Google Launches Conversational Discovery Ads and Highlighted Answers for AI Mode
Enable Conversational Discovery and Highlighted Answers in your Google Ads account and update product feeds with structured data.
Enable Conversational Discovery and Highlighted Answers in Google Ads and update product feeds with structured data.
Summary
Google announced two new ad formats for AI Mode at Google Marketing Live: Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers, both powered by Gemini. Conversational Discovery ads respond to detailed prompts, such as a user asking how to make their home smell like a spa, by generating tailored creative tied to the conversation context. Highlighted Answers appear inside recommendation lists, for example when researching language‑learning apps before a trip, giving advertisers earlier visibility in the research process. Both formats include an AI explainer and a sponsored label for transparency. Advertisers will need higher creative quality, landing page content, structured product data, and first‑party conversion signals to succeed. Measurement and optimization become more complex because conversational queries are less structured than traditional keyword searches. Google has not yet confirmed a launch date; testing is expected within AI Mode.
Key changes
- Conversational Discovery ads respond to detailed prompts via Gemini-generated creative tied to conversation context.
- Highlighted Answers appear inside recommendation lists generated by AI Mode.
- Both formats include an AI explainer and a sponsored label for transparency.
- Ads rely on structured product data and first‑party conversion signals for relevance.
- Measurement and optimization become more complex due to conversational, less‑structured queries.
- No launch date confirmed; testing expected in AI Mode.
- Ads may surface earlier in the research process before final decision.
- Requires higher creative quality and landing page optimization.