On episode 334 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Sophie Fell Head of Paid Media at Liberty Marketing Group about a real PPC mistake involving location targeting. The conversation focuses on how small oversights can have big consequences—and how to recover from them professionally.
Sophie accidentally launched a campaign with worldwide location targeting enabled instead of restricting it to the client’s service area. In just a couple of days, the campaign generated around 1,500 leads that looked impressive on paper but were unusable because they came from outside the target locations.
The unusually strong performance initially looked like a win, but it became a red flag. When Sophie reviewed the campaign more closely, she discovered the location setting issue. This highlights an important PPC lesson: results that look too good should always be investigated, not celebrated blindly.
The client spotted the issue around the same time Sophie did, while she was already preparing to flag it. The situation was handled with honesty—acknowledging the mistake, explaining what happened, and fixing it immediately. Transparency helped preserve trust, even though the client was understandably unhappy.
This wasn’t a lack of knowledge—it came down to moving too quickly and relying on assumed checks rather than confirmed ones. Like many experienced practitioners, Sophie thought the setting had already been reviewed. The experience reinforced how dangerous platform defaults can be.
Once corrected, the campaign went on to perform exceptionally well. The client hit their targets six weeks early and exceeded revenue expectations by £3.5 million. The initial mistake didn’t define the outcome—how it was handled did.
Sophie now checks campaign settings multiple times, both before and after launch. She reviews settings whenever performance spikes or dips and never reports results without rechecking fundamentals. The key change is recognising that post-launch reviews often reveal what pre-launch checks miss.
Sophie’s guidance is simple: pause, investigate, and be honest. Check metrics and settings immediately, take responsibility, explain what went wrong, and clearly outline how you’ll prevent it from happening again. Mistakes become serious problems only when they’re mishandled.
Sophie regularly audits accounts that haven’t been updated for years, rely heavily on brand campaigns, or misuse automation like Performance Max. She also sees poor alignment between keywords, ads, and landing pages—fundamentals that still matter, even in AI-driven campaigns.
Many PPC professionals assume industry leaders no longer make mistakes. Sophie challenges that idea. Everyone is still learning, regardless of experience level. Sharing failures helps juniors feel safer, encourages better leadership, and keeps the industry moving forward.
A strong team culture allows for testing, learning, and accountability without fear. Sophie emphasises clear testing frameworks, capped budgets, and open conversations. Teams that claim to be mistake-free rarely innovate.
Platforms change, defaults evolve, and assumptions fail. Whether performance is soaring or struggling, always verify that campaigns are doing what you think they’re doing. You can’t over-check your settings—but you can definitely under-check them.
Looking to take the next step in your search marketing career?
Below, you will find the latest SEO, PPC, and digital marketing jobs at brands and agencies. We also include positions from previous weeks that are still open.
(Provided to Search Engine Land by SEOjobs.com)
(Provided to Search Engine Land by PPCjobs.com)
Sr. Performance Marketing Manager, RobertHalf (Hybrid, Miami, FL)
Senior PPC Manager / Lead Gen Onward Search (Onsite Los Angeles, CA)
Director, Paid Search, Omnicom Media Group (Hybrid, New York City Metropolitan Area)
Senior PPC Manager / Lead Gen (on-site, downtown LA, direct hire), Onward Search (Los Angeles, CA)
Senior Manager, SEO, Kennison & Associates (Hybrid, Boston, MA)
Lead Generation Manager, Mondo (Hybrid, Charlotte, NC)
Search Engine Optimization Manager, NoGood (Remote)
Search Engine Optimization Manager, Pump.co (San Francisco)
Senior Content Manager, TrustedTech (Irvine, CA)
Senior Growth Product Manager, Reku (Remote)
Note: We update this post weekly. So make sure to bookmark this page and check back.
Google is rolling out a new Performance Max beta that lets advertisers pull video assets directly from Merchant Center — a small tweak with big implications for retail and e-commerce.
How it works. Google Ads will now:
Why we care. This update removes a friction point in PMax: getting high-quality, product-relevant video into campaigns. By auto-pulling videos from Merchant Center, Google is tightening the link between inventory and creative, which typically translates to higher relevance, stronger engagement, and better performance.
For brands with large SKU counts, this dramatically speeds up workflow and ensures video coverage at scale — something that was previously difficult and resource-heavy to achieve.
The big picture. Google has been rapidly expanding PMax’s creative pipeline — from social video imports to this new Merchant Center integration — signaling a broader push to make PMax more plug-and-play for commerce-heavy advertisers.
First seen. This update was first spotted by senior performance marketing executive, Rakshit Shetty who shared his view of the option on LinkedIn.
The bottom line. A subtle update, but a meaningful win for brands running eCommerce at scale.
For the past two years, we’ve been living in AI’s gold rush era. To borrow from Taylor Swift, think of it as the “Lover” phase where everything is shiny, new, and full of possibility.
But we’re entering a new era now. Call it the “Reputation” phase, which is darker, edgier, and entirely focused on receipts.
A sign of this shift was in the headlines recently, blaring on about Microsoft lowering its AI sales targets. The hot takes rushed in to frame it as a disappointment, a slowdown, and even a sign that enterprise demand is cooling.
They all misread the moment. This is really a sign of the market graduating.
We’re maturing. The AI gold rush era is coming to an end. Microsoft’s recalibration is one of many signals of this shift being felt broadly across the market, as we enter AI’s Production Phase era.
Another sign is how the questions leaders are asking have started to mature:
Leaders are getting smarter and choosier. It confirms what many CMOs have suspected: We don’t need more tools. We need orchestration across the tools, so we use what we have more effectively and cohesively.
This shift comes as the broader AI market remains unsettled.
Nearly 40% of U.S. consumers have tried generative AI, but only half use it regularly, according to eMarketer. Platform loyalty is fluid. ChatGPT’s global traffic share fell from 86.6% to 72.3% in a year, while Google Gemini tripled to 13.7%.
For marketers, this volatility means orchestration is critical to future-proof against a fragmented ecosystem.
The martech landscape just crossed 15,384 solutions, up 9% from last year according to ChiefMartec. We’ve never had more capability available.
Yet Gartner shows martech utilization has dropped to just 33%. Companies are paying for the full stack but extracting value from one-third of it. Even as budgets are getting slashed everywhere.
During the gold rush, we bought point solutions to fix functional problems. A tool for copy. A tool for creative. A tool for bidding. Each team got their own set of tools. We built rooms full of brilliant soloists but never hired a conductor.
The result is something I call Pilot Theater: impressive AI demos that look innovative but can’t deliver enterprise ROI because they’re trapped in silos.
The signals exist, as does the technology.
What’s missing is the coordination. And the pressure to fix this is mounting, with 86% of CEOs expecting AI ROI within three years (eMarketer).
Flashy pilots aren’t enough anymore. The orchestration gap is now a revenue risk.
Most leaders still confuse automation with orchestration.
Automation is rigid: “If X happens, do Y.” Orchestration is adaptive: “Achieve goal Z using the best available tools and conditions.”
In this new agentic AI era, you have systems that go beyond generating content to observing, coordinating, and optimizing workflows across your entire stack.
Think of orchestration as the nervous system of your marketing operation. The connective tissue that interprets signals across channels and triggers the next best action, instantly.
I’d even call this a survival strategy. Smaller AI platforms are running out of time as VCs lose patience, according to eMarketer. The prize for winning in AI is massive, but so are the resources required.
Betting on a single vendor is risky. Building adaptive orchestration is how you stay ahead when the ecosystem reshuffles.
Much of this is happening now, with manual handoffs being replaced with intelligent feedback loops. Here are three real-world examples:
One of the most telling stats in the 2025 State of Martech report: Custom-built internal platforms jumped from 2% to 10% of core stacks.
A 5x increase in a single year.
Marketing teams are evolving into product teams. Product management tools grew from 23% to 42% penetration, the highest growth of any martech category.
The off-the-shelf ecosystem isn’t solving the coordination problem fast enough. So marketing leaders are building it themselves.
This mirrors what’s happening in AI platforms. Google’s Gemini is surging thanks to deep integrations across search, browser, and mobile OS. Advantages OpenAI can’t match. The lesson for marketers is that integration wins.
Don’t fall for the hot takes touting the end of this era as a sign of the AI bubble popping. This is the end of AI tourism.
In this new era you can’t force growth with volume. You have to orchestrate it with intelligence.
Your competitive advantage will come from building the best AI nervous system. One that can sense a signal in one channel and react across the whole stack before the opportunity moves on.
Especially as AI platforms race to monetize through ads and sponsored content, orchestration layers help you measure and optimize ROI across the entire funnel.
The gold rush is over. The production era is here and it belongs to the orchestrators.
When a TV commercial makes people feel something, it doesn’t just win in the moment – it sparks curiosity, drives searches, and fuels conversions.
That’s why the “Breaking TV Ads Report,” jointly launched by Kinetiq and DAIVID, deserves a spot on every search marketer’s radar.
The monthly report ranks the top-performing new TV ads in the U.S., blending Kinetiq’s real-time TV ad detection with DAIVID’s AI-driven creative analytics to uncover which ads broke through, why they resonated, and what brands can learn from their success.
It’s a powerful reminder that search doesn’t start on Google – it starts in the mind.
As Barney Worfolk-Smith, chief growth officer at DAIVID, recently told me in an email:
The first edition of the “Breaking TV Ads Report” highlighted a commercial that checks every emotional and strategic box: Indeed’s “What If LeBron James’ Skills Were Never Seen?”
The ad traces James’s journey from his early life to his work with the LeBron James Family Foundation, connecting it to Indeed’s “skills-first” hiring message.
It resonated not only because of its star power but because it made viewers feel something authentic.
The ad generated 11% higher intense positive emotion and 7% higher attention than the average U.S. TV ad, per DAIVID’s data.
It was joined in the top 10 by campaigns from TikTok (twice), Subaru, and Taco Bell, with emotional themes centered on family, mentorship, and belonging.
These aren’t just nice stories – they’re search triggers.
When people connect emotionally with a brand message, they’re more likely to act on it – often by turning to Google or YouTube for more information, reviews, or purchase options.
Dig deeper: Brand + performance: The secret to maximizing ad ROI
Back in 2011, Google introduced the concept of “The Zero Moment of Truth.”
But the ZMOT stage in the buying journey – when consumers research a product or service online before making a purchase – was the “new” second step.
The first step remained “stimulus,” and it could be “a TV ad.”
Many search marketers focus on what happens in the second ZMOT stage, because we can measure impressions, clicks, and conversions on mobile and laptop screens.
And we ignore the stimulus step because it is sucking money out of our marketing budgets.
But several studies over the past decade have shown that the impact of TV advertising extends directly into search behavior:
Put simply: when a campaign captures attention on TV, search demand spikes – often within minutes.
For SEO and PPC professionals, this presents a clear opportunity to anticipate and capitalize on those moments.
Several major brands have already proven that when TV storytelling and search strategy work together, both channels perform better.
Apple’s product launches are masterclasses in cross-channel momentum.
Every time a new iPhone ad airs, search volume for terms like “iPhone 17 Pro Max” or “iPhone 17 release date” skyrockets.
Apple’s branded search traffic increases by up to 40% in the days following a major campaign, according to Semrush.
Apple intentionally designs its TV creative to generate questions – not answer them – encouraging viewers to seek out more details online.
That’s where Apple’s search-optimized landing pages, YouTube product videos, and paid search campaigns complete the journey.
Progressive’s long-running “Flo” campaign shows how consistent creative storytelling translates into search intent.
The insurance brand’s TV spots spark curiosity around characters, slogans, and offers – leading to measurable spikes in branded searches such as “Progressive car insurance” and “Flo from Progressive.”
The brand’s media team aligns paid search and display campaigns with national TV flighting schedules, ensuring that when interest peaks, search ads and organic results are ready to capture demand.
Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign is another classic case of TV leading to search.
The original “Share a Coke” campaign was launched in Australia in 2011 and involved replacing the Coca-Cola logo on bottles with hundreds of popular first names.
This personalization strategy was a global success, encouraging consumers to find bottles with their names and share them with friends and loved ones, which boosted sales and created emotional connections with the brand.
The latest “Share a Coke” campaign is a global relaunch targeting Gen Z with a focus on digital experiences and authentic, in-person connections.
It features personalized cans, a digital “Memory Maker” tool for creating shareable videos, and a partnership with McDonald’s.
Consumers can find names on bottles or use a QR code to customize bottles – a creative hook that’s sent millions to Google searching “custom Coke” or “share a Coke names.”
The campaign’s success wasn’t just creative; it was data-driven.
By tracking spikes in branded search and social mentions, Coca-Cola refined its targeting and extended the campaign’s life cycle online.
Dig deeper: Hyper-personalization in PPC: Using data to deliver tailored ad experiences
What makes the new “Breaking TV Ads” report particularly valuable is its data-driven framework for measuring creative effectiveness.
Kinetiq’s proprietary ad detection technology identifies every ad that first airs across 210 U.S. DMAs and 15 streaming apps, capturing over a million daily detections.
DAIVID’s AI then evaluates each ad’s emotional response, attention, and brand recall, creating a creative effectiveness score (CES) – a composite metric that mirrors how audiences actually experience content.
In a media landscape increasingly defined by short attention spans and fragmented screens, this data provides a rare window into why certain stories break through – and how that resonance correlates with downstream behaviors like search and site visits.
As Kinetiq CEO Kevin Kohn put it, the partnership “gives marketers a holistic view of the TV and CTV advertising landscape – not just what aired, but why it resonated.”
That’s exactly the kind of insight performance marketers need to connect the dots between creative resonance and measurable outcomes.
Dig deeper: Your ads are dying: How to spot and stop creative fatigue before it tanks performance
In February 2025, Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, revealed that:
So, search marketers can apply the latest findings from the Breaking TV Ads Report in several ways:
Search has long been viewed as a response channel – the final step in a consumer journey. But that view is outdated.
Today’s most successful campaigns use search as a connective tissue between offline inspiration and online action.
Whether it’s a QR code at the end of a TV ad, a YouTube masthead following a primetime spot, or a Google Shopping ad that captures post-broadcast demand – search is the bridge between storytelling and sales.
As more brands invest in connected TV (CTV) and streaming, the line between “brand” and “performance” marketing will continue to blur.
Creative effectiveness data helps close that gap – showing which emotional and visual cues are most likely to drive measurable search and conversion behavior.
Ultimately, reports like “Breaking TV Ads” remind us that the most powerful search strategy begins long before the query.
It begins with attention and emotion, and, increasingly, on the biggest screen in the house.
Dig deeper: How connected TV advertising drives search demand
Search Engine Land turns 19 today.
Nineteen years. Almost two decades of analyzing, explaining, questioning, challenging, obsessing over, and occasionally shaking our heads at whatever Google and the search industry throw our way.
And this past year? The pace of change has made it one of the most transformative since we launched in 2006.
Through all of it, our mission is the same as Day 1: help you make sense of search with clear news, smart analysis, and practical guidance.
Before we look ahead, I want to say thank you — and take a moment to reflect on the past year at Search Engine Land.
Seriously, thank you.
Every day, we start with you: what you need to know, what actually matters, and what changes could shape your work today or your strategy six months from now.
We aim to:
If you haven’t yet, subscribe to our daily newsletter for a curated wrap-up of everything happening in search. It’s still the easiest way to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.
Search Engine Land has always punched above its weight for one reason: the people.
A small team can do big, meaningful work when everyone is aligned, mission-driven, and a little obsessed with search.
A huge thank-you to:
And to the entire Third Door Media team within Semrush — thank you. Whether or not your name appears here, your work matters and is appreciated.
In a year defined by uncertainty, it was encouraging to see so many people continue to rely on Search Engine Land as a trusted community resource. And Search Engine Land had a strong 2025.
This was the standout moment of the year. Bringing SMX Advanced back in person after six years felt overdue and incredibly energizing.
Attendance exceeded expectations, sessions were packed, and hallway conversations felt like a reunion of the search marketing community. You could feel how much people missed connecting face-to-face — debating AI’s impact on search, swapping tactics, comparing notes on Google’s latest changes, and simply enjoying each other’s company.
It reaffirmed what we’ve always believed: great things happen when smart marketers share a room. We’re already looking forward to doing it again in Boston, June 3-5.
This past year brought one of the most dramatic shifts in search since Search Engine Land launched in 2006. Whatever we end up calling this emerging practice, we focused on giving the industry the clarity, context, and reporting it needed.
Readers have told us again and again that Search Engine Land is their go-to source for cutting through the noise during a confusing and often chaotic time. We’re proud that our reporting, explainers, and expert analysis are helping shape the industry’s understanding of where search is headed next.
This year brought a surge of new readers and renewed engagement from long-time practitioners. With so many shifts reshaping SEO and PPC – from AI to SERP experiments to advertiser updates – and the continued emergence of GEO, marketers turned to Search Engine Land in record numbers to stay informed.
Our contributors played a significant role in our growth. A huge thank you to all of our excellent SMEs for all the great content and insights you shared in 2025.
As we enter our 19th year, our commitment remains unchanged: provide the most trusted, useful coverage of search anywhere.
This year you can expect:
Save the dates:
There’s much more to come – and as always, our goal is to give you the insight and intelligence you need to do your best work.
On Dec. 11, 2006, Search Engine Land officially launched with a simple idea: search was becoming not just a tool, but a place. A world. A community. A discipline shaping how people find information and how businesses connect with customers.
Nineteen years later, that world has grown in ways none of us could have imagined. But the core idea still holds:
Search Engine Land is a place to stay informed, to learn, to connect, and to understand the engines driving the modern web.
On behalf of everyone at Search Engine Land and Semrush, thank you for reading, for sharing our stories, for asking hard questions, for supporting our mission, and for caring so deeply about all things search.
Here’s to the rest of 2025 – and to a successful, healthy, and insightful 2026.
Google is pushing back on an Adweek report that says the company told advertisers ads are coming to the Gemini app in 2026.
The post Google Pushes Back On Adweek Report About Gemini Ads In 2026 appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
A practical look at Google Ads’ 2025 releases, key takeaways for PPC managers, and what’s likely to shape strategy in 2026.
The post What Google’s 2025 Year in Review Tells Us About the Future of PPC appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
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