September 17, 2026 
Advertising has traditionally been built around keywords, audiences, demographics and browsing behaviour. But the growth of generative AI is introducing another way for brands to reach potential customers: conversational advertising.
With ChatGPT Ads expanding and OpenAI continuing to develop its advertising platform, businesses are beginning to explore what it means to advertise inside AI-powered conversations.
For marketers, this represents more than another advertising placement. It points to a broader change in how people discover products, research services and make purchasing decisions online.
What Are ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads are designed to appear within relevant ChatGPT experiences, with advertising selection influenced by the context and intent of a user’s conversation.
This is different from traditional keyword advertising.
On Google, for example, an advertiser can build campaigns around specific keywords and search terms. A user searching for “digital marketing agency Dubai” can trigger an advertisement based on that query.
Conversational advertising works differently.
A person might have a longer conversation about launching a business, improving their website, generating leads or finding a marketing partner. Rather than relying on one isolated keyword, an AI advertising system can consider the broader context of the conversation when determining whether an advertisement is relevant.
OpenAI’s advertising system also considers elements such as the advertisement, landing page and information provided by the advertiser when determining relevance. Advertisers can provide contextual information describing the topics, needs or situations where their products or services are relevant.
From Keywords to Conversations
This is one of the most important changes marketers need to understand.
Traditional search advertising is largely built around:
Keyword → Ad → Landing Page → Conversion
Conversational advertising introduces a potentially different journey:
Conversation → Intent → Relevant Ad → Landing Page → Conversion
The difference is important because customers do not always express their needs using the exact terminology businesses expect.
For example, someone may not ask:
“Best CRM software for a small business.”
Instead, they might have a conversation about managing leads, following up with customers and keeping sales information organised.
The conversation can reveal the underlying need.
For marketers, this means understanding customer intent and real-world problems becomes increasingly important.
Why This Matters for Businesses
The development of ChatGPT Ads creates another potential touchpoint between brands and customers.
People increasingly use AI tools to:
- Research products and services
- Compare different options
- Understand complicated topics
- Find recommendations
- Explore solutions to business problems
- Research before making a purchase
This means the digital customer journey is becoming less dependent on a single Google search.
A customer may discover a business through Google, social media, an AI-generated answer, a recommendation, a video or an advertisement inside an AI platform.
The opportunity for marketers is therefore not simply to “advertise on ChatGPT.”
It is to understand how their brand can remain visible throughout a multi-channel, AI-influenced customer journey.
ChatGPT Ads Are Different from Google Ads
ChatGPT advertising should not simply be treated as another version of Google Ads.
Google Ads provides marketers with mature tools for keyword targeting, search-term analysis, bidding, negative keywords, campaign structures and detailed reporting.
ChatGPT’s advertising model is more focused on conversational context.
OpenAI has introduced features including self-service campaign management, cost-per-click bidding, conversion measurement and location targeting. However, the platform remains less mature in terms of the targeting and reporting controls available through established advertising platforms.
That means businesses should approach ChatGPT Ads as an emerging channel rather than immediately replacing established advertising strategies.
Relevance Could Become More Important Than Keywords
One of the interesting possibilities of conversational advertising is the move from exact keyword targeting towards broader contextual relevance.
Consider a jewellery business.
A traditional search campaign might target:
- Diamond engagement rings Dubai
- Wedding rings Dubai
- Diamond jewellery UAE
- Custom jewellery Dubai
But a potential customer could have a much longer conversation about getting engaged, choosing a ring, understanding diamond quality and deciding how much to spend.
The important signals are no longer contained in one search phrase.
They exist across the customer’s questions, concerns and decision-making process.
This creates an opportunity for businesses that understand their audience deeply and produce content around genuine customer questions.
Content Still Matters
The arrival of AI advertising does not make SEO or content marketing less important.
In many ways, it makes useful and authoritative content even more important.
Businesses need websites that clearly explain:
- What they offer
- Who they serve
- Where they operate
- What problems they solve
- Why customers should trust them
- How their products or services compare with alternatives
- What customers need to know before making a decision
This is closely connected to the broader evolution of AI search.
A customer may discover a brand through an organic search result today, an AI-generated answer tomorrow and a conversational advertisement at another point in the journey.
The underlying requirement remains the same:
The brand needs to be relevant, useful and easy to understand.
AI Advertising Does Not Replace SEO
Businesses should not interpret ChatGPT Ads as a replacement for SEO.
Paid advertising and organic visibility serve different purposes.
SEO helps businesses build long-term visibility across search engines and AI-driven discovery environments. Paid advertising provides an additional way to reach relevant audiences and support specific campaigns.
A modern digital strategy can therefore combine:
SEO + AI Search + Paid Media + Content + Social Media + Conversion Optimisation
This integrated approach allows businesses to build visibility across different stages of the customer journey.
Creativo already approaches SEO as part of a broader digital strategy, combining search optimisation with paid campaigns, content and other digital services. Its current SEO offering also includes optimisation for AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
What Businesses Should Do Now
ChatGPT advertising is still developing, so businesses do not necessarily need to rush into a completely new advertising strategy.
Instead, there are several practical steps businesses can take now.
1. Understand Your Customers’ Questions
Look beyond keywords.
Identify the questions customers ask before contacting your business.
What are they comparing?
What problems are they trying to solve?
What information do they need before making a decision?
This information can guide both content and advertising strategy.
2. Build Strong Landing Pages
An advertisement is only one part of the customer journey.
When someone clicks through, the landing page needs to communicate the value of the business quickly.
Clear messaging, strong trust signals, relevant information, fast loading times and obvious calls to action all contribute to the experience.
3. Create Content Around Intent
Instead of producing content purely around keyword volume, create resources that answer genuine customer questions.
For example:
- How much does [service] cost in Dubai?
- What should I look for when choosing [service]?
- What is the difference between X and Y?
- Is [product/service] right for my business?
- What should I know before buying [product]?
This type of content can support SEO while also helping establish the information foundations that AI systems can use when understanding a business.
4. Strengthen Your Brand’s Digital Footprint
AI-driven discovery does not exist in isolation.
A business’s website, content, reviews, business profiles, media coverage, social presence and other authoritative references all contribute to its broader online presence.
This makes a consistent digital footprint increasingly valuable.
5. Measure More Than Clicks
As AI advertising develops, marketers will need to look beyond traditional traffic metrics.
Important measurements can include:
- Impressions
- Clicks
- Engagement
- Leads
- Conversion rate
- Cost per lead
- Revenue
- Brand visibility
- Organic search visibility
- AI mentions and citations
The objective is not simply to generate more clicks.
It is to understand whether digital visibility is contributing to meaningful business outcomes.
The Bigger Opportunity: Search Is Becoming More Conversational
The development of ChatGPT Ads is part of a much larger transformation in digital marketing.
The traditional journey looked something like:
Search Google → Scan results → Visit a website → Read → Contact the business
The emerging journey can look more like:
Search Google / Ask AI → Receive an answer → Compare information → Check sources and brands → Visit selected websites → Enquire
Advertising is becoming part of this changing ecosystem.
For businesses, that means visibility needs to extend beyond traditional search rankings.
The question is no longer simply:
“What keywords do we rank for?”
It is increasingly:
“When customers are researching our category, does our brand appear in the places where they are looking for answers?”
What This Means for Dubai Businesses
Dubai is a highly competitive digital market, with businesses competing for attention across Google, social platforms, maps, marketplaces and increasingly AI-powered search experiences.
For local businesses, this creates an opportunity to think beyond traditional digital marketing.
A business could optimise its website for search, build content around customer questions, strengthen its Google presence, run paid campaigns, create social content and prepare its online information for AI-driven discovery.
The goal is not to chase every new platform.
It is to build a digital presence that can adapt as customer behaviour changes.
The Future of Digital Advertising Is Becoming More Contextual
ChatGPT Ads are still an emerging advertising format, and the platform’s tools, availability and reporting capabilities are continuing to develop. Early advertiser experiences have also produced different results, reinforcing the importance of testing rather than assuming that one advertising model will perform identically for every business.
But the larger development is clear: advertising is becoming increasingly connected to context and intent.
For marketers, this means understanding the customer may become just as important as understanding the keyword.
Businesses that invest in strong content, useful websites, clear positioning, trusted digital signals and measurable campaigns will be better prepared for this changing environment.
Preparing Your Business for AI-Driven Marketing
At Creativo, we believe digital marketing should evolve with the way customers discover and evaluate businesses.
Our approach combines SEO, paid media, content, web development and digital strategy to help businesses build visibility across the modern customer journey. We also work with businesses to adapt their search strategies for the growing role of AI-powered platforms and conversational search.
The next stage of digital marketing is not about choosing between Google and AI.
It is about understanding how people use both, and building a strategy that keeps your business visible wherever your customers are looking for answers.
