At this year’s Google I/O, AI stole the spotlight—with major updates that will reshape how users search, how ads are delivered and how marketers measure success. Here are the top takeaways on search, paid ads and analytics for nonprofit marketers.
Search: Google gets conversational
AI Mode goes mainstream: Now available to all U.S. users, Google’s new AI Mode lets people ask questions in a chat-like interface powered by Gemini 2.5. It breaks complex queries into smaller parts and delivers conversational answers. A new “Deep Search” option in Labs and “Search Live” (a real-time visual search tool) makes it easier for users to get immediate, nuanced help—whether researching a topic or pointing their camera at a math problem.
AI Overviews expand globally: These summaries at the top of search results now reach 1.5 billion users across 200+ countries and in 40+ languages. They’re smarter and more accurate, thanks to Gemini 2.5, which now powers both AI Mode and Overviews.
Search can now act, not just answer: Google previewed “agentic” features—AI can now help book tickets, make reservations and even complete checkout steps.
Smarter data and shopping answers: AI Mode now generates charts for data-heavy questions and powers a new shopping experience with interactive product panels and virtual try-on tools.
Impact for nonprofits
Google is evolving from a search engine to an answer engine. Expect fewer clicks from generic queries—but more meaningful traffic from users who click through AI summaries. This makes high-quality, well-structured content more important than ever. Authoritative answers, FAQs and expert insights are more likely to be cited by AI, helping nonprofits maintain visibility.
You can shift from keyword-chasing to “answer optimization.” Expect more Q&A sections, clean headings and structured data to help you get cited in AI responses. Search Console will include AI Mode data, so we can help monitor changes in traffic with a new lens.
Paid ads: More visibility inside AI
Ads inside AI answers: Google now integrates ads directly into AI Overviews and AI Mode conversations. Sponsored results appear natively within the AI’s response, creating a more seamless, relevant ad experience.
AI-powered creative tools: A new Asset Studio offers outpainting, image-to-video generation and automatic video creation—all designed to help marketers produce high-quality assets with minimal effort.
Campaign ideas generated for you: AI in Merchant Center now suggests trending products, improved descriptions and fresh ad concepts.
Immersive ad formats: New formats like shoppable video ads on Search aim to engage users earlier in the buying journey.
AI Max and smarter bidding: These tools expand reach beyond keyword matches, dynamically tweak ad copy and identify high-value queries—even ones advertisers didn’t directly target. Smart Bidding Exploration fine-tunes bids for niche, high-performing searches.
Agentic AI for marketers: Google Ads now includes an AI assistant that helps optimize campaigns, auto-generate assets and suggest budget changes.
Impact for nonprofits
Your ads are not disappearing—they’re being woven into smarter, more relevant experiences. Ads shown within AI responses can feel like helpful suggestions, driving better engagement. These formats are especially helpful for mission-driven organizations where timing and relevance matter.
You can lean into broad match, Performance Max and AI Max campaigns to stay eligible for AI placements. We can help test new ad formats, use auto-generated visuals when needed and closely track performance inside AI surfaces. With AI doing more heavy lifting, your agency partner’s role becomes more about guidance, strategy and quality control.
Analytics: Easier, smarter insights
AI-powered reports in GA4: Google Analytics 4 now explains data trends with “Generated insights” in plain language. If conversions spike or traffic drops, GA4 will tell you why—without the Impact for nonprofits to dig through dashboards.
Smarter conversion tracking: Updates improve attribution using aggregated identifiers—giving more accurate credit to Google Ads even when cookie tracking is limited. Enhanced Conversions setup is now easier in Google Tag Manager (GTM).
Auto-tagging in GTM: GTM now auto-deploys a base tag to ensure complete tracking. This boosts data reliability, though we’ll double-check privacy settings to avoid collecting data without consent.
Helpful upgrades: GA4 now includes report templates and annotations, allowing marketers to quickly spin up dashboards and add notes for context.
Impact for nonprofits
You’ll get clearer, more useful reports. GA4 now helps tell the story behind your data—like “Email traffic dropped 30% due to low click rates”—so you can act faster and smarter.
You can save time on analysis and spend more time refining strategy. These tools help identify performance shifts quickly and make fast, informed decisions. Your job evolves from report-building to insight-driving.
The bottom line
AI is transforming how people search, how ads appear and how performance is measured. For nonprofits, this means your content and campaigns must be sharper, smarter and more relevant. Our team is already adapting: optimizing for AI-powered search, tapping into new ad formats and using GA4’s new insights to fine-tune strategy.
This is not just a tech update—it’s a shift in how people experience the internet. And we’re here to make sure you are not only ready for it, but ahead of it.
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