Google Search is changing faster than most businesses realise. For years, the playbook was fairly predictable: rank organically, run Google Ads against high-intent keywords, improve conversion rates, and keep refining the system. That model still matters, but it is no longer enough. AI Overviews are changing how people interact with search results, and businesses that rely heavily on Google for new leads need to adapt.
Our view is simple: AI is not killing Google Ads, but it is making undisciplined advertising much more expensive. The practices and DSOs that win in this new environment will not be the ones that simply spend more. They will be the ones with cleaner campaign structures, stronger conversion signals, better patient-focused messaging, and tighter control over wasted spend.
The Search Results Page Is Getting More Competitive
AI Overviews are now taking up valuable space at the top of Google search results. This matters because search behaviour is changing. According to BrightEdge, search impressions increased by more than 49% in the year following the launch of AI Overviews, while click-through rates declined by nearly 30%.
That is an important distinction. Demand has not disappeared. People are still searching. In fact, they may be searching more. The problem is that more searches are producing fewer clicks. For businesses, this creates a more competitive environment where the value of each click increases and the margin for wasted spend gets smaller.
This is especially relevant for healthcare and dental searches. BrightEdge also reported that healthcare is one of the categories most affected by AI Overviews, with healthcare AI Overview coverage rising from 59% to 89%, and treatment/procedure queries now showing near-saturated AI Overview coverage.
Users Are Clicking Less When AI Summaries Appear
The concern is not just that AI Overviews take up space. The bigger issue is that they change user behaviour. Pew Research Center found that when Google displayed an AI summary, users clicked a traditional search result in only 8% of visits. When no AI summary appeared, users clicked a traditional result in 15% of visits.
Pew also found that users clicked links inside the AI summary itself only 1% of the time, and that users were more likely to end their browsing session after seeing an AI summary. That means AI Overviews are not simply shifting clicks from organic listings to AI citations. In many cases, they appear to reduce the total number of clicks available.
For dental practices, this matters most on educational and consideration-stage searches. Queries like “how long does a root canal take,” “Invisalign vs braces,” “what causes tooth pain,” or “do I need a dental crown” are increasingly vulnerable to AI-generated answers. These searches may still influence patient decisions, but fewer users may click through to a practice website from those results.
Paid Search Is Also Feeling the Pressure
This is not only an SEO issue. Paid search is also being affected. Seer Interactive analysed queries affected by AI Overviews and found that paid click-through rate on those queries fell from 19.70% in June 2024 to 6.34% in September 2025. That is a 68% decline.
That does not mean every dental campaign will see the same decline. It does mean advertisers need to be much more careful about where they spend. Informational queries may become less reliable as direct response channels, while high-intent local searches become even more valuable.
This is where many advertisers will make the wrong move. They will respond by either cutting spend too aggressively or leaning blindly into Google’s automation without putting the right structure in place. Neither approach is ideal. The better answer is to segment campaigns by intent, clean up conversion tracking, strengthen local relevance, and ensure Google’s AI bidding systems are being fed accurate data.
Dental PPC Costs Are Already Rising
The dental industry is already seeing cost pressure. According to WordStream’s 2025 Google Ads benchmarks, the average cost per click for Dentists & Dental Services reached $7.85 in 2025. In their previous benchmark data, dental CPC was $6.82, meaning costs rose by roughly 15% year over year.
At the same time, dental click-through rate remained relatively flat, moving from 5.38% to 5.44%. The real concern is that conversion rate also declined, from 11.37% to 9.14%, a drop of nearly 20%. In plain English, dental advertisers are paying more per click while fewer of those clicks are turning into leads.
That combination should get every dental marketer’s attention. If clicks are more expensive and conversion rates are falling, simply increasing budget is not a strategy. It may only amplify inefficiency.
The Problem Is Not AI, It Is Poor Structure
We do not believe AI is the enemy. Google’s AI-driven systems can be incredibly powerful when used correctly. The problem is that AI amplifies whatever structure it is given. If an account has messy conversion tracking, weak segmentation, poor creative testing, or broad match keywords without proper guardrails, automation can make the waste scale faster.
That is why the future of Google Ads is not just about “using AI.” It is about controlling AI with better inputs. In an AI-driven auction environment, the advertiser with the cleanest signals has an advantage.
For dental practices and DSOs, this means several things need to be in place:
- Campaigns should be structured around patient intent, not just services or locations
- Conversion tracking must distinguish between genuine patient enquiries and low-quality interactions
- Phone calls should be filtered by duration and, where possible, quality
- Search terms need to be reviewed regularly to remove wasted spend
- Ad messaging should reflect what patients actually care about: trust, comfort, availability, insurance, financing, and outcomes
- Creative testing should be systematic, not a series of random monthly rewrites
High-Intent Searches Matter More Than Ever
As AI Overviews absorb more informational searches, dental marketers need to focus more sharply on high-intent searches. Terms like “dentist near me,” “emergency dentist,” “same day dentist,” “dental implants near me,” and “Invisalign dentist” are still commercially valuable because they indicate a patient is much closer to taking action.
These searches are also highly competitive. That means they cannot be managed casually. A poorly structured campaign can burn through budget quickly, especially in competitive markets. But a disciplined campaign can capture demand efficiently by aligning keyword intent, ad copy, landing pages, conversion tracking, and bidding strategy.
This is where many dental groups have an opportunity. They may already be spending heavily on Google Ads, but without enough control. Or they may not be using paid search consistently at all, leaving competitors to capture high-intent patient demand. In both cases, the answer is not “run more ads.” The answer is to build a better acquisition system.
What Dental Practices Should Do Now
The first step is to audit the structure of the account. Where is the money going? Which campaigns are driving real patient enquiries? Are calls being tracked correctly? Are short calls being counted as conversions? Are branded searches being mixed with non-brand searches? Are high-value treatments segmented from general dentistry? Are broad match keywords controlled by strong negative keyword lists?
The second step is to improve the quality of the data going into Google’s automated systems. If Google is optimising toward weak or inaccurate conversion signals, performance will suffer. Clean data is no longer optional. It is the foundation of modern paid search.
The third step is to improve the patient-facing message. Dental advertising often becomes generic: smiling staff photos, exterior building shots, vague “best dentist” claims, and repetitive service lists. Patients are not just buying dentistry. They are choosing a provider they can trust with something personal, often something they are anxious about. Ads need to reflect that reality.
The final step is disciplined testing. Too many campaigns change direction without a clear hypothesis. Headlines, offers, sitelinks, calls to action, landing pages, and imagery should be tested intentionally. Otherwise, each change resets learning instead of compounding it.
The Winners Will Be the Most Disciplined Advertisers
The next phase of Google Search will reward discipline. AI Overviews will continue to reshape the search results page. Google Ads will continue to push advertisers toward automation, broad match, Performance Max, and AI-assisted campaign management. Costs will continue to rise in competitive healthcare categories.
But this does not mean dental practices should retreat from Google Ads. It means they need to become better operators. Paid search can still be one of the most reliable new patient acquisition channels in dentistry, but only when it is managed as a system rather than a set of ads.
The practices that succeed will be the ones that understand the difference between traffic and patient acquisition. They will not chase every click. They will focus on the right clicks, the right intent, the right message, and the right conversion signals.
At Vector 44, this is exactly where we help. We build and manage Google Ads systems for dental practices and DSOs that need measurable new patient growth, cleaner tracking, and tighter control over wasted spend. If your practice or group is seeing rising costs, inconsistent lead quality, or unclear performance from paid search, we can help you identify what is happening and build a better acquisition system. Contact us here: https://v44.uk/contact/