AI SEARCH ADS
Advertise inside AI conversations
Get found in the moment someone's asking AI for an answer.
New to the market - AI Search Ads
Search has split into two: ranking in traditional results and being cited in AI answers, and now advertising is following the same path.
ChatGPT Ads launched properly in February 2026 and went fully self-serve in May, letting brands place sponsored cards directly inside AI conversations rather than on a traditional results page.
Where things actually stand
| Platform | ChatGPT Ads (OpenAI), self-serve since May 2026 |
| Format | A single sponsored card below an AI response |
| Bidding | CPC from $3-5, no minimum spend |
| Reach | Free and ChatGPT Go tier users only |
| Not reached | Plus, Pro, Team, Business and Enterprise subscribers |
That last row matters more than it might look.
If your buyers are on a paid ChatGPT plan, and a meaningful share of enterprise and professional users are, they still won't see these ads. This is a genuinely new, still-narrow channel, not yet a mature replacement for anything in your existing PPC mix.
Where we're honest about being early
We're excited about this channel, and we're being upfront that it's early. We don't have a long track record here yet; nobody genuinely does. The self-serve platform is only months old.
What we do bring is the same rigour we apply to traditional PPC and AEO: careful targeting, real measurement, and honest reporting on what's actually working, rather than overselling results on a platform none of us has years of data on.
Who this suits right now
Given the free-tier-only reach, this fits best as a genuine test allocation alongside an existing PPC and paid social strategy, not a wholesale replacement for either. It's worth exploring if your audience skews toward free-tier AI tool usage, or if being an early, visible presence in this space matters to your brand regardless of immediate scale.
What are the benefits of AI Search Ads?
High-intent placement. Ads appear directly alongside an AI response to a specific question, reaching someone in the exact moment they're actively researching, not scrolling past unrelated content.
Genuine contextual targeting. Placement is based on the actual conversation topic and context, not just a keyword match, putting your brand in front of someone with real, specific intent.
Low cost to test. With no minimum spend and CPC bidding from $3-5, it's realistic to trial this channel at a genuinely small scale before committing meaningful budget.
Clean, verifiable measurement. A Conversions API and pixel-based tracking let you tie ad impressions to actual downstream results- signups, purchases, demos- rather than relying on vague platform-reported metrics.
Early visibility in an emerging channel. Being present now, while adoption is still low among competitors, is valuable in its own right, even with current reach limitations.
FAQs
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It depends on your audience. Right now, ChatGPT Ads only reach Free and Go tier users, not Plus, Pro, Team, Business or Enterprise subscribers. If your buyers skew toward paid ChatGPT plans, direct reach here is limited today, though that's likely to change as the platform matures.
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AEO is about earning organic citation inside an AI-generated answer. AI Search Ads is paid placement, a sponsored card, alongside that answer. They're related but distinct, and increasingly worth thinking about together as one strategy.
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ChatGPT Ads currently runs on CPC bidding starting around $3-5, with no minimum spend required, making it realistic to test at a genuinely small scale before committing real budget.
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Yes. ChatGPT Ads is the only mature self-serve option right now, but we're watching Gemini, Perplexity and other AI platforms closely and will expand this service as genuine, reachable ad products become available.
If you want an early, honest read on whether AI Search Ads make sense for your business, get in touch to speak with David or Sander, our AI Search leads
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As an early-stage service, we bill this at $150 an hour rather than a fixed retainer, reflecting the genuinely experimental nature of the work right now. That'll evolve as the channel matures and we build a real track record.
If you want an early, honest read on whether AI Search Ads make sense for your business, get in touch to speak with David and Sander, our AI advertising leads.
Contact us online to chat with David and Sander, our AI Search strategists.
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