ad. Spending your budget on these informational keywords is becoming an increasingly losing proposition. The clicks you do get are likely to be more expensive, and the user may still be in a passive research mode.
The first pivot is to shift your budget and focus downward in the conversion funnel. Concentrate on keywords that signal immediate commercial intent. These are the search terms people use when they are done with research and are actively looking for a solution or a provider. Think about what someone on the verge of making a decision would type.
For a Dubai-based business, this could look like:
- Instead of “real estate trends Dubai,” target “buy 2-bedroom apartment Dubai Marina.”
- Instead of “how to get a trade license,” target “PRO services for trade license Dubai.”
- Instead of “what is cosmetic dentistry,” target “get a quote for dental veneers in Jumeirah.”
These long-tail, specific keywords show that the user has a problem and is seeking to hire someone to solve it. AI Overviews are less effective here because the user’s need is not a simple question to be answered; it’s a service to be fulfilled. This strategy reduces wasted ad spend on curious researchers and concentrates your firepower on users who are ready to become leads. It’s about quality over quantity, targeting users who are actively looking for your solution, not just information about it.
Mastering the Machine: Using Performance Max with Quality Signals
The traditional search results page is no longer the only battleground. As AI Overviews change the search experience, relying solely on standard Search campaigns is risky. This is where Performance Max (PMax) campaigns become an essential part of your AI Overviews Paid Search strategy. PMax is Google’s automated campaign type that places your ads across all of Google’s properties: Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. This built-in-channel diversification is a powerful defense against disruption in any single channel.
However, running PMax successfully isn’t a “set it and forget it” activity. Its AI-driven targeting is only as good as the information you provide it. To get high-quality leads, you must feed the machine with high-quality signals. This means going past basic demographic targeting. Upload your first-party data, such as customer lists from your CRM. Create detailed audiences based on people who have converted in the past. Use website visitor lists to retarget interested prospects. These signals teach the PMax algorithm exactly what your ideal customer looks like, so it can find more people just like them.
As industry analysis suggests, making these kinds of strategic pivots is critical for future performance. By giving Google’s AI clear direction, you steer its automation toward generating valuable leads, not just empty clicks. You also expand your reach to potential customers on other platforms who might have been intercepted by an AI Overview on the main search page.
Sharpen Your Offer: Create Compelling Ads and Landing Pages
With fewer clicks to go around and each one costing more, every impression and click matter more than ever. Your ad is no longer just competing with other ads; it’s competing with an AI-generated answer. To win the click, your ad copy must make a promise that the AI Overview cannot fulfill. A generic “Best Marketing Agency in Dubai” is weak. A specific, value-driven offer like “Get Your Free Competitor Analysis Report” is strong.
Your ad creative needs to stop the scroll and create intrigue. It should offer something tangible and immediate. Consider offers like:
- A direct consultation: “Talk to a Dubai Business Setup Expert Now.”
- A valuable asset: “Download Our 2024 UAE Real Estate Investment Guide.”
- A personalized quote: “Get a Custom Quote for Your Web Design Project in 2 Minutes.”
Once you’ve earned that expensive click, your landing page must deliver on the promise instantly. The user’s path to conversion has been compressed. They have less patience for slow-loading pages or confusing navigation. Your landing page should be laser-focused on one thing: capturing the lead. The headline must match the ad copy. The lead capture mechanism should be simple and positioned prominently. Remove all distracting links, excessive text, and unnecessary steps. A great ad leading to a poor landing page is a guaranteed way to waste money. By perfecting this flow, you increase your conversion rate, which improves your return on ad spend and justifies the higher cost of acquiring that click.
Own Your Audience: Build and Activate First-Party Data
The constant changes in search and the impending death of the third-party cookie all point to one truth: owning your audience data is a massive competitive advantage. Relying on Google to find new customers for you with every search is a dependency you want to reduce. The fourth pivot is to make first-party data collection a core part of your marketing process. This means actively gathering contact information from prospects and customers with their consent.
You can do this by offering valuable content in exchange for an email address. Create useful checklists, host informative webinars, or provide industry reports relevant to your Dubai audience. Every email you collect from a lead magnet is an asset. It’s a direct line of communication to a potential customer that you control, independent of any platform’s algorithm. This is your own private audience.
Once you have this data, you can activate it. Upload these email lists to Google Ads as customer match audiences for highly effective retargeting or for creating lookalike audiences in PMax campaigns. You can run targeted campaigns on social media platforms like LinkedIn or Meta to stay in front of these warm prospects. By building this asset, you create a marketing flywheel. You use paid search to acquire the initial contact, and then you use your owned channels to nurture that contact toward a sale, reducing your long-term cost per acquisition and making your business more resilient to external market shifts like the introduction of AI Overviews.
The rise of AI in search is a disruption, but it is also an opportunity. It forces a move away from lazy, broad-match advertising toward a more disciplined, strategic, and user-focused operation. By targeting bottom-funnel intent, properly managing PMax, sharpening your creative, and building your own audience data, your business can not only withstand this change but also find new avenues for growth.
Source: Search Engine Land
