You may have seen recent announcements from Google about major changes to search and advertising — including AI Overviews, AI Max for Search, and new automated tools.
(Updated 11/3/2025) - These updates sound big, but the truth is: Google Search Ads still work extremely well for self-storage, and nothing you need to do today will change that.
This article explains what’s happening, what it means for your Adverank campaigns, and how we’re preparing for the future.
What’s Changing at Google
Google is introducing more AI-driven experiences into Search. These include:
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AI Overviews: Summaries and answers generated by AI, now with ad placements included.
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AI Max for Search: A new campaign type that automates reach, bidding, and creative decisions.
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Smart Bidding Exploration: An enhancement that helps Google find search queries outside your keyword list.
The goal is to make search more conversational and context-aware — but these experiences are still in limited rollout and are not replacing traditional search ads anytime soon. Google Ads are not disappearing any time soon. Google will not just shut down their $250 billion a year pillar product just because they want to move to a ChatGPT style interface.
Instead, Google will likely evolve into a less transparent, more automated media environment where controls shift from advertisers to algorithms under the guise of convenience and ease of use. This would mean Google is no longer a keyword marketplace, but a multi-channel ad network running on proprietary signals inside a black box. You don’t buy ads to target specific keyword searches, instead you set a budget, share assets, share goals, and Google will deliver based on a probabilistic model.
This could lead to a future where less strategy and analysis is needed to be effective and efficient with digital spending, or, it could lead to a lot of wasted spend and frustration when the AI doesn't work as intended.
From the tests we've run so far, these new bells and whistles serve Google more than they serve self storage marketers trying to get more move ins.
What This Means for Self-Storage
Self-storage advertising is unique: customers usually know exactly what they’re looking for and the keywords are pretty standard and without much variation on intent.
That means the current “search → compare → reserve” journey still fits how people rent storage today.
Even as search evolves, intent-based ads like “self storage near me” remain the strongest performers for generating leads and rentals.
So while other industries may need to adjust quickly, self-storage operators can (and should) move more cautiously.
Do I Need to Do Anything Different?
No — not right now.
Here’s what we recommend:
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Stay the course. Continue focusing on local targeting and high-intent keywords.
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Measure performance. You’ll know when search is changing because your data will show it (clicks, conversions, and ROAS).
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Avoid the hype. Google will evolve its ad formats over time, but it won’t shut down search ads overnight.
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Trust Adverank, not Google. Think about which new features and ad types benefit you instead of blindly trusting Google with more control over your ad dollars. Adverank actively monitors performance and know the impact your spend is having on true occupancy, not just getting more and cheaper clicks.