The world of paid search is undergoing a significant transformation, with two major announcements this week highlighting a shift in how advertisers manage their campaigns. Apple is set to expand its App Store search ad inventory in 2026, while Google has confirmed that exact match keywords will not be eligible to serve ads within its AI Overviews.

These updates collectively signal an evolving landscape where search inventory is growing across new surfaces, but the traditional level of control advertisers once relied upon is changing.

Apple Search Ads to Add New Placements in 2026

Apple has officially announced plans to introduce additional ad placements within App Store Search Results, beginning in early 2026. Currently, advertisers can only appear in the top position. Starting next year, ads will also be displayed further down the results page for a wider range of queries, significantly expanding the total available inventory.

In its announcement, Apple provided compelling data points to support this expansion:

  • Nearly 65% of App Store downloads occur directly after a search.
  • The App Store attracts 800 million weekly visitors.
  • More than 85% of visitors download at least one app during their visit.
  • Current Search Results ads in the top position boast conversion rates of 60% or higher.

Advertisers will not need to adjust their existing campaigns to qualify for these new placements. Apple stated that ads will be automatically eligible and cannot be targeted or bid on separately by position. The ad format and billing model will also remain consistent.

Expanding on a Strong Year for Apple Ads

This upcoming expansion follows a year of consistent upgrades and enhancements to Apple's advertising platform throughout 2025, including:

  • Custom Product Page expansion (March 2025): Apple enhanced testing capabilities by allowing more Custom Product Page (CPP) variants to be tied to specific keywords, improving message alignment.
  • Reporting enhancements (June 2025): New diagnostics were introduced for impression share, keyword performance, and CPP impact, making it easier to identify friction points in search campaigns.
  • Creative refinements for Today Tab and Search Tab (August 2025): Apple improved visual consistency and added support for higher-funnel experimentation, hinting at broader expansion across App Store surfaces.

These developments collectively point towards a more robust Apple Ads marketing platform, making the 2026 inventory expansion a natural progression.

Why This Matters for Advertisers

More placements mean greater reach, but also introduce more variability. While top-position performance is likely to remain strong, additional placements may lead to new traffic patterns as users scroll further down the results page. Advertisers should anticipate incremental installs alongside slightly wider performance swings.

Crucially, this also means that metadata, product page quality, and Custom Product Page (CPP) strategy will exert a greater influence on performance, as every placement will rely on the same foundational creative assets.

Read More: An In-Depth Guide To Apple Search Ads

Google Confirms Exact Match Keywords Not Eligible for AI Overviews

Google Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, recently clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that exact match keywords are not eligible to serve ads within Google's AI Overviews. This confirmation addresses a pattern many advertisers have observed over the past year.

Marvin's thread on X explained that even if an account contains the same query in both exact and broad match, only broad match keywords can enter AI Overview auctions. This clarification quickly gained traction among PPC practitioners after Arpan Banerjee shared it on LinkedIn, increasing its visibility.

This implies that advertisers may see broad match triggering queries they previously assumed would be handled by exact match. It also indicates that AI Overview impressions are routed through a distinct layer of Google's system, operating under its own eligibility rules. Since Google does not currently provide separate reporting for AI Overviews, any changes in performance may not be easily attributed to this specific shift.

Why This Matters for Advertisers

This update makes it unequivocally clear that match types do not function identically within AI-driven search surfaces. The long-held assumption that exact match provides precise, isolated coverage does not apply within AI Overviews.

Broad match now stands as the sole entry point for ads in AI Overviews. This fundamental change could significantly influence spend allocation, campaign structure, query mapping, and performance diagnostics. Advertisers should prepare for potential shifts in query distribution, particularly for terms where they heavily rely on exact match for control.

Read More: AI-Enhanced Keyword Selection In PPC

The Evolving Landscape of Search Control

Both of these significant updates underscore a consistent theme: search platforms are expanding their inventory, yet advertisers are gaining less direct control over how placements are allocated. Apple is introducing new ad positions without offering advertisers the ability to bid for them separately, while Google is routing some search coverage through AI Overviews where exact match keywords are excluded.

In both scenarios, the traditional "keyword plus bid plus placement" structure is giving way to a more interpretive, system-driven approach. This doesn't mean advertisers lose influence entirely; rather, influence shifts towards the quality of metadata, creative alignment, first-party data utilization, and intelligent segmentation. These updates serve as a crucial reminder for advertisers to maintain flexibility and adapt their strategies as new search surfaces continue to emerge.

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