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. 
Stay informed with our newsletter
Don’t miss out on important updates or insights! Get the Search Engine Land newsletter delivered daily to your inbox. Subscribe for free and stay ahead in the ever-evolving search industry.
Dig deeper into PPC:
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.
6 ways to stay on budget with Google Ads Smart Bidding
Changing ROAS targets can take time to affect spending. Explore campaign adjustments that can help you rein in ad spend faster.
ChatGPT Ads adds Target CPA and CPC bidding, expands product campaign controls
ChatGPT Ads introduces Target CPA and CPC bidding, more precise geographic targeting and flexible product filters, with some options retiring soon.
Google Ads details new Data Strength Uplift metric
Google Ads' Data Strength Uplift metric shows advertisers how much additional conversion activity their first-party data setup helps capture.
Google Ads clarifies AI-generated public figure impersonation is banned, even with disclosure
Google Ads clarifies that AI-generated public figure impersonation is prohibited, even with disclosure, reinforcing its existing advertising policy.
Google Ads Editor 2.14 rolls out with AI Max defaults and new retention controls
Google Ads Editor 2.14 adds AI Max defaults, expanded retention controls, Demand Gen optimizations and background downloads.
After the lift test: Make incrementality part of weekly PPC reporting
Don't let lift test findings sit in a slide deck. Use incremental CPA, lift estimates, and budget decision rules to improve PPC performance.
Connecting with shoppers when the buyer Is not human
The agent gets your catalog. You keep the relationship.
Google Ads introduces new ValueTrack parameter to identify AI Max traffic
Google Ads introduces a new ValueTrack parameter to help advertisers identify AI Max expansion clicks and separate them from standard keyword traffic
Google Ads shortens Smart Bidding learning status to 7 days
Google Ads limits Smart Bidding's Learning status to seven days and removes budget, target, creative and targeting changes as triggers.
ChatGPT ads vs. Google Ads: 6 key differences to know
Google Ads remains the proven performer, while ChatGPT offers room to experiment. Here's how to balance both in your paid media strategy.
How to sell upper-funnel campaigns to performance-driven clients
A 28% lift in brand searches wasn't enough. See how a measurement shift convinced a skeptical retailer to fund upper-funnel campaigns.
ChatGPT ads: Advertisers surge, average spending falls, and big spenders dominate
ChatGPT advertisers surged as spending stalled and average budgets shrank. See who's spending, who's dominating, and what it means for you.
Why Google’s YouTube push matters for your search strategy
Your best-performing search campaigns can't capture demand that doesn't exist. Here's why investing beyond the bottom of the funnel matters.
ChatGPT visual ads are rolling out
These visual ads show when you ask ChatGPT to create an image and they disappear after the image has been created.
Google AI Mode multiturn ads are now rolling out
We are seeing more and more ads on Google AI Mode, including the new multiturn ads in the US.
How to measure the full value of paid media beyond ROAS
Account for overlooked revenue, improve bidding with weighted conversions, and measure brand lift to strengthen the case for your ad spend.
ChatGPT Ads bidding options are changing on November 9th
This seems to impact those using Max Bid or Max CPC options on OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads.
Google Ads may count offline conversions in the wrong accounts
Even uploads marked 'Successful' or '#OK' may not be counted as conversions. Here's why that happens and how to verify your data.
Google Ads Search terms match type vs Search terms match type (Keywords)
Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison said they are different because the two fields map to two different places in the user interface.
12 essential landing page statistics
Uncover landing page statistics across industries. Get data-driven insights on conversion rates and trends. Explore now!
Product feeds are becoming the new ad creative in Google AI Mode
When Google's AI writes the sales pitch, how can you influence it? Product data shapes how your products appear to shoppers.
How Google Ads promotions can inflate ROAS and hurt profits
Smart Bidding can't optimize for margins it never sees. See how better conversion tracking and margin-based bidding can protect your profits.
Reddit begins testing ads in search results
The new placements use existing ad targeting, including relevance to search queries. The ads are available to a select group of advertisers.
5 signals you need for better Google Ads forecasts in 2027
Move beyond CPC adjustments and growth targets. Build your Google Ads budget around market opportunity and realistic acquisition costs.
How to use Google Ads attributed branded searches to measure brand impact
Campaign data reveals which creatives and audiences drive branded searches, how to interpret the results, and where the metric falls short.
ChatGPT ads generate 64% less revenue per visit than Google Search: Study
Researchers estimated a $0.26 cost per click would match Google's ad returns. One ChatGPT advertiser reported paying $1.72.
Beyond demand capture: Why performance marketers need brand marketing
Learn when to invest in demand creation, which metrics matter, and how to test new growth opportunities without sacrificing accountability.
walkerOS: A data collection alternative to gtag.js
Take control of your tracking data with an open source platform supporting server-side collection and integrations with GA4 and Google Ads.
Google: AI Mode’s lower monetization slowed Search ad growth
Google Search ad revenue grew 12% to $63.3 billion in Q3. Search query growth hit a five-year high, driven by AI.
You don’t need more ads. You need more creative variables.
Test different hooks, messages, formats, and angles to uncover what resonates with your audience and make smarter paid social decisions.
Google expands ads in AI Mode to 10 new markets, with UK and Brazil next
Google expands AI Mode ads to 10 new countries and introduces multiturn ads in the US, with more markets coming soon.
Google Ads adds ‘All Conversions’ tab to simplify conversion tracking and audits
Google Ads introduces an All Conversions tab, making it easier to review conversion settings, troubleshoot tracking issues and audit accounts.
Google Ads tests ad group-level seasonal adjustments for App campaigns
Google Ads is testing ad group-level seasonal adjustments for App campaigns, allowing more control over Smart Bidding during promotions.
7 Google Ads conversion tracking mistakes to avoid
Your campaigns may be optimizing toward the wrong goals. Check for overlooked conversions, inflated counts, and offline import errors.
Google Ads introduces centralized dashboard for tracking policy issues
Google Ads introduces a centralized Policy Summary dashboard to help advertisers track, manage and prioritize policy issues across their accounts.
Google confirms AI-generated review summaries in Search ads
Google is bringing AI-generated summaries of positive customer reviews directly into Search ads to help businesses build trust.
How to build a Google Ads dashboard with Claude that ties spend to outcomes
Google Ads shows conversions, but what happens to those leads? Connect ad performance with CRM data to see what's actually working.
7 B2B marketing shifts that will define 2027
The metrics, tactics, and playbooks that once drove B2B growth are losing their edge. Here's what deserves your attention and budget next.
Rémi Kerhoas’ shares how a PPC mistake went unnoticed for three months
Rémi Kerhoas reveals how a major PPC mistake shaped his approach to AI, automation and client management.