Google’s AI Overviews are not just another feature update. They are rewriting the rules of how people find, click and buy online.
For many years, SEOs and PPC managers worked side by side—organic strategies helped build lasting visibility, while paid campaigns delivered quick wins. They complemented each other, creating a balanced approach that benefited everyone involved.
But today, with AI search condensing the funnel and changing click patterns, that siloed approach isn’t enough.
So let’s see: why exactly do SEO and paid media need each other now more than ever, and what can brands do about it?
The Black Box of AI Overview Performance
One of the biggest frustrations for marketers today is the lack of visibility around AI Overviews.
If you search for something like “digital marketing in 2025”, you may notice Google’s AI-generated summaries dominating the screen, pushing ads further down.
Ads sometimes appear above the summary, sometimes within it, and sometimes below. The tricky part is that Google Ads doesn’t reveal exactly where they will be.
That creates several challenges:
- Ad placement is unclear. We know ads can surface inside AI Overviews, but Google lumps the data under the same “Top Ads” bucket.
- Auction rules haven’t changed, but the context has. Relevance, bids and Quality Score still matter, yet the environment has been reshaped by AI.
- No segmentation of impressions or conversions. Just as SEOs can’t track AI Overview clicks in Search Console, PPC managers are flying blind with placement-level reporting.
The result? Both teams are left with incomplete data, and that is exactly where collaboration becomes a survival skill.
When AI Search Redraws the Funnel
For years, SEOs warned about zero-click searches and featured snippets draining traffic. AI Overviews are the next stage of that evolution, only more aggressive.
In some cases, it feels like the entire first page of Google is condensed into an AI-generated block.
What does this mean for the funnel?
Top-of-funnel education, the kind that fueled awareness clicks, is now being handled by AI summaries. That leaves brands competing for attention deeper in the funnel, where users are already closer to making a decision.
As Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications at Wix, puts it:
“Great SEOs have been aligned with paid media teams for a while now. The difference now is that the search journey has shifted so that there is less top-of-funnel traffic, meaning that more ‘SEO’ happens on bottom-of-the-funnel pages. Since those pages need to work well for both paid and organic users, collaboration isn’t optional anymore — it’s essential.”
Her point is echoed by Amanda Valle, Global Director of Organic Search at Liquid Web:
“AI Overviews are reshaping the funnel, accelerating buyers straight to purchase. SEO feeds the LLMs and builds brand trust across the journey, while paid captures the transaction when it matters most. We’re testing, learning, and reallocating together to make sure we show up wherever the buyer decides.”
That is the reality now: SEO builds credibility and earns citations in AI results, while paid ensures your offer appears when the buyer is ready.
Smarter SEO + Paid Collaboration: Four Key Plays
So how exactly should these teams align? Let’s break it down.
Track AI Overviews at the Paid Keyword Level
Not every keyword triggers an AI Overview, yet. But when they do, performance often shifts. CTRs may drop, CPCs fluctuate, and Quality Scores can change without a clear explanation.
This is where SEOs can help by tagging and tracking high-value paid keywords in tools like Ahrefs, Semrush or Ubersuggest.
By flagging which terms trigger AI Overviews and what brand visibility looks like, SEO teams give PPC managers a much clearer picture of where spend should be adjusted.
This insight helps paid teams:
- Reallocate budget away from SERPs dominated by AI Overviews.
- Adjust bids for terms with declining CTRs.
- Explain changes in Quality Score with data-backed context.
- Double down on high-intent keywords less affected by AI.
As Cassandra Gucwa, CEO of Menerva Digital, explains:
“We focus on purchase-intent prompts where competitors appear but our client does not. Then we evaluate whether it’s more efficient to capture visibility through earned strategies or paid placements.”
Use AI Copy Patterns to Improve Ad Relevance
AI Overviews are not just summaries; they are carefully worded content that reflects what Google believes users want to see. That makes them a kind of real-time market research.
By studying recurring phrases, tone, and brand mentions in AI Overviews, PPC teams can fine-tune ad copy to align with what’s already “winning” on the page.
For example:
- If AI Overviews for “best vitamin supplements” use phrases like “fast-acting,” “clinically tested,” or “budget-friendly,” your ads will likely perform better if they echo that language.
- If competitors are repeatedly cited in AI answers, it is a signal to adjust ad positioning or test conquest campaigns.
In short: SEOs spot the patterns, PPC mirrors them for higher ad relevance.
Flag Zero- and Low-Click Queries Early
Google is becoming increasingly efficient at answering queries directly in the SERPs. Between featured snippets, People Also Ask and now AI Overviews, fewer searches require clicks.
SEO teams already see this in Search Console data: queries with impressions but declining CTRs. By flagging these keywords to paid teams, they can make smarter calls about spend:
- Pause low-performing keywords that no longer justify investment.
- Shift budget toward higher-intent queries where users still click through.
- Test new messaging that goes beyond what AI answers already provide.
As Gucwa notes:
“AI search has forced our clients to rethink budgets. They are dedicating more to earned AI visibility, while testing more aggressively in paid to find what still drives results.”
Monitor Competitor Mentions in AI Results
One often-overlooked opportunity is competitive intelligence. SEO teams are already monitoring SERPs daily, so they can spot shifts in which brands are cited by AI Overviews faster than PPC auction data will reveal.
By sharing this with paid media teams, you can:
- Launch conquest campaigns against frequently cited competitors.
- Adjust ad positioning to differentiate from AI summaries.
- Spot emerging competitors before they appear in Auction Insights.
And this is not limited to Google. Many SEOs now track brand visibility across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. If a competitor dominates AI recommendations in your industry, your paid team should know.
Collaboration Is the Competitive Edge
The story here is bigger than just ads being pushed down the page. It is about AI search changing the game — blending organic, paid, and AI-driven results into a single, messy ecosystem.
SEOs bring insights:
- SERP shifts in real time
- AI copy patterns
- Competitor mentions across platforms
PPC teams bring agility:
- Budget reallocation
- Ad copy testing
- Fast response to new data
Together, they can craft unified strategies that account for intent, funnel stage, and AI disruption.
Key Takeaway
AI search has compressed the funnel, blurred the line between organic and paid, and left marketers with less data to work with. But it’s also created a new opportunity: closer collaboration between SEO and paid teams.
The brands that thrive won’t be the ones treating SEO and PPC as separate silos. They will be the ones that:
- Share data and insights continuously.
- Build joint strategies around buyer intent.
- Align content and spend on ideal customer profiles.
- Adapt together when AI search reshapes the SERPs overnight.
And if you are wondering where to start, that is exactly where Stan Ventures comes in.
At Stan Ventures, we have been helping businesses adjust to these shifts by combining deep SEO expertise with practical paid media strategies.
From understanding how AI Overviews impact visibility to finding smarter ways to capture high-intent traffic, we work alongside your team to make sure your brand gets ahead. If you are ready to align your SEO and paid efforts for the AI era, book a consultation with us today and let’s build a strategy tailored to your goals.
Dileep Thekkethil
AuthorDileep Thekkethil is the Director of Marketing at Stan Ventures, where he applies over 15 years of SEO and digital marketing expertise to drive growth and authority. A former journalist with six years of experience, he combines strategic storytelling with technical know-how to help brands navigate the shift toward AI-driven search and generative engines. Dileep is a strong advocate for Google’s EEAT standards, regularly sharing real-world use cases and scenarios to demystify complex marketing trends. He is an avid gardener of tropical fruits, a motor enthusiast, and a dedicated caretaker of his pair of cockatiels.