Google AI Mode ads are expanding. Here’s how to measure lead quality

A Google Ads report can show that inquiries got cheaper while your sales team is getting fewer qualified buyers. As Google brings AI Mode ads to more markets, that distinction matters. The campaign report rolls those ads into its totals. Your CRM can show what happened to the people who filled in a form.

On October 28, 2026, Google announced that ads in AI Mode were expanding to 10 countries, including Canada, India, Australia and Singapore. It also announced ads for follow-up questions in AI Mode in the US. The UAE wasn’t named in that expansion. For a Dubai team already advertising abroad, check whether your target markets are included.[1]

Eligible Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can serve in AI Mode. Google rolls impressions, clicks, costs and conversions into standard campaign reports. Search terms that triggered those ads are also reported in aggregate. There’s no separate AI Mode targeting or opt-out in Google Search.[2]

AI Mode and campaign reporting / Illustration

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Imagine a Dubai property team advertising to buyers in Canada. The team counts an inquiry as qualified once sales reaches the buyer and confirms that their budget and buying timeline fit the offer. Here are two hypothetical weeks for the same campaign and market. Both groups had the same amount of time to qualify.

The cost per inquiry fell 20%, but the cost per qualified lead rose 25%. At the same spend, the team received 25 more inquiries and five fewer qualified leads. Before raising the budget, check what changed in the campaign and how sales handled the inquiries. The table shows a change in campaign performance. It can’t isolate the effect of AI Mode.

Use three formulas in the weekly report.

1. 01

   Agree on what counts.

   Write one rule for “qualified” in the CRM and have sales use it consistently. Track whether a lead is pending, qualified or disqualified, and capture a short reason when it’s disqualified. Record the first contact attempt so you can spot a follow-up backlog.

2. 02

   Match spend to the right leads.

   Start with one campaign and one market. Keep the campaign ID on each CRM lead, remove duplicate inquiries, and use the same campaign scope for spend and lead counts. If leads often arrive days after an ad click, use the ad interaction date where you can match it. If you only have inquiry dates, label the comparison accordingly.

3. 03

   Give each group the same time to qualify.

   For example, if you use a 10-day review window, count the leads each week had qualified by day 10. Suppose 20 of last week’s 50 inquiries are still awaiting follow-up and only three days have passed. Keep that week marked pending and check it again at day 10 before comparing it with an older group.

4. 04

   Send the milestone back to Google Ads.

   Once the CRM stage is reliable, use a separate qualified-lead conversion. Test it on a small sample, check for duplicate or rejected events, and investigate gaps between what the CRM sends and what Google reports before using it for bidding.

Google Ads supports separate conversion goals for qualified and converted leads.[3]

For your next weekly review, take one campaign and fill in the six rows from the example. If the cost per inquiry and the cost per qualified lead move in opposite directions, use the CRM reasons to decide what to investigate first.