PPC
Search Engine Land is your source for PPC news, trends and content. You’ll find a range of up-to-date and authoritative resources to help you work smarter and make better decisions. What is PPC? Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a digital marketing model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. This fundamental concept is crucial to understanding the world of online advertising. For an effective strategy, it’s important to understand how PPC and SEO can work together to improve your overall marketing efforts.
Our coverage
We provide the latest news in the PPC industry, keeping you informed about changes, updates, and emerging trends that can impact your campaigns. For example, leveraging AI-driven search advertising can be a game-changer for campaign success. You can also explore the best practices in paid search strategy to refine your campaigns. Check out our recent articles on topics like making display campaigns profitable and managing paid media budget allocation. Our content spans from beginner-friendly introductions to advanced strategies, ensuring we cater to all levels of PPC expertise.
Expert insights
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies. This diverse group of contributors ensures you get well-rounded, expert perspectives on PPC topics. Explore our latest job opportunities in search marketing if you’re looking to take your career to the next level. Our experts cover a wide range of subjects, from PPC competitor analysis to winning video advertising creative. We pride ourselves on providing authoritative information to guide your PPC decisions and strategy.
Practical tips and strategies
Our content includes tactic-rich tutorials designed to help you work smarter and make better decisions in your PPC efforts. Whether you’re looking to optimize your campaigns or explore new strategies, you’ll find valuable guidance here. For example, our Google Analytics 4 guide for PPC dives deep into how data can drive better campaign performance. We dive deep into important issues like the high cost of PPC efficiency and provide insights on ad platform updates for B2B in 2024.
Data-driven decision making
We offer the latest data to support your PPC initiatives. Our content is designed to provide you with the information you need to make informed choices and improve your campaign performance. Leveraging Google Analytics 4 will help you navigate the evolving landscape of PPC measurement and optimization. 
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Dig deeper into PPC:
Google AI Brief may be the replacement keywords never had
After 15 years of premature obituaries, the keyword may finally have a replacement. Here's why Google AI Brief matters.
Stop looking for the perfect PPC budget split
Fixed budget ratios rarely survive real-world conditions. Here's how to evaluate funnel health and adjust spend as market dynamics change.
What ChatGPT Ads data reveals about your competitors
We've analyzed nearly 1 million queries to show you what's really happening. Most search teams are missing it completely.
Google clarifies sensitive audience targeting rules for Demand Gen campaigns
The update provides additional guidance on when audience targeting restrictions could affect campaign delivery and reach.
Microsoft expands Audience Ads eligibility for cryptocurrency exchanges
Microsoft is opening more premium ad inventory to cryptocurrency advertisers while maintaining existing compliance requirements.
The latest jobs in search marketing
Land your next job in SEO or PPC. These brands and agencies are hiring to fill open search marketing positions right now.
How TV ads create search demand — and what to do about it
Viewers don't just watch TV ads. They search. Here's how to capture demand, measure search lift, and connect search to media planning.
Your #1 competitive advantage in Google Ads: Customer Match
Uploading your customer list to Google Ads can give Google’s AI a competitive advantage as privacy changes make tracking less effective.
Shopify outage disrupts stores, checkouts and admin access
A Shopify outage disrupted storefronts, checkouts, admin access and Retail POS, potentially affecting merchants' ability to manage stores / process sales.
The new PPC skill set: From keyword manager to system optimizer
AI-driven Google Ads is changing the PPC role from campaign execution to signal design, conversion architecture, and system guidance.
How Google Display exclusions guide AI-driven optimization
Accidental clicks, bot traffic, and low-quality placements contaminate campaign data. Strategic exclusions help keep optimization on track.
Google spotlights invalid click credits with new Ads help documentation
Google's Invalid Activity Credit Report gives advertisers a clearer view of refunded spend from invalid clicks and traffic.
Google begins testing healthcare ads in AI Mode
Google has confirmed a test of healthcare ads in AI Mode, offering an early look at how advertising may evolve within AI search.
Google Ads updates terms of service ahead of July 2026 rollout
Google's updated Ads terms expand its use of AI-driven automation, raising advertiser concerns about reduced control and ownership.
Why high-ROAS campaigns don’t always deserve more budget
More budget doesn’t always create more revenue. Identify when scaling paid search will drive incremental value versus higher costs.
DV360 API Adds Demand Gen Support
Advertisers and developers will soon have new tools to automate campaign management and targeting within existing DV360 workflows.
Google expands Data Manager API with GMP event ingestion
Google is helping advertisers unify measurement workflows and boost audience match rates across Google's advertising ecosystem.
Commerce media expands beyond retail sites with Demand Gen integration
The update now lets brands use retailer data to reach high-intent shoppers across YouTube, Discover and Gmail.
Google appears to be testing new branded search controls in AI Max campaigns
Google Ads is showing AI Max branded search controls that could help advertisers separate branded/non-branded traffic more effectively.
Google Ads launches built-in lead management dashboard
Google Ads now lets advertisers manage leads and share quality signals with AI to improve bidding performance.
How to structure paid social creative testing for better performance
Platforms can recognize when creative variations are nearly identical, making differentiated concepts more valuable than cosmetic tweaks.
Why your B2B PPC metrics may be lying to you
More conversions and higher ROAS don’t always translate to more pipeline or revenue. Here’s how to measure incremental value more accurately.
Brad Geddes on 20 Years of Paid Search Evolution
Brad Geddes reflects on the evolution of search marketing and why human creativity will remain essential in an AI-driven future.
Google adds AI shopping visibility insights to Merchant Center
Google is adding new AI shopping insights to Merchant Center, giving retailers visibility into how products perform across their AI platforms.
Google expands customer acquisition targeting with “new prospects” mode
Google’s new AI targeting mode is designed to help brands reach entirely new brand-unaware audiences earlier in the discovery journey.
OpenAI confirms conversion-focused ads are coming to ChatGPT
The latest OpenAI rollout brings ROI-focused campaign optimization and conversion tracking directly into ChatGPT ads.
Google Ads will start deleting historical reporting data after set retention periods
Google Ads will begin deleting over 37 months reporting data in June unless advertisers export it beforehand.
Google launches Real-Time Policy Reviews for faster ad approvals
Google is introducing Real-Time Policy Reviews to speed up ad approvals with instant feedback during campaign creation.
How to get your Google Ads seen in AI Overviews
Here's how feeds, landing pages, and audience signals help Shopping, Performance Max, and AI Max campaigns appear in AI Overviews.
OpenAI is preparing conversion-focused ads for ChatGPT
OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT into performance advertising with conversion-focused ads, tracking tools and pay-for-results pricing.
Google folds Display Ads into Demand Gen campaigns
Google is giving Display ads advertisers access to broader reach, AI-powered optimization and newer Demand Gen features.
Google’s latest AI ad push shows ads are becoming conversations, not clicks
Google’s latest AI ad updates revealed major shifts and raises big questions about visibility, trust, and the future role of marketers.
5 early signs of PPC performance drops: Track competitors to spot them
Discover the five competitor signals that tend to appear before performance drops — and what actions to take when you spot them.
OpenAI expands Ads Manager Beta with new budgeting and geo targeting controls
The latest ChatGPT Ads updates give advertisers more control over campaign pacing, location targeting, and ad engagement.
How signal decay hurts your top-of-funnel performance
The campaigns introducing customers to your brand may be getting the least credit for revenue. Here’s how to recover lost conversion signals.
Your campaigns span 12 channels. Why does it feel like 12 jobs?
The cross-channel ad ops problem is real and mostly ignored. Here's what it's costing performance marketers — and what's actually changing.
Google launches AI Performance Insights and Conversational Attributes in Merchant Center
The new Merchant Center tools are set to help retailers optimize product discovery and measure visibility across AI-powered shopping surfaces.
Google expands Direct Offers with AI-generated bundles, native checkout and travel deals
Google is upgrading Direct Offers with AI-generated promotions, native checkout and travel integrations.
Google brings Meridian marketing mix modeling into Analytics 360
Google is integrating Meridian into Analytics 360 and launching predictive conversion metric to help advertisers with media mix decisions.
Google expands Demand Gen with YouTube creator tools
Google is introducing new creator partnerships, Maps inventory and AI-powered campaign tools for Demand Gen.