Paid search in Phoenix after AI Overviews: where ads show now, and how to tell what works
Google now places ads above, below and inside its AI Overviews, and an advertiser cannot choose that placement or opt out of it. This page sets out what Google has said, what a Phoenix advertiser still controls, and what Google Ads management costs at DIAP Media’s brands: $800 per month on ad spend up to $4,000.
What Google has said about ads and AI answers
Each row is from Google’s own help pages or announcements, read on 11 October 2026.
| Placement | Ads are eligible to show above, below or within AI Overviews |
|---|---|
| Where it is live | Ads within AI Overviews run in English, on mobile and desktop, in 12 countries. The United States is one |
| Targeting | An advertiser cannot target the AI Overview placement directly |
| Opting out | An advertiser cannot opt out of serving ads in AI Overviews |
| AI Mode | Google says it is testing ads in AI Mode in the United States |
| Campaign types | In May 2026 Google told advertisers to build on AI Max for Search, AI Max for Shopping and Performance Max |
| Local Services Ads | A separate product. Google says an advertiser pays for it per lead |
Sources: Google Ads Help, About ads and AI Overviews and ads in AI Mode. Google, Search ads announcements, 20 May 2026. Google, About Local Services Ads.
What Google showed for two paid-search queries
Both showed an AI Overview. For the Phoenix search, the list of sources was completely different two minutes later.
| Search | AI Overview shown | What the page drew on |
|---|---|---|
| “ppc management phoenix” | Yes, with 14 sources. Checked at 19:49 UTC. | Agency sites and an agency directory. |
| “ppc management phoenix” | Yes, with 8 sources, on a second look. Checked at 19:51 UTC. | A wholly different set: five agency sites and three agency directories. |
| “do ads show in ai overviews” | Yes, with 6 sources. Checked at 19:49 UTC. | A technology news site, YouTube, three agency sites and Quora. |
One limit to know: AI Overviews appear and disappear from one check to the next, and their sources change each time. Being cited is measured over many runs of the same questions, and nobody can guarantee it. How DIAP Media measures AI search
What an advertiser still controls
The placement is Google’s to decide. Whether the money comes back is still decided by four pieces of work, and none of them is new.
Which keyword produced which call
Call tracking ties each phone call to the search that produced it, so budget follows calls and not clicks. DIAP Media has run its own call-tracking account since November 2015.
Listening to the calls
Someone listens to the calls a campaign produces. A keyword that makes the phone ring is not always a keyword that makes a customer.
Negative keywords and locations
Every month, search terms that waste money are excluded, and so are the places the business does not serve. In a county of 9,202 square miles, that matters.
One ad test and one page test a month
A new ad and a new landing page are tested against the current ones each month, and the loser is retired.
Who manages Google Ads in the DIAP Media family
Google Ads management is sold under two DIAP Media brands, at one published fee. DIAP Media itself leads with the unpaid side: AI search and SEO.
| If you are | Start with | Link |
|---|---|---|
| A local service business that wants Google Ads managed | Lifted Websites | Google Ads at Lifted Websites |
| A small or medium-sized Phoenix business | Internet Marketing Phoenix | PPC management at Internet Marketing Phoenix |
| A company that wants to be named in AI answers without paying per click | DIAP Media | Get a free AI search audit |
| A Phoenix company with several locations | DIAP Media | Multi-location SEO in the Phoenix area |
One honest limit: nobody can buy a place in the AI Overview itself. An ad can appear beside it or inside it, on Google’s terms. Being cited in the answer is earned, and it is separate work.
What Google Ads management costs
Management costs $800 per month on ad spend up to $4,000 a month. Above that it is a percentage of spend that falls as the budget grows. Every tier covers planning, ad and landing page builds, bid and budget management, call tracking and a monthly report.
| Ad spend up to $4,000 a month | A flat management fee. | $800/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Ad spend from $4,000 to $10,000 a month | A percentage of ad spend. | 20% of spend |
| Ad spend of $10,000 a month and up | A lower percentage as spend grows. | 15% of spend |
Phoenix paid search questions
How much does PPC management cost in Phoenix?
At DIAP Media’s brands, Google Ads management costs $800 per month flat on ad spend up to $4,000 a month, 20% of spend from $4,000 to $10,000, and 15% at $10,000 and up. Ad spend is paid to Google separately. Prices are as of October 2026.
What does PPC management mean?
PPC management is the running of pay-per-click advertising for a business: choosing keywords, writing ads, building landing pages, setting bids and budgets, tracking calls and reporting what the spend produced.
Are there ads in Google’s AI Mode?
Google says it is testing ads in AI Mode in the United States. Ads already show above, below and within AI Overviews in 12 countries, including the United States.
Can I keep my ads out of AI Overviews?
No. Google’s help page says an advertiser cannot opt out of serving ads in AI Overviews and cannot target that placement directly.
Should a Phoenix business run ads or do SEO?
Most need both for a while. Ads produce calls from the first week and stop when the budget stops. Local SEO usually shows first movement in 60 to 90 days and keeps working after it is built.
Who manages the account?
Google Ads management is delivered under the Lifted Websites and Internet Marketing Phoenix brands. Both belong to the same company as DIAP Media and work from the same office in Scottsdale.
Find out what your ad spend is producing
The free audit looks at the paid results, the map and the AI answers for your services and says where the next dollar should go. The price comes back in writing.
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