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:
Winning the platform shift
How marketers can use AI to drive creativity, expand their reach and provide more value to consumers.
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 clarifies policy on false information in advertiser verification
Google reinforces policy that submitting false information during advertiser verification is a violation that can lead to account suspension.
ChatGPT ads are coming – and they won’t look like Google Ads
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says Google’s ad model profits when search fails – and vows ChatGPT will take a different approach to ads and commerce.
Google’s new AI tools automate ad reviews, reporting, and support for publishers
Google is adding AI automation, live CTV monetization, and streamlined direct deals to its ad platforms, helping publishers unlock new revenue opportunities.
Why B2B brands are shifting from keywords to Performance Max
Accounts embracing AI-powered tools are outperforming keyword-only strategies. Here's what you need to know before you get left behind.
Google expands PMax reach with Waze ads
Advertisers can now reach drivers through Waze and gain deeper visibility into campaign performance with Google’s latest PMax updates.
Google Ads pushes ‘Investment Strategy’ planning for budget-limited campaigns
Google Ads is adding an “investment strategy” tool that lets advertisers model potential gains from increased budgets.
Google’s double-serving dilemma: Who really wins when one advertiser gets two spots?
Google Ads now lets one advertiser appear twice on a SERP – a change that tests fairness, transparency, and competition.
4 essential tips to maximize holiday inbox placement
Learn how to strengthen your sender reputation and boost engagement when it matters most.
Google Merchant Center adds “Creative Content” section with video assets
Google Merchant Center’s new “Creative Content” section lets brands upload and map video assets to products, boosting visibility across ads.
How APIs extend data access and automation in Google Ads and Meta Ads
Go beyond dashboards. Use platform APIs to access deeper data, connect insights, and automate workflows that reveal new opportunities.
5 marketing maturity levels: From siloed to autonomous
Assess where your teams sit on five levels of marketing maturity: from siloed operations to autonomous systems, and what benefits you access at each level.
YouTube locks sidebar on mobile ads, removing close option
YouTube has removed the option to close mobile ad sidebars, keeping shoppable panels fixed throughout horizontal video ads.
Google AI Overviews drive 61% drop in organic CTR, 68% in paid
Even when AI Overviews don’t appear, users are simply clicking less everywhere, with Google CTRs hitting new lows across search.
Google’s “Smart Cropping” may be trimming your Shopping Ad images
Google’s default “Smart Cropping” may be auto-cropping product images in Shopping ads, requiring a support request to disable.
5 Google Ads tactics to drop in 2026
Some PPC practices no longer fit today’s automated Google Ads environment. Here’s what to phase out – and what to prioritize next year.
Winning the platform shift
How marketers can use AI to drive creativity, expand their reach and provide more value to consumers.
Google Local Services Ads vs. Search Ads: Which drives better local leads?
Find out how ad setup, targeting, and lead quality vary between LSAs and Search campaigns – and when to use each for better local results.
How Google’s AI Overviews are accelerating change in paid search
Adthena analyzed 21 million SERPs over two four-week periods to reveal where visibility is falling and which industries are being hit first.
Google’s Robby Stein: Ads aren’t going away in AI search
Google Search VP says advertisers should expect new and novel ad formats built for conversational and multimodal queries.
Microsoft Advertising advertiser console down
This impacts the web UI, but other interfaces are currently up. This does not impact ad serving.
Why your SEO and PPC teams need shared standards to unlock mutual gains
Mutualism between SEO and PPC lowers costs, speeds insights, and builds sustainable visibility across organic and paid search channels.
Search Engine Land Awards 2025: And the winners are…
Here are all the individuals, agencies and in-house teams who have earned Search Engine Land awards for excellence in SEO and PPC in 2025.
Why a lower CTR can be better for your PPC campaigns
High CTRs don’t always mean success. Focusing on qualified clicks and impression-based metrics can lead to stronger ROI and conversion rates.
Your ads are dying: How to spot and stop creative fatigue before it tanks performance
Falling CTRs, rising CPCs, and shrinking reach signal creative fatigue. Learn how to spot it early and use data to extend your ads’ lifespan.
Your Q4 ecommerce checklist for peak holiday sales
Get your store ready for the busiest shopping season. This checklist covers key site, creative, and ad steps for Q4 success.
Jack Hepp talks about getting fired from his first PPC job
After being fired from his first PPC job, Jack Hepp shares how that became the foundation for his growth into a transparent, trusted PPC expert.
ChatGPT Atlas browser could drain ad budgets by mimicking human clicks
OpenAI's new AI browser ChatGPT Atlas can mimic human clicks, potentially inflating ad costs and distorting website analytics.
Google Ads turns 25: A look back at the biggest changes and advances in search
Google marks 25 years of Ads, evolving from search keywords to AI-powered campaigns that reach audiences and deliver answers.
How connected TV advertising drives search demand
CTV combines reach, precision, and measurable impact – turning streaming ads into a powerful driver of branded search and conversions.
Black Friday 2025: The affiliate PPC compliance playbook
Protect your Black Friday revenue: spot and prevent coupon fraud, monitor brand bidding and secure your affiliate traffic before losing budget.
Yelp’s new tools help brands connect faster and engage customers in real time
Businesses can now use AI to respond instantly, capture leads, and engage customers more efficiently on Yelp.
Google Merchant Center adds centralized Issue Details Page
A new centralized dashboard helps advertisers quickly spot and fix product or account issues to keep their listings active.
Google Ads quietly tests auto-setting “New Customer Value”
Google Ads is testing auto-set “New Customer Values,” sparking confusion and transparency concerns among advertisers.
How to use YouTube Ads to drive B2B conversions
Two B2B advertisers saw CPLs drop up to 47% after adding YouTube video campaigns. Here’s how video lifted search performance and conversions.
How to avoid marketing mix modeling mistakes that derail results
MMM is only as good as its data and assumptions. Avoid common modeling pitfalls and turn your analysis into real business impact.
Types of landing pages: Examples & when to use each
From lead gen to click-through, not all landing pages are the same. Learn the main types, see examples, and discover how to choose the right one for your goals.
Google Ads’ new text guidelines feature begins rolling out
Advertisers can now guide Google’s AI to create text assets that align with brand tone, messaging, and compliance standards.
Google Ads to permanently delete canceled accounts after six months
Advertisers now have just six months to reactivate canceled accounts before Google permanently deletes their data.