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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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.
Google is moving offline conversion imports out of the Google Ads API
Google is pushing developers to move offline conversion imports from the Google Ads API to the Data Manager API by June.
Microsoft Advertising expands LinkedIn profile targeting to CTV
The update gives advertisers new ways to reach professional audiences across streaming inventory using LinkedIn data.
Performance Max (PMax) Google Ads campaigns explained
PMax uses AI to maximize conversions across Google Ads. Learn how Performance Max works, when to use it, and tips for optimizing campaign performance.
Google expands Ads API testing tools in v24.1 release
Google Ads API v24.1 adds deeper reporting, expanded AI campaign testing, and new security updates for advertisers.
3 ways to turn LinkedIn into a B2B AI discovery engine
From employee profiles to thought leadership content, these LinkedIn strategies can help B2B brands gain more visibility in AI search.
AI skills: The next layer of marketing automation
Learn how to install, deploy, and brand AI skills to turn generic chatbots into your agency’s custom, scalable operating system.
Google tests Merchant Advisor inside Merchant Center
Google is testing Merchant Advisor, an AI assistant inside Merchant Center that helps retailers manage setup and optimization tasks.
Google says Search Query Reports may not show actual user searches
Google says Search Query Reports may not show exact searches as AI-driven intent matching expands in Google Ads.
How to eliminate the skepticism tax in marketing data
Branded search can overstate marketing impact, revealing larger issues with attribution, AI outputs, and data confidence.
Google Ads adds Gemini-powered dashboards for real-time insights
Google is turning Ads reporting into a prompt-driven experience, letting advertisers analyse performance with AI-powered dashboards.
OpenAI adds product feed ads to ChatGPT
OpenAI is turning product catalogues into automated ads, making it easier for retailers to scale campaigns inside ChatGPT.
Google Ads to auto-link YouTube channels starting June 10
Advertisers will soon gain automatic access to YouTube engagement data and audiences, without needing to manually connect accounts.
Adthena launches ChatGPT ads intelligence platform
Adthena’s new platform gives advertisers a clearer view of competitors and performance inside ChatGPT’s ads ecosystem.
Google rolls out Merchant Center for Agencies globally
Agencies can now manage and optimize product data across all clients in one place as Google expands Merchant Center globally.
Why Google Ads, GA4 and CRM numbers never match
Attribution models, reporting windows, and customer journeys all create measurement gaps between ad platforms, analytics tools, and CRMs.
Why PPC AI agents fail without business data
Without CRM, margin, and operational context, PPC agents risk improving platform metrics while hurting business performance.
Google Ads surfaces Tag Manager controls inside its interface
Google Ads may soon let advertisers manage tags in-platform, streamlining setup and reducing reliance on external tools.
Microsoft Ads expands custom columns to include all conversion metrics
Advertisers can now create more tailored metrics using full conversion data, aligning reporting with business goals.
AI Max vs DSA: Advertisers question control as Google responds
Advertisers are questioning AI Max’s lack of granular landing page control compared to DSA, as Google confirms some gaps still exist.
Google adds AI-powered bidding and demand-led budgeting to Search and Shopping
Google is aiming to help advertisers capture untapped demand and optimise spend in real time whilst reducing manual work.
Google Analytics Data API adds cross-channel conversion reporting (alpha)
Developers can now access unified paid and organic conversion data programmatically, though the feature is still in limited alpha.
The real strategy behind negative keywords in 2026
From match types to automation, learn how to make smarter exclusion decisions that align with account goals.
How to use Call assets, lead forms, and Message assets in Google Ads
Are you making it too hard for customers to reach you? Learn three essential ways to get more leads directly from your search ads.
Why Facebook account lockouts are rising and what’s driving them
AI moderation, stricter security signals, and platform scale are increasing false positives — often without meaningful human review.
Parked domain monetization 2026: Adapting to the changes
In 2025, Google began rolling out significant changes to its Search Partner Network, aimed at improving inventory quality.
ChatGPT ads expand with self-serve buying
ChatGPT ads are expanding with self-serve buying, and improved measurement, a move toward a scalable advertising platform.
Google rolls out new data, experimentation and MMM tools to improve measurement
Google is rolling out new measurement tools to help advertisers better connect data, prove impact and make smarter decisions.
ChatGPT ads show strong early CTRs — but scale is still the question
Early ChatGPT ad data shows high engagement, with strong intent queries like Mother’s Day driving significantly more ad exposure.
Query intent vs. conversion intent: Why the difference matters
What users type isn’t always what they want. Learn how aligning intent signals, behavior, and brand improves performance.
SMX Now: The automation drift and how to correct course
Join us May 6 for the second SMX Now, featuring Ameet Khabra on how to spot and stop PPC drift before it hurts performance.
Microsoft Ads adds deeper reporting to Performance Max placements
Microsoft Advertising now adds conversion and spend data to PMax placement reports, giving clearer insight into performance.
Google Ads API v20 sunset set for June 10
Google Ads API v20 will stop working on June 10, requiring advertisers to upgrade or risk disruptions.
Performance Max for B2B: 5 best practices
Learn how to guide AI, improve lead quality, and use signals, creative, and reporting to get better results from Performance Max for B2B.
Inside ChatGPT ads: What the data tells us and what’s coming next
Adthena is tracking 50,000+ daily ChatGPT ad placements across 600+ advertisers. Here's what full rollout means for your campaigns.
Google Analytics introduces Task Assistant
GA’s new Task Assistant helps advertisers quickly improve setup and data quality with guided, actionable recommendations.
Google Ads adds “Association” metric to Brand Lift Studies
Google Ads’ new Association metric shows how consumers link brands to key attributes, bridging awareness and consideration.
From paid clicks to answer equity: Your new 2026 search strategy
AI is crushing CTR. Learn to swap rented clicks for authority that powers answers, stabilizes leads, and protects margins.
Google AI Max gets new controls, Shopping rollout and travel consolidation
Google is scaling AI Max across more campaigns while giving advertisers clearer control over AI-driven targeting and messaging.
AI agents can’t help if they can’t see your marketing data
MCP solves the infrastructure problem that kept AI agents stuck at the analysis stage. But raw access to a live ad account is a liability without the guardrails a platform like Optmyzr provides.