Google AdSense announced a new auto ads format named “Ad intents.” Ad intents places links and anchors showing organic search results with ads into existing text and pages on your site related to your content. Yea, it takes your content, and hyperlinks it to the Google search results.

Google wrote, “Today, we’re launching a new format for Auto ads called “ad intents”. Ad intents is an intent-driven format that places links and anchors into existing text and pages on your site related to your content. When a user interacts with a link or anchor, it opens a dialog that shows users relevant, organic search results with ads and can help to increase your earnings.”

Of course, this new ad format does not use cookies. “Ad intents shows highly-relevant ads that don’t rely on third-party cookies,” Google added.

Here is a GIF showing how they work:

Ad Intent Links:

Ad Intent Anchors:

AdSense automatically shows ad intent anchors on your pages where we detect opportunities to help users find something they’re looking for. When a user clicks on an ad intent anchor a dialog opens with a number of relevant ads.

Here is some FAQs:

(Q) Do I have to use ad intent links to use ad intent anchors?

(A) No. While ad intent links and ad intent anchors work best together, you can use either ad intent by itself.

(Q) Can I turn on ad intent anchors and anchor ads at the same time?

(A) Yes, they can both be turned on at the same time. Anchor ads have priority, and we will only show an ad intent anchor when an anchor ad is not available.

Shameem Adhikarath shared a notice he received about this, he posted a screenshot of it on X, it says that “shopping links & shopping anchors Labs are now a permanent part of Auto ads under the new name ‘Ad intents’. This means the Labs will soon close.”

Here it is:

This somewhat reminds me of the AdSense link units that was retired in 2020.

Forum discussion at X.

Update: Google’s Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, responded to some criticism on, she wrote:

This new format is opt-in and entirely optional for publishers.

Publishers can opt in to ad intent links which converts existing text on their page into links.

There’s also an option to use ad intent anchors which place anchors at the bottom of your page.

When a user closes an ad intent dialog, they remain on the same page on the publisher’s site. Publishers earn revenue when a user clicks on any of the ads in the dialog.

This new format is opt-in and entirely optional for publishers.

Publishers can opt in to ad intent links which converts existing text on their page into links.

There’s also an option to use ad intent anchors which place anchors at the bottom of your page.

When a user closes an…

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 16, 2024