Tag: Campaign Strategy

Boost Your Google Ads Visibility in AI Overviews with These Strategies

I’ve discovered that AI Overviews are changing the way Google Search displays paid ads. Nowadays, it seems like there’s more pressure to get my ads to appear in AI-generated responses, as direct search results provide fewer opportunities for clicks.

Google suggests that Shopping, Performance Max, and AI Max for Search campaigns are best suited for this evolution. However, just choosing the right campaign isn’t enough. I need to ensure the quality of my feeds, optimize my landing pages, and use effective audience signals and creative content strategies to boost my ads’ chances.

Enable Google-Recommended Campaigns for AI Overviews

I’ve found that Google is quite clear about which campaign types are most likely to appear in AI Overviews. Interestingly, these opportunities are often overlooked by experienced marketers due lack of full control.

Despite this, I’ve come to understand that combining control with data and an understanding of search intent will benefit both me, as an advertiser, and the searcher. This involves strategizing beyond picking the right campaign types, focusing instead on fully optimized feed data and content alignment.

To boost my visibility in AI Overviews, I’ve enabled Google’s recommended campaigns to sync with the feature, particularly Shopping, Performance Max, and AI Max for Search, utilizing broad match keywords and smart bidding with final URL expansion.

Shopping Campaigns

Learning that the original keywordless campaign relies heavily on my data feed quality, I’ve focused on creating a well-built and optimized product data feed, using high-quality images, and ensuring my titles and descriptions are thorough.

I’ve realized how crucial the product data feed is in determining ad visibility for specific queries. When high-intent questions are asked, the AI Overview can feature a product carousel, enhancing the prominence of shopping results.

Performance Max Campaigns

In Performance Max, I’ve seen how keywordless campaigns utilize page content, data feeds, and audience insights to decide ad display. These inputs are key in determining ad visibility for queries.

Enabling Final URL expansion has allowed my ads to appear in more searches by leveraging page content for user query relevance.

AI Max for Search Campaigns

By using existing keywords as a starting point, AI Max for Search expands beyond to determine ad delivery strategies. This means keywords signal intent rather than dictate ad display.

I’ve noticed that AI Max uses search term matching and asset optimization to target queries unaddressed by traditional keyword targeting.

6 Best Practices for Ad Campaigns

To improve my chances of being featured in an AI Overview, I’ve optimized my campaigns by focusing on creative, copy, schema, and link-building techniques to reinforce brand authority.

1. Diversify Your Assets

With campaigns like AI Max and Performance Max, I’ve realized the importance of using varied creative assets. Incorporating informative headlines, descriptions, and visuals in multiple formats allows for diverse ad placements.

2. Use a Conversational Tone

Understanding Google’s approach, I’ve shifted from generic sales pitches to a conversational tone in my Responsive Search Ads, using language that assists the user rather than typical sales jargon.

3. Be Clear and Informative

By answering key questions succinctly, my ads now have a better chance of being highlighted in AI Overviews. A focus on information-rich landing pages has proven essential.

4. Check Schema Markup and Links

I ensure my schema markup is thorough and aligned with my content. Linking to reputable sources builds authority, and collaborating with my SEO team has enhanced these practices.

5. Guide Automation with Audience Signals

I recognize the lack of control in these campaigns, so I’ve guided automation using strong audience signals, exclusions, and negative keywords to refine my targeting strategies.

6. Regularly Monitor Campaigns

Regular monitoring is crucial for brand safety and profitability. Reviewing search terms, landing pages, and ad assets ensures my message remains consistent and aligned.

Adapt Your Approach for AI Overviews

Adapting to conversational AI Overviews requires me to focus on maximizing visibility on the SERP. Emphasizing data feed quality, content alignment, and creative diversity turns this shift into an opportunity for growth.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

May 27, 2026
Mastering Negative Keywords: Your 2026 Strategy Guide

I’ve always believed that negative keywords are more than just a checklist. In 2026, they represent strategic decisions that shape how the algorithm interprets your ad account.

If you’re still viewing negative keywords as a mere maintenance task, you’re missing out. Each exclusion signals who you intend to target, what you’re willing to pay for, and how you expect your campaigns to perform.

Let me share six key decisions that define today’s negative keyword strategy, and explain their growing significance.

Negative keywords help shape our campaigns so the right ad appears in front of the right audience. Achieving alignment between the user’s search query, your ad, and the landing page is crucial for creating an exceptional user experience.

When this alignment is absent, budget is wasted, click-through rates (CTR) decline, Quality Scores suffer, and cost-per-click (CPC) rises. These challenges can make the algorithm seem like it’s working against you.

However, many of us weren’t taught how negative keywords fit into an overall account strategy, only how to add them. Let me delve into these six critical strategic choices.

Determining how aggressive to be with negative keywords is the first decision every account manager needs to make, yet it’s often overlooked.

Are you relentlessly removing every low-performing search term? Are you deliberately allowing space for keyword opportunities? Or do you find yourself somewhere in between?

There isn’t a universal right answer, but it is essential to choose your level of aggression. A growth-focused account may need a less aggressive approach, whereas an efficiency-focused account might require more aggression. This choice should align with the account’s goals and performance metrics.

Using the right match types for negative keywords is crucial. Most advertisers default to one type without understanding why.

Here’s my breakdown:

Use negative exact match for strictly removing specific long-tail variations, negative phrase match for groups of related queries, and negative broad match for eliminating words that indicate a misaligned audience.

A well-thought-out negative keyword strategy utilizes all three match types, each serving a distinct purpose.

When should you add negative keywords? This is a consideration I’ve seen approached in various ways by different account managers.

Some add negatives weekly regardless of data, while others only when conversions drop, or during quarterly reviews. The right approach depends on your goals and data-driven insights.

For growth-focused accounts, trigger addition when a query exceeds three times your target CPA over 90 days without conversion. For efficiency-focused accounts, use a stricter budget-focused trigger.

The timeframe for reviewing data when deciding on negative keywords is another crucial factor.

A 30-day window might be too aggressive unless dealing with short-term promotions. A 90-day window is balanced and often recommended, while a 365-day window may be conservative, excellent for long buying cycles.

Choosing the correct timeframe informs smarter strategic decisions.

The role of AI in campaign sculpting through negative keywords is increasingly pivotal.

Decide how much control you want versus how much you rely on the machine. Some eliminate competitor keywords, yet others let them through for conversions.

While AI holds more information than us, sculpting is necessary for communicating your intent.

In 2026, we have more options than ever for managing negative keywords effectively.

You can conduct a manual review, use AI tools for suggestions, or let AI handle it fully. The key is balancing efficiency with oversight according to the comfort level and stakes of the account.

In every era, a few principles remain true. Keep your search terms report in check, make sure to update negatives as your campaign evolves, and always remain flexible to changes in user intent.

Ultimately, efficient advertising starts with strategic exclusion. What we choose not to target often holds equal importance to what we do target.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

May 6, 2026
Boost PPC Performance by Measuring Paid Social Impact
I sometimes find it challenging to measure the true impact of my paid social campaigns on PPC performance. Despite not always seeing conversions directly within the social platform, these ads can significantly influence my overall marketing efforts.

To truly understand how paid social affects my other marketing channels, including PPC, I’ve found a few strategies that help me set up and measure effective tests.

Step 1: Determine Your Hypothesis

I always start by clarifying what I want to learn from my tests. Defining a realistic hypothesis that I can evaluate with available data is crucial.

For example, I often use the following hypothesis to measure the influence of social traffic on PPC:
- Search lift hypothesis: Increasing social media spend will boost brand search volume and PPC CTRs.
- Logic:
  - Social ads build brand awareness, prompting more people to search for my brand during research and purchase stages.
  - As more people become familiar with my brand, they tend to click on PPC ads more, regardless of search terms, enhancing both brand and non-brand CTRs.
  - Exposure to my brand boosts trust, potentially increasing conversion rates.
- Measurement:
  - Track impression and click volume for branded terms.
  - Monitor CTR changes for brand and non-brand terms.
  - Observe conversion rate changes for these terms.
My hypothesis varies, sometimes focusing on the lift from social spend or a surge in direct traffic.

Step 2: The Test

Setting up test parameters is my next step. It’s essential to avoid simply comparing results before and after changes due to possible seasonal effects. A geographic split test is typically my go-to method.

In this test, I increase social spend in specific geographies and analyze PPC data from these areas versus others. While selecting geographies, I control for various factors, such as regional televised sports events or confined TV commercials, to ensure my test results are valid.

It’s crucial to compare control and experimental groups by similar factors like income levels and region types. I also ensure my budget can accommodate anticipated increases in social spent, preventing budget limitations from skewing results.

Evaluating the impression share before and after allows me to ensure budget constraints don’t impact my outcomes.

Step 3: The Measurement

When starting measurement, I keep it simple, comparing platform data to see changes prompted by stopping social spend across all channels like TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.

Upon halting social spending, I’ve observed mixed conversion rate results, with some regions showing increases and others decreases, though an overall drop in conversions was common.

Depending on my analytics setup, I delve into more complex analyses, looking at conversion touchpoint differences, visitor overlap rates between social and paid search, or different attribution models.

Before initiating any tests, I ensure that my measurement capabilities are robust enough to understand and interpret results accurately.

Step 4: Evaluation Beyond Test Criteria

While running tests, I measure results against my hypothesis but also look at additional variables that may provide further insight.

In one case, a brand I tested on believed they could cut down on brand advertising without affecting their search volume. However, a drop in common brand terms contradicted this. An evaluation across various factors showed unpredictable results that required expanded analysis.

I rely heavily on my experience to sniff out anomalies and conduct further internal evaluations.

When results seem unexpectedly drastic, I question whether it’s a quirk or if other factors, like recent AI-driven changes, are silently influencing outcomes.

What to Do With Your Social Impact Tests

The test setup is straightforward:
- Define your hypothesis.
- Choose how to test, preferably using a geographic split.
- Ensure you can measure the outcomes appropriately.
- Run the tests and evaluate the hypothesis-related metrics.
- Assess additional metrics for further insights or testing ideas.
For some, social channels like Facebook are top converters, while others see poor outcomes in isolation, necessitating tests to guide budget allocation strategies.

In these scenarios, companies with substantial social media spending reduce to test impact, while others might increase spending to assess performance changes.

Results vary widely across companies, with some seeing significant performance lifts and others noticing minimal changes, underscoring the need for personalized testing.

Conducting geographic split tests can offer incredible insights into how social media campaigns bolster or detract from other marketing channels.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
April 28, 2026
Boost Ad Campaigns with AI: Emotional Triggers & ROI Tips
I’ve discovered the power of turning AI into a strategic ad partner using prompts that dive deep into buyer emotions, target high-intent audiences, and tackle objections.

Many of us are already tapping into various generative AI tools to breathe life into our marketing ideas and boost the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

Using prompts isn’t just a solo brainstorming alternative; it’s a productivity booster that opens up a world of possibilities.

In this guide, I’ll share some of my favorite marketing prompts for ad campaigns, designed to spark creativity in crafting your own prompts.

Why Use Prompts for Online Ads?

Prompts are your fast track to brainstorming ad elements like triggers, emotions, actions, and your target audience.

The beauty of prompts is they’re versatile. You can tweak outputs across different channels and initiatives like ads, emails, and social media.

Getting closer to optimal campaigns from the outset means saving time, a real boon for low-budget efforts that are hungry for feedback.

The prompts themselves make all the difference. Craft strong questions to extract valuable insights from large language models (LLMs).

Feeling stuck? Ask AI tools for prompt recommendations or use mine. Here’s a selection I often use for online ads.

Emotional Trigger Prompt

Purchases are fueled by emotions, so it’s essential to tap into what makes your audience feel.

Try this prompt: “What are the top emotional triggers that would make X audience buy Y product?”

As an example, I explored what emotional triggers would prompt parents to purchase math learning software for their kids. The LLM highlighted key triggers alongside scarcity and urgency hooks:
- Fear of falling behind: Anxiety and a protective instinct. Example: “Ensure your child never falls behind in math.”
- Desire to give kids a competitive advantage: Ambition and pride. Example: “Equip your child with math skills that top students develop years ahead.”
- Relief from homework stress at home: Relief and peace of mind. Example: “Say goodbye to math homework battles at home.”
Purchase Intent Prompt

Explore these questions to identify who’s ready to buy your product or service now:
- Who is most likely to buy immediately?
- Who needs convincing?
- Who will never buy?
To prevent wasting ad spend, focus on audiences poised for purchase and steer clear of those unlikely to buy.

Keep probing which audiences are most likely to convert. Use the LLM’s feedback to get more specific with your ads.

In the math software scenario, the LLM advised that parents of struggling kids in math were the best converters due to high urgency and low friction.

The second-best group? Homeschooling parents, motivated by the need to manage the entire curriculum. This insight allowed us to craft ads and test conversions.

Overcoming Objections Prompt

Addressing objections is crucial for sealing the deal. Ask for three to five potential objections buyers might have about your product.

In our math software example, the LLM identified these objections:
- My child already has too much screen time.
- Will this actually improve my child’s math skills?
- It’s too expensive.
Next, craft a persuasive counter-argument for each using logic, emotion, and evidence. For “it’s too expensive,” consider:
- Logic: “Less than the cost of a tutor.” Establishes a higher anchor, making the price seem reasonable without calling it cheap.
- Emotion: “Don’t let your kids fall behind in math.”
- Proof: “80% of students improve by one letter grade in two months.”
Psychological Profile Prompt

Request a comprehensive psychological profile of your ideal customer from an LLM. Use questions like:
- What are your ideal customer’s fears?
- What are their frustrations?
- What do they envy?
- What do they pretend doesn’t bother them?
- What keeps them up at night?
In the math software scenario, I asked, “What or who do my ideal customers envy?”

The response indicated parents envy children in enrichment or advanced classes, seeking future educational opportunities.

Here’s a message for them: “Help your child stay ahead instead of playing catchup.”

The Lifetime Value Prompt

Sustain long-term success by focusing on customer lifetime value (LTV) instead of one-time sales.

Consider these questions:
- Why might your customers stick around?
- Why might they buy more?
- What retention strategies are effective?
For a luxury furniture brand, we turned these into a brief playbook to boost LTV. The LLM suggested shifting from a transactional relationship to a long-term design partnership.

For instance, segment your customer base and use direct mail for your highest-value group by sending a lookbook. Though it seems old-school, it can result in a higher LTV than general mailings.

Your clients deserve strategic thinking and clear priorities. AI tools help us achieve that, supporting both strategy and execution.

Fix Lagging Average Order Value Prompt

When performance dwindles, it’s tempting to ask sweeping questions about metrics like return on ad spend (ROAS).

But that’s a path well-trodden, often leading to generic, uninspired checklists.

We grapple with B2C and B2B search query overlaps. Focusing on B2B users is challenging but crucial for securing high-value, long-term customers.

We noticed a likely cause of a B2B client’s lagging ROAS: average order value (AOV) as reflected in Google Ads’ Value/Conv. Smart Bidding had shifted to high-converting but lower-quality sessions, impacting performance.

We enlisted an LLM to ascertain and address the issue.

With Ads Advisor (Gemini) in Google Ads, the initial response focused on trivial consumer scenarios, like holiday themes.

Upon refining the prompt, we received more targeted, actionable suggestions, saving valuable time.

We doubled down on audience targeting, emphasizing specific Google audience segments and first-party audiences with value rules.

AOV increased. While it didn’t promise higher order values, it honed focus on B2B intent and reduced low-priority consumer purchases.

Key performance metrics improved, guiding the path to growth and profitability.

Better Prompts Lead to Better Campaigns

Begin simply — incorporate one or two of these prompts into your next campaign, tweak the outcomes, and expand from there. Over time, you’ll establish a repeatable system where AI becomes integral to your marketing workflow.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
April 9, 2026
Avoid These Costly Google Ads Mistakes for Ecommerce Success
Expanding beyond paid social? Discover how I learned to structure campaigns, control spend, and unlock demand without depending solely on the Meta playbook.

My paid social campaigns were thriving. I understood my audience intimately, had a tight creative process, and watched results improve each year. Naturally, when leadership proposed expanding into Google Ads, I was thrilled—envisioning it as a new revenue channel.

But sticking to our existing strategy only led to difficult conversations. Google demands different tactics—intent signals and campaign structures vary, and common budget-draining mistakes aren’t always obvious. Many brands mirroring their Meta strategy end up with flashy dashboards but disappointing balance sheets.

From my experiences, six frequent mistakes can cause substantial damage before they’re even noticed. They’re what I’ve seen most often with ecommerce brands transitioning to Google Ads—and each error is reversible.

Mistake 1: Treating Google like a retention channel

Utilizing Google Ads for retention and brand defense is possible, but relying solely on it as a strategy is problematic. I often notice brands new to the platform diving straight into Performance Max. Initially, the ROAS shines bright, making everyone happy. However, when the right question surfaces—”Are we truly growing or just capturing purchases?”—issues arise.

For example, a client approached me with branded search and retargeting doing most of the work in PMax—a mere tax on demand already created elsewhere, leading to stagnant revenue. Although ad spend was soaring, growth wasn’t.

Acquiring new customers requires a different setup, like:
- Shopping campaigns to highlight products to new audiences.
- Search campaigns centered on non-branded, high-intent keywords.
- Layered PMax configurations to bypass defaulting to easy conversions.
When Google grants vast access to new audiences, focusing solely on closing disregards most of this opportunity.

Dig deeper: Ecommerce PPC: 4 takeaways that shape how campaigns perform

Mistake 2: Not knowing how to leverage Google’s core levers

Although paid social expertise is somewhat transferable to Google, I’ve observed four major gaps. Let me share them with you in more detail.

Search intent: Social media ads interrupt, but search ads meet users actively seeking your offerings, transforming campaign structure, ad copy, and keyword targeting entirely.

Data feed optimization: An optimized product feed enhances visibility and targeting in Shopping or Performance Max campaigns.

Keyword research: Understanding match types and search intent is critical for reach and cost efficiency.

Landing pages: Engaging landing pages outperform product pages for high-intent but unfamiliar visitors.

Dig deeper: 7 Google Ads search term filters to cut wasted spend

Mistake 3: Allowing operational issues to interrupt campaign momentum

Consistent data is key for Google’s algorithms. Every unintended campaign pause can reset learning, causing weeks of degraded performance and wasted spend.

Common disruptions include:
- Payments: Bill lapses, leading to campaign pauses, overshadow the actual cost when factoring in downtime recovery.
- Tracking and feed integrity: Broken pixels and feed errors silently degrade performance.
Setting up automated alerts and regular audits can prevent these costly errors.

Mistake 4: Overly granular campaign structures

Detail-oriented advertisers may over-segment campaigns, believing it provides control. However, widespread budget allocation hinders Google’s automation from optimizing effectively.

Instead, tight, well-funded campaigns optimize better and are more manageable.

Dig deeper: How to find and fix the root cause of low conversions

Mistake 5: Leaving campaigns on Max Conversion Value without ROAS targets

Max Conversion Value aims for conversion volume, neglecting cost efficiency. A realistic ROAS goal encourages the algorithm to maximize efficiency. Setting this correctly is crucial.

Dig deeper: How each Google Ads bid strategy influences campaign success

Mistake 6: Underfunding campaigns, keeping them in learning mode

Underfunding during the learning phase results in indefinite stalled progress. Adequately funding new campaigns from the outset fosters quicker, more accurate results.

Expanding beyond Meta to include Google is a strategic move, accessing actively expressed demand. These pitfalls aren’t deterrents but guideposts for smoother transitions and optimized strategies.

For early adopters, start with my guide on expanding from Meta to Google Ads. If seeking further optimization, learn how to sidestep Google’s automation traps.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
April 2, 2026
Unleashing AI in B2B: Your Patient Path to Growth

B2B buyers start their journey long before they even search for us. I’ve learned that AI-powered Google Ads campaigns can ignite early demand and reward patience over time.

If I’m relying solely on brand and non-brand keywords in Google Ads, my growth becomes limited. A decline in performance isn’t due to the platform but the strategy behind it.

Discovering a brand doesn’t begin with a non-brand search. Buyers are researching on platforms like Reddit, ChatGPT, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. They watch demos, read testimonials, and become familiar long before actively searching for us.

For complex sales processes with lengthy customer journeys, this transformation is crucial, demanding a strategic shift. Here’s how I can make it effective in B2B.

AI-powered Campaigns: Your Growth Treasure

Over the years, Google has innovated with multi-channel, multi-asset campaigns like Performance Max and Demand Gen. These campaigns place my brand front and center as audiences research and evaluate options.

When my audience is ready to choose vendors, they’ve already built trust in my brand. They’ll search specifically for me because of the trust I’ve cultivated through consistent visibility.

A well-rounded Performance Max campaign includes diverse ad types, like image and video ads displaying demos or testimonials on YouTube. These ads also engage audiences across the web via the Display Network and retarget them as they continue their research. This process naturally leads to branded searches that ultimately convert.

Such campaigns are cost-effective, allowing me to leverage customer data alongside keywords as intelligent signals, not replacements. It’s about smarter keyword usage.

Dig deeper: Why B2B brands are shifting from keywords to Performance Max

Adapting to the Evolving Search Experience

As AI Overviews and AI Mode transform Google’s search results pages, it’s time I reconsider my ad strategies to align with these changes.

I’m fond of the 4S framework: search, scroll, stream, and shop.

Adding “ask” captures how people now engage with AI tools. They consult ChatGPT or Gemini, search on Google, scroll through LinkedIn, stream videos on YouTube, and shop across numerous platforms. If my strategy focuses on only a couple of these behaviors, I’m missing the full growth opportunity.

Solely targeting keywords means missing the larger narrative. Brand keywords undoubtedly convert better, but how do people arrive at searching my brand? Consistent visibility ensures they notice my brand in their feeds.

Embrace Testing and Learn with Patience

This strategy requires time, especially in B2B settings with protracted sales cycles.

For example, it took almost a year to appreciate how Performance Max contributed to one of my life science client’s success, whose deals typically take months to finalize. There was a moment where our account manager nearly paused the campaign because initial data wasn’t promising.

Integrating sales data changed the perspective. As revenue figures rolled in, the campaign’s value became transparent.

If I can sync beyond MQLs with data like Proposal Sent, it keeps Google well-informed and offers reassurance until the sales data solidifies our insights.

Patience is key when providing the system quality data. I must remain steadfast and avoid quitting prematurely, accepting the complexity of B2B cycles.

An event might draw 100 people, some catch a webinar email later, and months pass before they search for us and request a proposal, eventually becoming customers. With long sales cycles, phenomena like this unfold subtly.

Dig deeper: How to optimize B2B PPC spend when budgets and confidence are low

Start with Small Steps, Then Scale Success

If testing funds are limited, I can designate 5% to 10% for AI-forward campaigns. Strategic testing without major commitments at peak times allows room to maneuver while the system adjusts.

Investing time in this strategy ensures sustainable growth. Those who master it gain an enduring competitive edge, unlike those focused on diminishing demand.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 27, 2026
Boost Your Campaigns: Google PMax Adds Seasonal Theming
I’ve recently discovered an exciting update from Google that makes managing seasonal campaigns a breeze. Their new Asset Group Theming feature is a game changer inside Performance Max, allowing me to quickly apply seasonal themes to existing asset groups without having to start from scratch.

Here’s How It Works: I can clone a top-performing asset group and apply a theme. Google then takes care of generating themed image variations and suggesting headlines and descriptions that match, all while keeping the original group intact. This way, I can safely test new themes without any risks.

The Themes Available:
- Promotional: Sale, Studio/Editorial
- Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Cultural moments: Christmas, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Hanukkah, New Year, Lunar New Year, and Back to School
Where to Find It: I find the theme application option inside Asset Groups ahead of major holidays, or by selecting “Apply theme to existing asset group” while setting up a new one.

Important Note: This tool is a starting point, not a complete solution. It uses existing images and adds themed backgrounds without replacing videos, and only updates a few headlines. Everything still requires review to ensure it fits the campaign before going live.

Why This Matters: Seasonal creative refreshes used to consume a lot of time, especially when factoring in design resources and the risk of performance drops with asset changes. This feature minimizes that hassle, allowing me to adapt my best-performing strategies quickly.

The Bottom Line: Think of this as a creative assistant, rather than a designer replacement. For those of us juggling multiple seasonal peaks, the time savings alone make it worth exploring.

First Spotted: Google Ads specialist Bia Camargo first noticed this update and shared it on LinkedIn.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
March 27, 2026
Unlocking Success with AI-Driven PPC Campaigns

I find it fascinating how AI is transforming the world of Google campaigns, particularly through tools like Performance Max (PMax) and AI Max. The reliance is shifting from long keyword lists to automation, audience insights, and machine learning, presenting new opportunities with a speed and scale beyond human capabilities.

At a recent SMX Next event, PPC experts Nikki Kuhlman from Jumpfly, Brad Geddes of Adalysis, and Christine Zirnheld from Cypress North shared insights on integrating PMax and AI Max within our broader campaign strategies. They explored how to balance automation with human input, showing where personal strategy still trumps AI.

AI Max for Search is an opt-in setting that extends keywords without needing a broad match, utilizing site resources to craft personalized ad content. This approach ensures more relevant ads and landing pages that meet user expectations.

I’ve noticed remarkable results with AI Max when used in blog content, a departure from traditional Digital Search Ads (DSA) approaches. These campaigns now guide users toward specific products, not just general reading, resulting in higher conversions.

When testing AI Max for Search, experts recommend using it on established campaigns with data, starting with A/B tests rather than full-scale changes. It’s essential to monitor landing page quality and search queries, incorporating negative terms where necessary.

Initial experiments in match type performance suggest exact match tends to deliver the best conversion rates, especially in campaigns with robust data volumes. However, broad match can be surprisingly effective when data is scarce, thanks to its ability to leverage previous user search history.

For those working within ecommerce, broad match might yield higher average order values from shoppers still exploring their options, even if conversion rates dip.

PMax has shown its potential in lead generation, contrary to common belief that it suits only ecommerce. The key is aligning campaign goals with true bottom-of-funnel conversions rather than mere form submissions.

With increased control options, PMax is now viable even in regulated industries. Device control features, for instance, are a strategic advantage for B2B campaigns, allowing targeted CPA adjustments across different platforms.

AI Max for Search is showing early promise in financial services, where it outperforms standard search despite being in a highly competitive keyword environment. This showcases AI Max’s potential to deliver better quality leads throughout the conversion funnel.

Ultimately, the future of PPC lies in a strategic blend of AI-driven tools and human oversight, ensuring campaigns are optimized not just for immediate conversions but long-term success. By correctly applying automation, we can achieve unprecedented results in search campaigns.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 13, 2026
Transform B2B Success: Top LinkedIn Ads Tests for 2026
Short-form video, Thought Leader Ads, personalized creative, and Qualified Lead Optimization are showing promise. Here’s how I plan to test them.

LinkedIn made some noteworthy moves last year with significant payoffs for our B2B clients. As we embrace 2026 and zero in on our yearly marketing goals, I’ve gathered some exciting insights from 2025 to help you maximize your strategies. Let’s dive into the top tests to run, including:
- Video.
- Thought Leader Ads.
- Personalized creative.
- Qualified Lead Optimization.
- Ads duplication.
Let’s explore each of these tests and the potential benefits they offer.

LinkedIn video is a must

Even though Meta and TikTok are more suited for videos, LinkedIn hasn’t shied away from the wave — especially with short-form videos (7-15 seconds). Crafting the right content is crucial for your marketing strategy. Here’s how you can leverage video effectively:

Consider new placements like First Impression Ads. Compare the performance of video ads in the feed against other ads to gauge impact and engagement.

The usual tips apply:
- Avoid just repurposing videos from others. LinkedIn users interact differently — focus on content addressing professional challenges, testimonials, or tutorials.
- Have a follow-up plan for users engaging with your video, as one video isn’t usually enough to convert immediately.
- Define a strategy to measure video engagement value, from views to actions like “Comment X for the full guide.”
Dig deeper: LinkedIn study reveals how B2B video ads can gain +129% engagement lift

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People respond to people, so try Thought Leader Ads

Engaging potential B2B clients can often be challenging, especially through a corporate lens. Thought Leader Ads (TLAs), which allow companies to boost employee content, have been around. Since I tested them rigorously in 2025, I’ve noticed they garner significantly higher engagement compared to typical business profile ads.

TLAs also afford creativity. Humorous posts, for instance, feel more authentic when shared from a personal profile.

As with all boosted content, selective investment is key. If a post organically gains traction and aligns with your business goals, it’s a prime TLA candidate.

Caveats to consider:
- Ensure employees whose content you boost have your brand prominent on their profiles. Activate creator mode so users can follow them, adding value to future content.
- Per LinkedIn, repurposing content published less than 30 days ago works best. My experiences confirm this.
Dig deeper: LinkedIn Ads retargeting: How to reach prospects at every funnel stage

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Personalize your creative

In late 2025, I experimented with personalized LinkedIn ads across various regions and campaigns. Globally, I witnessed a >20% improvement in cost per lead, paired with better CTR and lower CPC. U.S. campaigns were remarkable, showing a 33% drop in CPLs.

According to my LinkedIn contacts, European users value privacy more than their U.S. counterparts, explaining why personalization resonated better stateside. Yet, even U.S. campaigns showed fatigue with personalized ads after a month.

Combining personalized and non-personalized ads in one campaign decreased the frequency of personalized ads and facilitated side-by-side performance comparisons.

Dig deeper: LinkedIn’s new playbook taps creators as the future of B2B marketing

Test Qualified Lead Optimization

Having experience with Conversions API (CAPI) and enhanced conversions in Meta and Google, the concept of Qualified Lead Optimization is familiar. LinkedIn’s take lets you merge your first-party data with its algorithm to target high-quality users more effectively.

Though not as adept as Meta and Google yet, I’ve noted an increase in qualified leads through LinkedIn.

Here’s how to test it:
- Use LinkedIn’s CAPI to sync CRM data and define what constitutes a qualified lead.
- Set up a CAPI conversion event for qualified leads and ensure data flow to Campaign Manager.
Use the new ads duplication feature

This tactical feature has saved me time across accounts, making it an essential tool. In March 2025, LinkedIn improved Campaign Manager with a feature for duplicating ads across campaigns and accounts, expediting our campaign launches — a win with no downsides.

One more LinkedIn ad format to watch

I’m still evaluating LinkedIn’s new CTV capability. It offers potential for testing brand messages and positioning through targeted niche audiences before committing to broader campaigns.

LinkedIn introduced substantial updates last year, prompting us to boost client budgets there. Setting clear platform expectations and having a robust evaluation framework will maximize LinkedIn’s value.

Armed with these strategies and a deep understanding of your ideal customer profile (ICP), LinkedIn could serve as a surprising source of growth in the coming months.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
March 11, 2026

Combat Click Fraud in Google Ads: Strategies for Safety

From Video Partners to Search, fraud exposure is anything but uniform. Discover where invalid clicks tend to spike and how you can transition your efforts toward traffic with higher intent.

I’ve always considered Google Ads as the it-place for ad spending when stacked against social platforms. Yet, the sheer scale doesn’t make it bulletproof. Click fraud is a stubborn adversary, threatening the efficiency of our budgets based on ad placement.

Google Ads provide a vast reach, but not all campaigns face equal risks. Some are more vulnerable to malicious activities. To safeguard our margins, grasping what constitutes click fraud, its origins, and shielding our campaigns is essential.

What are invalid clicks?

Invalid clicks are false interactions lacking genuine consumer intent. They’re not driven by real human interest; thus, they skew performance data and drain budgets without potential for conversion. They mainly arise from these sources:

Botnets: Hijacked devices under a “botmaster” generate immense automated traffic mirroring human behavior to inflate metrics or initiate DDoS attacks.
Click farms: Low-paid workers or scripts manually clicking ads create a façade of engagement, misleading brands on campaign effectiveness.
Ad injection and malware: Malicious software injects unauthorized ads or forcibly redirects users, hijacking legitimate revenue and eroding trust.
Pixel stuffing and ad stacking: Ads served but unseen. Pixel stuffing compresses ads into invisible pixels; stacking layers ads in one slot, resulting in paid impressions without exposure.

Dig deeper: Own your branded search: Building a competitive PPC defense

The rising trend of fraud

Fraud Blocker recently determined the average invalid click rate across Google Ads at 11.4%, and it keeps growing.

To illustrate, in 2010, the rate was 5.9%, jumping to 12.3% by 2024. This doubling points to AI-powered bots and malware that skillfully bypass basic security.

Invalid click rates fluctuate depending on campaign setup, driven by:

```json
{
"alt": "Bar chart showing the increase in average invalid click rate on Google Ads from 2010 to 2025.",
"caption": "The rising tide of invalid clicks: Google Ads sees a significant climb in unwanted clicks from 2010 to 2025, nearly doubling in 15 years.",
"description": "This image displays a bar chart illustrating the increase in average invalid click rates on Google Ads over the years 2010 to 2025. The data suggests a consistent upward trend, showing that the rate has nearly doubled within this period. Presented by Fraud Blocker, the chart highlights years 2010, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, with percentages ranging from around 6% in 2010 to about 11% in 2025, suggesting a need for enhanced ad fraud prevention measures. This visual is effective for discussions on digital marketing challenges and ad fraud issues."
}
```

Industry competition: High CPC fields like legal and insurance are prime targets for adversaries exhausting budgets through clicks.
Targeting parameters: Broader keywords or regions high in bot activity can flood “junk” traffic.
Refinement tools: Negative keywords and audience exclusions form a barrier against unwanted clicks.

Campaign hierarchy: Which are the biggest violators?

Risk levels vary significantly across Google Ads inventory. Here’s how different campaign types rank in exposure:

The biggest risk: Google Video Partners

Invalid traffic in Video Partners is notably high, extending beyond YouTube to third-party sites.
Many sites provide little control, resulting in views from bots or insignificant placements.

Display campaigns: Highly vulnerable

Display ads often face low-quality or AI-created sites.
Sometimes, over half the clicks on a site prove invalid.
Major publishers are more secure, but there’s variability in network risk.

Shopping and Demand Gen: The automation tax

Automation leads to clicks from price-tools and bots.
These clicks, although not always malicious, distort optimization data.

Performance Max: Hidden exposure

Spreads risk across Google’s ecosystem.
Identifying traffic sources is challenging, leading to unnoticed invalid clicks.

Search: The safest bet

Search campaigns are most secure.
Simulating genuine search behavior is difficult for bots.
Yet, even in safe realms, a 2% fraud rate can hurt financially, especially in high CPC arenas.

How to mitigate the risks

In helping clients across various industries, identifying fraud onset patterns tailored to sectors remains vital. Our approach is proactive. Shifting from broad settings to a focused, high-intent strategy is key.

Here’s a table highlighting patterns we monitor to curtail invalid click rates:

Factor	Higher risk (Aggressive)	Lower risk (Strict)
Location	Global or “Presence or Interest”	“Presence Only” (User is physically there)
Keywords	Broad match / Generic terms	Exact match / Long-tail phrases
Networks	Including “Search Partners” and “Display”	Google Search Network only
Exclusions	No negative keywords or placement lists	Robust negative lists and app exclusions
Scheduling	24/7 (Bots often spike at night)	Custom schedules aligned with business hours

To cut down fraud exposure effectively, here’s what we can do:

Audit placement data: Regularly review ad placements to exclude sites or apps with high click rate but low conversion.
Limit AI Max reliance: While automation offers power, a “set and forget” approach invites wasted spend. Maintain manual oversight.
Review refunds: Google may refund for detected fraud, but subtle cases can slip through. Compare internally logged data with Google’s to find inconsistencies.

Dig deeper: PPC in the age of zero-click search: How to stay profitable

Campaign structure is your first fraud defense

Google is far from a monolith. Its vast ecosystem houses diverse environments where fraud risk varies immensely.

Focusing on quality traffic threats improves data integrity, optimization precision, and acquisition costs. In today’s market, the strategic campaign structure is vital to success.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 4, 2026

Tag: Campaign Strategy

Enable Google-Recommended Campaigns for AI Overviews

Shopping Campaigns

Performance Max Campaigns

AI Max for Search Campaigns

6 Best Practices for Ad Campaigns

1. Diversify Your Assets

2. Use a Conversational Tone

3. Be Clear and Informative

4. Check Schema Markup and Links

5. Guide Automation with Audience Signals

6. Regularly Monitor Campaigns

Adapt Your Approach for AI Overviews

Step 1: Determine Your Hypothesis

Step 2: The Test

Step 3: The Measurement

Step 4: Evaluation Beyond Test Criteria

What to Do With Your Social Impact Tests

Why Use Prompts for Online Ads?

Emotional Trigger Prompt

Purchase Intent Prompt

Overcoming Objections Prompt

Psychological Profile Prompt

The Lifetime Value Prompt

Fix Lagging Average Order Value Prompt

Better Prompts Lead to Better Campaigns

AI-powered Campaigns: Your Growth Treasure

Adapting to the Evolving Search Experience

Embrace Testing and Learn with Patience

Start with Small Steps, Then Scale Success

LinkedIn video is a must

People respond to people, so try Thought Leader Ads

Personalize your creative

Test Qualified Lead Optimization

Use the new ads duplication feature

One more LinkedIn ad format to watch