In short. Look for the documented advertising label and the section it covers: Google names Sponsored and Sponsored results, while Microsoft specifies Sponsored.
Definition: A paid placement is advertising displayed alongside or within an AI answer. As of 17 October 2026, Google's documentation identifies ads inside AI Overviews with “Sponsored”; Microsoft's advertising disclosures specify a “Sponsored” label, while its Copilot guide describes an ad section following the answer.
Key facts
- Google's AI Overviews advertising announcement specifies the “Sponsored” label for ads within the overview.
- Google's Search label update documents a “Sponsored results” header above or below AI Overviews and a “Hide sponsored results” control for text ads.
- Microsoft's annual transparency report specifies a “Sponsored” label for ads served by Microsoft Advertising on Microsoft services.
- Microsoft's AI search guide places Copilot's sponsored ads at the end of an answer and describes Ad Voice as text connecting the answer to the ad.
Which labels distinguish the placements?
An AI Overview is Google's AI-generated summary in Search. Google's ads help page distinguishes advertising above, below and within that summary. The position matters when recording a placement: an ad above an overview occupies a different location from a product ad inside it.
The documented English wording provides the following comparison:
| Surface or policy | Documented wording | Where the documentation places it |
|---|---|---|
| Ads inside Google AI Overviews | Sponsored | Within the overview. |
| Google Search text ads around an overview | Sponsored results | Above or below the overview. |
| Google Shopping ad units in the Search label update | Sponsored products | On Shopping ad units. |
| Microsoft services displaying Microsoft Advertising ads | Sponsored | In a readily noticeable location on the page. |
Google's label update also says the text-ad header stays visible during scrolling. Its “Sponsored products” wording concerns Shopping ad units in that update; the AI Overviews announcement separately names “Sponsored” for its own format.
How does Copilot introduce an advertisement?
Ad Voice is Microsoft's name for generated text that connects an organic response, meaning the unpaid answer, to a sponsored advertisement. Microsoft's AI search guide describes the ads as an addendum at the end of Copilot's answer, often connected through Ad Voice. A conversational introduction can therefore accompany the advertising section.
Microsoft's transparency report supplies the label policy across its services. The report's policy and the guide's placement description provide complementary cues for identifying the paid section.
Related terms
- Ads in Google AI Overviews
- Microsoft Copilot advertising
- AI search advertising labels
- How are free shopping listings different from Shopping ads?
FAQ
Where should I look when an ad appears inside an AI Overview?
Look for “Sponsored” on the ad section. Google's AI Overviews announcement uses that exact label and illustrates Shopping ads appearing within the overview.
Can I hide the text ads above or below Google's overview?
Google's Search label update describes “Hide sponsored results” as a control that collapses text ads. Its scope is the text-ad group associated with the header.
Does Copilot's introductory advertising text identify a paid section?
Microsoft's guide describes Ad Voice as a bridge into sponsored content. When reviewing a result, record the displayed advertising label together with that section's position relative to the answer.
Sources
- Google Ads Help, “About ads and AI Overviews”, accessed 17 October 2026
- Google, “New ways for marketers to reach customers with AI Overviews and Lens”, 3 October 2024
- Google, “We're improving navigation and introducing a new control for ads on Google Search”, 13 October 2025
- Microsoft Advertising, “AI search demystified: A practical guide for marketers”, accessed 17 October 2026
- Microsoft and LinkedIn, “Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation: Annual Transparency Report”, May 2025
Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer