Google will remain the top destination for ad spend in the generative AI era

Key stat: 70.5% of US traditional search ad spend will go to Google in 2026, according to our March 2024 forecast.

Beyond the chart:

• Traditional search continues to be dominated by Google. This year, Google’s search ad revenues will reach $62.87 billion, per our forecast. By 2026, its search ad business will be more than 10 times the size of Microsoft’s.
• Some 71% of adults worldwide think generative AI will have a very or somewhat large impact on search engine companies, per data from YouGov and Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.
• Google’s AI Overviews and the Meta AI Chatbot—now embedded on Meta platform search bars—are easing users into adopting generative AI search. Some 61% of Gen Zers are using AI tools instead of search engines, according to December 2023 data from Vox Media and The Circus.

Use this chart:

• Showcase how Google is strengthening its search dominance.
• Determine where to spend search ad budget.
• Illustrate how generative AI may impact the future of traditional search.

More like this:

• AI is transforming organic search
• Traditional search will draw the largest amount of US ad dollars in 2024
• GenAI necessitates a holistic strategy across paid and organic search tactics
• People think social media, search companies most impacted by generative AI