May 2023 was a turning point for AI in search and advertising. Google previewed the Search Generative Experience at I/O, showing how generative AI could reshape the search results page. Later in the month, Google Marketing Live highlighted generative AI tools for ads, Performance Max and creative workflows.

For marketers, the message was clear: AI was no longer only a content drafting tool. It was moving into the systems that decide how customers discover brands, compare options and respond to ads.

Search and paid media started converging

SGE raised questions about organic visibility, while Google Marketing Live emphasized AI-assisted ad creation, asset generation and automated campaign performance. Together, those announcements pushed businesses toward a more integrated strategy. SEO, paid search, landing pages and creative assets all needed to tell a consistent story.

Brand Fuel Digital CEO/Founder Paul Burns says SMBs should not treat these changes as separate platform announcements. “AI search and AI ads both depend on clear inputs. If your service pages, offers, creative and conversion tracking are weak, automation has less to work with. The foundation still matters.”

How SMBs could respond

• Improve landing pages. AI-driven ads and search summaries need clear, specific source material.
• Use stronger creative assets. Photos, videos, headlines and offers should reflect the real business.
• Watch branded search. AI answers may influence whether customers search for the business by name later.
• Measure across channels. Organic discovery, paid clicks and social proof increasingly work together.

Brand Fuel Digital’s View

May 2023 made AI unavoidable in search marketing. SMBs did not need to chase every new feature immediately, but they did need to prepare better inputs: clearer content, better creative, cleaner tracking and offers customers can understand quickly.

Sources: Google on Search Generative Experience and Google Marketing Live 2023 announcements.