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:
Why creative, not bidding, is limiting PPC performance
Smart Bidding and Meta’s delivery systems have leveled the field. To scale PPC, fix creative fatigue, increase asset volume, and test faster.
Google outlines AI-powered, agent-driven future for shopping and ads in 2026
Google’s GM of Ads explains how AI and agentic commerce in 2026 will help advertisers create, target, and convert sales.
OpenAI details how ads will work in ChatGPT
Ads will appear only in Free and Go tiers, with sensitive topics excluded and users able to adjust personalization or upgrade to remove them.
Google Ads shows recommended experiments
Google Ads now suggests ready-to-run experiments, helping advertisers test optimizations faster and improve performance with less setup.
Google Ads simplifies product campaign tracking
Google Ads now shows per-product campaign eligibility, making gaps and overlaps easier to spot.
How to reduce low-quality leads from Performance Max campaigns
Performance Max often optimizes for cheap conversions by default. Learn how guardrails and better signals can improve lead quality.
PPC mistakes that humble even experienced marketers
From Friday launches to sloppy imports, PPC veterans share hard-earned lessons on automation traps, Google Ads Editor quirks, and more.
Google pushes AI Max tool with in-app ads
Google is advertising its AI Max feature inside Google Ads campaign settings, promoting its own tools within the paid platform.
How to make automation work for lead gen PPC
Automation isn’t just for ecommerce. Learn how to drive more leads, cut costs, improve quality, and save time with AI-powered campaigns.
Why PPC measurement feels broken (and why it isn’t)
As browser restrictions limit identifiers, PPC measurement relies more on redundancy, modeling, and inference than perfect tracking.
OpenAI starts testing ChatGPT ads
OpenAI is testing clearly labeled ads inside ChatGPT, marking its first step toward monetizing conversational AI.
A preview of ChatGPT’s ad controls just surfaced
A leaked preview of ChatGPT’s ad settings shows advertisers how personalization and privacy will shape ads in conversational AI.
How to diagnose and fix the biggest blocker to PPC growth
Most PPC accounts stall because teams focus on the wrong work. Learn how to identify the bottleneck limiting growth.
Amanda Farley talks broken pixels and calm leadership
Amanda Farley shares lessons on overcoming setbacks and balancing AI with human insight in modern marketing leadership.
Performance Max built-in A/B testing for creative assets spotted
Performance Max now supports built-in A/B testing for creative assets, giving advertisers a clearer way to measure and optimize what works.
Google Ads adds a diagnostics hub for data connections
Google Ads’ new diagnostics tool helps advertisers spot data connection issues early and protect conversion tracking and campaign performance.
Performance Max reporting for ecommerce: What Google is and isn’t showing you
Explore how to make smarter use of search terms, channel and placement reports, and device-level performance to improve campaign control.
Google Ads no longer runs on keywords. It runs on intent.
If you’re still building Google Ads around keywords, you’re behind. Here's what that means for eligibility, structure, and PPC strategy.
How first-party data drives better outcomes in AI-powered advertising
Learn why first-party data plays an increasingly important role in how automated ad campaigns are optimized and measured.
Google Ads tightens access control with multi-party approval
Google Ads’ new multi-party approval feature adds an extra safeguard against unauthorized or malicious account changes.
In Google Ads automation, everything is a signal in 2026
Automation performance depends on signal quality. Learn how Google Ads prioritizes signals, how pollution starts, and how to correct drift.
Anthropic says Claude will remain ad-free as ChatGPT tests ads
Anthropic argues ads inside AI chats would erode trust, warp incentives, and clash with how people actually use assistants like Claude.
DOJ and states appeal Google search antitrust remedies ruling
The fight focuses on default search deals that critics say lock out competitors and limit choice for users, advertisers, and rival companies.
How Google Ads quality score really affects your CPCs
High CPCs? Low ad quality, not bids, may be the real culprit — improving your Quality Score drives better results.
Why Google’s Performance Max advice often fails new advertisers
Early Performance Max adoption often reduces insight and control. Shopping campaigns provide clearer performance signals and faster learning.
Microsoft launches Publisher Content Marketplace for AI licensing
New marketplace lets publishers set terms, track usage, and get paid when AI systems ground answers in premium, licensed content.
Google Ads API update cracks open Performance Max by channel
Google Ads API v23 lets advertisers break down PMax campaign results by channel, offering more precise insights for optimization.
How to build a modern Google Ads targeting strategy like a pro
Learn a practical PPC framework that predicts intent, reaches beyond search, and connects the right audiences to the right content.
OpenAI quietly lays groundwork for ads in ChatGPT
ChatGPT’s hidden ad infrastructure signals a near-term launch of high-intent ads that could directly compete with organic answers.
Ads in ChatGPT: Why behavior matters more than targeting
ChatGPT ads mark a shift from keyword intent to behavioral understanding, changing how relevance, creative and measurement work.
The in-house vs. agency debate misses the real paid media problem
Performance rarely fails because of talent. It stalls when strategy, visibility, and accountability break down.
Kirk Williams discusses why client fit is very important
Taking on the wrong clients can quietly drain time and results, and this episode explains how to spot red flags early.
Google tests third-party endorsements in search ads
Google is testing 3rd party endorsements in Search ads, adding publisher logos and quotes to introduce external validation into paid results.
Google Ads API v23 brings PMax data, richer invoicing, scheduling
Google’s v23 Ads API speeds up releases while adding deeper Performance Max insights, AI-driven audiences, and more granular reporting.
Why AI makes agency-client relationships matter more than ever
AI may optimize PPC, but it can’t replace empathy, listening, or trust. Four relationship fundamentals still set agencies apart.
Meta tests paid subscriptions
Meta’s new subscriptions and AI features could change how users create, share, and engage with content, reshaping the signals advertisers rely on.
Google adds one-click ad previews to PMax
Google has made it easier to quickly review Performance Max creatives by adding instant asset previews directly within the asset group table.
Inside Meta’s AI-driven advertising system: How Andromeda and GEM work together
Andromeda and GEM now determine how ads are selected, ranked, and sequenced across Meta. Here’s what changed and what drives results in 2026.
Is your account ready for Google AI Max? A pre-test checklist
AI Max can unlock incremental conversions – or drain budget fast. Validate tracking, bidding, and broad match readiness before enabling it.
4 Facebook ad templates that still work in 2026 (with real examples)
The Facebook ads winning in 2026 use simple, repeatable structures that make problems, benefits and proof immediately clear.