Introduction
Once the gold standard of performance marketing, Google Search Ads are no longer delivering the same predictable results they once did. In 2025, many advertisers in Japan are reporting issues such as:
- Fewer clicks
- Lower conversion rates
- Broken retargeting logic
- Inability to measure ad effectiveness
But this isn’t just a media buying issue — it reflects a fundamental shift in how Japanese users behave, how platforms present content, and how privacy is enforced.
In this article, we’ll break down the six major challenges facing Google Search Ads today and explore why they’re happening.
1. Generative AI is replacing traditional search behavior
In 2023, Google rolled out its Search Generative Experience (SGE) to users in Japan, allowing AI to summarize answers right at the top of the search results. That means users don’t even need to scroll — let alone click on ads — to get the information they want.
As AI becomes a default interface for answering search queries, many ads — especially those targeting “what is…” or “best XYZ” keywords — are never even seen.
Why this matters:
SGE is fundamentally changing search intent. Users are starting to trust Google’s AI output over clicking into a third-party site. This reduces both impressions and clicks, even on highly relevant ads.
2. Ad fatigue and user savviness are at an all-time high
Today’s users, especially Millennials and Gen Z, know what ads look like. On both mobile and desktop, the “Sponsored” label immediately signals “sales pitch,” and users instinctively scroll past.
Younger audiences are also conditioned to ignore traditional ad placements thanks to years of intrusive pop-ups, pre-rolls, and native ads that blend into content feeds. As a result, brand trust now precedes ad engagement, not the other way around.
Why this matters:
Even highly targeted ads can go unnoticed or be actively avoided simply because users don’t want to be advertised to — especially when they don’t recognize the brand.
3. The path to conversion is no longer linear
In the past, Google Search Ads served as the cleanest path to conversion:
Search → Click → Buy.
But today, it’s more like:
Search → Watch a YouTube review → Read Reddit threads → Compare on Amazon or Rakuten → Forget → Get retargeted → Maybe come back.
This nonlinear, multi-touch buyer journey is the norm — especially for high-ticket items, subscriptions, and B2B services.
Why this matters:
Search Ads may still be the first touchpoint, but they are rarely the last. Evaluating performance only based on conversions or last-click attribution misses the bigger picture of the user journey.
4. Mobile-first design is burying your ads
Over 80% of Japanese search traffic now comes from mobile. But mobile search results are packed with:
- Google Maps results
- Image carousels
- Rich snippets
- FAQ dropdowns
- Organic site links
All of this often pushes ads below the fold, meaning users never even see them.
Why this matters:
Your ad might be live and bidding well, but if it’s not in the visible viewport, it may as well not exist. And mobile-first indexing means that visibility challenges are only growing.
5. If people don’t know your brand, they won’t click — even on a perfect ad
Let’s say your ad is relevant, well-written, and showing up at the top. But if the user hasn’t heard of your brand, the click-through rate can still be abysmal. Why? Trust.
In a world flooded with sketchy products, dropshipping sites, and AI-generated content, brand recognition is a prerequisite for conversion. Japanese consumers now filter what they click based on familiarity.
Why this matters:
Google Ads aren’t just competing on relevance or price — they’re competing on brand equity. If your brand is unknown, even great ads might not be enough to earn trust or attention.
6. The death of cookies is breaking ad measurement
Chrome, the world’s most widely used browser in Japan, will phase out third-party cookies by the end of 2025. Safari and Firefox already block them by default.
This seismic shift means advertisers can no longer:
- Reliably retarget past visitors
- Track users across sites
- Attribute conversions accurately
Why this matters:
Much of modern Google Ads optimization relies on user tracking and conversion data. Without cookies, ad platforms lose visibility into what happens after the click, leading to broken reporting and ineffective budget allocation.
Conclusion: The game hasn’t ended — but the rules have changed
Google Search Ads aren’t dead. But they aren’t working the way they used to, either. The platforms, the users, and the technology around them have changed.
Advertisers need to stop asking “Why isn’t my ad working?” and start asking:
“Is my strategy aligned with how people search, think, and buy today?”
Understanding the six shifts above is the first step. The next? Rebuilding your ad strategy around the realities of 2025 — not the tactics of 2018.