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:
Microsoft Ads launches self-serve negative keyword lists
Advertisers can now create and manage negative keyword lists directly in Microsoft Advertising
Google publishes new Google Ads passkey help doc
Google has published new passkey guidance for Google Ads, helping advertisers strengthen security amid rising account hacks.
You can now build PPC tools in minutes with vibe coding
Learn how vibe coding help you build custom PPC tools in minutes using simple AI prompts instead of traditional coding.
The Data Doppelgänger problem
AI agents, shared signals and fragmented identities are distorting marketing intelligence. Most brands do not know who is really acting.
Google Nano Banana 2 promises smarter, faster image generation
Google rolls out new AI image model with real-time web grounding, cleaner in-image text, and 4K outputs — built for ads and Search.
ChatGPT ads expand as more brands and trigger patterns emerge
Analysis of 1,500+ prompts shows most placements fire on first queries, while terms like 'best' and 'new' drive commercial intent.
How to use Google Ads Performance Planner and Reach Planner
Model budget shifts, forecast KPI impact, and estimate YouTube reach before scaling. See how these underused planning tools work in practice.
4 strategic paid search pivots to survive Google’s AI Overviews
AI Overviews are lowering CTR, raising CPCs, and compressing the buyer journey. Here’s how to protect performance and stay competitive.
Google expands AI Max text guidelines globally
Google’s AI Max now lets you guide AI-generated ad copy worldwide with custom text rules to keep messaging on-brand.
What industry data reveals about the impact of Google’s AI Overviews on paid search
Google’s AI Overviews aren't just a visibility problem, they're a revenue one. Here's what Adthena data reveals about CTR and CPC impact.
OpenAI says ChatGPT ads can be ‘additive’ if done right
OpenAI’s COO says ChatGPT ad rollout will be gradual and privacy-focused, as it tests monetization without compromising user trust.
Google to change budget pacing for campaigns using ad scheduling
Google’s new pacing update could increase monthly spend for ad-scheduled campaigns by pushing budgets harder within allowed run times.
How to read Meta Ads metrics like a system, not a scoreboard
Stop toggling off “losers” based on surface metrics. Analyze relationships between KPIs to pinpoint bottlenecks and drive sustainable growth.
Google Ad Grants now lets nonprofits optimize for shop visits
You can now tie ad spend to foot traffic, aligning bids with in-person visits across Maps and local search placements.
Merchant Center becomes a central video hub as Google auto-imports content
Google’s move to auto-populate video assets in GMC allows video to be a built-in, commerce-ready component of retail ad strategy.
How to write paid search ads that outperform your competitors
Review your ads in context, not isolation. Get practical tips to sharpen messaging, use AI wisely, and write PPC copy that converts.
Google Ads support requires account change authorization
Advertisers contacting Google Ads must now authorize support-led account changes — while keeping full responsibility for results.
What it takes to make demand gen work for B2B and ecommerce
From scroll-stopping creative to smarter budgets, learn why search tactics fail and what actually drives MQLs, SQLs and sales.
Merchant Center flags feeds disruption
An incident affecting Feeds on the Google Merchant Center status dashboard could disrupt product listings and Shopping ad performance.
What’s next for PPC: AI, visual creative and new ad surfaces
Google and Microsoft liaisons explain why dynamic ad surfaces, distinct assets and smarter AI inputs will define the next era of paid media.
Emina Demiri talks surviving firing your biggest client
Emina Demiri reveals how firing their biggest client — worth 70% of agency revenue — taught them hard lessons about client concentration.
Google now attributes app conversions to the install date
Google's app conversion attribution just shifted from ad click to install date — and it could meaningfully improve Smart Bidding performance.
How to use GA4 and Looker Studio for smarter PPC reporting
Unify GA4 and ad platform data into dashboards that pace spend, flag wasted budget, and reveal what’s really driving performance.
Google Ads shows how landing page images power PMax ads
Google Ads now gives advertisers clearer visibility into how Landing Page Images may be automatically turned into creatives in PMax campaigns.
ChatGPT ads spotted and they are quite aggressive
ChatGPT ads are spotted by U.S. users — and they're appearing on the very first prompt, not after lengthy conversations as some predicted.
Reddit tests AI shopping carousels in search results
Reddit is turning its trusted community recommendations into shoppable product carousels, directly in search results.
Google Analytics adds AI insights and cross-channel budgeting to Home page
The Analytics updates surface key performance changes automatically and help marketers allocate paid budgets more strategically.
ChatGPT ads collapse the wall between SEO and paid media
ChatGPT ads signal a shift, forcing SEO and paid media to align around prompt intelligence, fanout keywords, and LLM visibility.
Google launches no-code Scenario Planner built on Meridian MMM
Google’s Scenario Planner gives you a no-code way to turn Marketing Mix Model insights into actionable budget and ROI decisions.
Google Ads shows PMax placements in “Where ads showed” report
Google Ads now shows where Performance Max campaigns run, giving advertisers clear insights to optimize performance.
Paid search click share doubles as organic clicks fall: Study
Text ad clicks surged year over year as classic organic fell across key verticals, with paid listings now taking up to one-third of clicks.
Microsoft Advertising adds a multi image creative to Shopping ads
Microsoft Advertising’s multi-image Shopping ads let brands show more product visuals in search to boost engagement.
Microsoft rolls out applied Performance Max learning path
Microsoft Advertising’s new Performance Max learning path helps advertisers run better campaigns and showcase verified expertise.
Google Ads adds Results tab to show impact of applied recommendations
Google Ads now shows the real performance impact of applied recommendations in a new Results tab, comparing outcomes against estimated baseline results.
Perplexity stops testing advertising
Perplexity began testing sponsored placements in 2024. It’s abandoning them, saying labeled ads can erode credibility.
TikTok launches AI-powered ad options for entertainment marketers
TikTok’s new AI-powered ads let entertainment marketers deliver personalized content that boosts engagement and conversions.
Meta adds Manus AI tools into Ads Manager
Meta is embedding Manus AI into Ads Manager, giving advertisers built-in AI tools to streamline reporting, research, and campaign optimization.
Google shifts Lookalike to AI signals in Demand Gen
Google is turning Lookalike audiences into AI signals that expand reach and could significantly change campaign performance.
Google Ads adds beta data source integrations to conversion settings
Google Ads now lets advertisers connect external data to conversions, improving measurement and performance.
Google Ads tool is automatically re-enabling paused keywords
Google Ads may be re-enabling paused keywords automatically, raising concerns about unexpected campaign expense