One of the major reasons PPC practitioners hold onto syntax-oriented keyword strategies is the disconnect between “query intent” and “conversion intent.” For years, you’ve likely relied on keywords to show you understand what your customers want and to prequalify traffic using syntax-oriented signals.

As user behavior shifts to more conversational queries and AI becomes an increasingly relevant part of the user journey, the distinction between these two intents becomes even more critical to understand and act on.

Here, we’ll define query and conversion intent and explore strategies to apply them effectively. This isn’t prescriptive. You should make decisions based on what will serve your business well. However, it provides a framework for analyzing your data and optimizing for the right humans.

Disclosure: I’m a Microsoft employee, and I’ll be sharing some examples that pull from Microsoft tooling. However, most of the strategies reflect platform-agnostic approaches.

What are query and conversion intents?

Query intent is the underlying need driving the text put into a search function. This search function can be on a SERP (search engine results page), video/social/gaming/email/site search bar, or AI surface.

Conversion intent is the human need to achieve some outcome, understood through stated and inferred data points. These range from text entered in various search experiences, content consumed, and tracked actions taken.

Different examples of query and conversion intent will have higher or lower rates of confidence based on how explicit text is, as well as patterns in content consumed.

For example, if I search “Microsoft ads login,” both query and conversion intent are clear — I want to log in. It’s easy to match ads and organic content to that query. Videos shown in any video query would have to do with logging in, and emails would be focused around login information.

Google SERP

Bing’s SERP

YouTube results

The query “Microsoft ads” is more nebulous, as such, needs to draw from other signals like previously engaged content and search history. While I might get a login page, I’d likely also see blog/sales content, third-party advice on Microsoft ads, and potentially competitor info trying to capitalize on the general nature of the query.

Google SERP

Bing SERP

YouTube results

Let’s look at a non-branded example as well. “Purple hair dye” has a clear transactional intent. While the user might not have a brand in mind, they know they want a specific color. 

We don’t know if the user is looking for a semi-permanent or permanent color. We also don’t know the user’s pronouns, so matching them to a specific demographic to entice a purchase is a gamble. 

Google SERP

Bing SERP

YouTube results

In the query “purple hair dye for long wavy hair,” the transactional intent is maintained. However, the query focuses more on the core needs of the person behind the text. Long, wavy hair means there needs to be enough dye to cover long hair.

Additionally, while some men have long wavy hair, the person behind the query is more likely to identify as female. 

Wavy hair has a different composition than straight or curly hair, so products specifically for wavy hair will be more relevant than those without hair type identifiers.

Google SERP

Bing SERP

YouTube results

In all of these examples, there was clear conversion intent. The human behind the query clearly wanted to achieve something. However, if we relied only on the text (i.e., query intent), we might miss a meaningful opportunity to connect with customers. 

This is why close variants (which have been available on both Google and Microsoft for ~10 years) represent a useful way to unshackle ourselves from syntax alone.

Additionally, by limiting our understanding of queries to SERPs, we ignore critical insights from where our customers connect, work, and play. Microsoft’s internal data from March 2024 shows that brands that use both Audience ads (display, native, and video) and Search see a 6x conversion rate. Part of this is brand recognition, and the power of brand media buys influencing performance.

Yet there’s also the pragmatic piece that some marketers refuse to engage with video and social. By being where your competitors refuse to be, you can shape and capture desire while they fight over a shrinking share of voice.

How to optimize for each intent

Once you understand the difference between query and conversion intent, you can begin mapping out the actions needed to capitalize on both.

Conversion intent is much easier to understand than query intent. This is why AI systems typically run queries in the background to understand human input and get at the conversion intent behind the query. 

To succeed at shaping queries and capturing conversions, it’s critical to understand the input points for humans and the AI systems that will be serving them results.

Let’s revisit the “purple hair dye for long wavy hair” query:

Copilot surfaces how it arrived at the output by looking up information and finding the best matches. This is similar to the SEO concept of E-E-A-T.

Yet you’ll notice that the results for my personal Copilot are different than the traditional SERP (chiefly that ads aren’t the dominant result — ads serve at the bottom of clearly transactional conversations after organic listings).

This is where the “Details” function comes into play and can help you know where to focus content, feed, and messaging functions:

This product is pretty flat on price, save for some deep summer dips. If I’m desperate for color, I might buy now, or I might wait for what seems like a regular summer sale. I’m also getting insights into why this product is wonderful (hair conditioning, cruelty-free, vibrant, and customizable color, etc.).

These are things I’ve shown interest in through past purchases, conversations with Copilot, and other signals it has access to.

Brands that want to optimize for query intent need to make sure the following are in good order:

• Feed/landing page clarity
  • It should be incredibly easy to map what the product/service is to the query. While there is value in some 1:1 matching of language, it’s much more important that the core offering be understood as aligned with what the human is looking for.
  • For example, DUI and DWI are technically two different charges and have geo implications. However, DUI tends to be the universal legal charge and service.
• Images adding context
  • Visual content is critical to engage humans. However, if the image isn’t clear or is duplicative of another service/product page, you might confuse the user and the machine attempting to understand and position you for queries. This is why it’s critical to add alt text (even on paid landing pages) for images and videos.
  • A good way to test whether your visuals are serving you well is to put the landing page into a PMax campaign creator. If you see the images and they match the correct service text, you’ve done a good job.
• Invest time in understanding how humans and AI are querying
  • Free tools like Google Trends, Microsoft Clarity, and Bing Webmaster offer insights into search trends, citations, grounding queries, and which AI systems and humans are successfully engaging with your content.

Conversion intent is more straightforward, though debatably harder because it requires more creative and critical thinking: 

• Matching messages to personas
  • The reason one person says yes to you might be completely different from the reason someone else does. Locking in conversion intent includes being mindful of how you’re selling yourself. If you ignore what matters to your customers in reviews, intake from customer success or sales, and other signals, you risk selling yourself badly and losing the customer.
  • This is where AI-powered creative and audience mapping can be helpful, since platforms have access to more insights than a brand does during the auction.
• Honor the impulse nature of visual content
  • Someone coming to you from a display spot or short video is very different than someone coming from a text-laden SERP. They were inspired to act and need frictionless paths to conversion.
  • One-click checkout (including solutions like Copilot Checkout) ensures humans don’t need to think to do business with you.

Ultimately, both query and conversion intent need brand and performance marketing to be successful, and it’s critical to understand how the success metrics manifest.

The converging roles of brand and performance

For a long time, brand and performance marketing were treated as separate motions, with separate owners, budgets, and success metrics. 

• Brand was about reach, recall, and long-term connection. 
• Performance was about efficiency, conversion rate, and immediate return. 

That separation made sense when channels, measurement, and user journeys were cleaner than they are today. It’s much harder to maintain in an environment where AI systems infer intent continuously and across surfaces. 

A user doesn’t experience brand and performance as separate. They experience confidence, familiarity, relevance, and ease. Those signals are created over time through exposure, engagement, and trust, and they often determine whether conversion intent ever materializes, regardless of how “high intent” a query might appear on its own.

From a metrics perspective, this convergence is clear. Brand-oriented activity influences performance outcomes even when it isn’t the final touch. Exposure to display, native, or video doesn’t always produce an immediate click, but it changes how humans and systems interpret future behavior. 

When someone later performs a search, engages with an AI assistant, or compares options on a marketplace, prior brand interactions act as accelerators. They reduce hesitation, shorten decision cycles, and increase the likelihood that a conversion signal will be credited downstream.

From a strategy standpoint, this means brand work should no longer be evaluated solely on isolated upper-funnel KPIs, and Performance work can’t be evaluated purely on last-click efficiency. 

Audience-based formats, contextual placements, and visual storytelling directly shape conversion intent by shaping preferences and expectations before a query even occurs. Search and shopping formats then serve as capture mechanisms, translating that latent intent into action.

This is particularly relevant in AI-assisted experiences, where systems synthesize multiple inputs before presenting options or recommendations. Content, feeds, reviews, images, and historical engagement all influence how brands are represented and when they appear.

In these environments, strong brand signals don’t compete with performance outcomes. They enable them by making the brand easier to understand, trust, and choose.

Brand and performance don’t need to use the same tactics, but they must be planned together. Measurement frameworks should account for assistive value, not just final interactions.

Creative strategies should recognize that inspiration and conversion often happen at different moments. Optimization should focus less on forcing intent into rigid buckets and more on supporting the full decision journey.

When we recognize that query intent and conversion intent are related but not identical, the convergence of brand and performance becomes less a philosophical debate and more an operational necessity.

Success comes from designing systems that reflect how humans actually decide, not just how they type.

Key takeaways

• Query intent describes what is said; conversion intent reflects what the human needs to accomplish. They overlap, but they aren’t interchangeable.
• Brand activity shapes conversion intent long before a query is expressed and influences how future interactions are interpreted.
• Performance outcomes improve when Brand signals reduce friction, uncertainty, and choice overload.
• AI-driven experiences amplify this convergence by relying on cumulative signals rather than single actions.
• Sustainable optimization requires aligning brand and performance strategies, metrics, and expectations around the same human outcomes.

Automation doesn’t fail on its own — it does exactly what it’s trained to do. The problem is that when Google Ads is fed incomplete, misaligned, or overly broad signals, it can optimize toward the wrong outcome faster than most advertisers realize.

In our second installment of SMX Now, our new monthly series, Ameet Khabra of Hop Skip Media will break down a real account where a 417% jump in conversions turned out to be the wrong kind of success. She’ll use that case study to explain the four key ways automation drift enters an account: signal drift, query drift, inventory drift, and creative drift.

You’ll leave with a practical framework for diagnosing drift early, understanding where human oversight matters most, and managing automation more deliberately so it works toward real business goals — not just platform-reported wins.

Join us May 6 at noon ET.

Save your spot

Microsoft Advertising is expanding its Performance Max reporting with publisher-level conversion and spend data — giving advertisers more visibility into where results are actually coming from

What’s happening. According to Microsoft Ads Product liaison Navah Hopkins, the PMax Website Publisher URL report now includes conversion and spend metrics, moving beyond basic placement visibility into actionable performance data.

This gives advertisers clearer insight into which placements are driving real outcomes — not just impressions or clicks.

Why we care. This update gives advertisers visibility into which placements are actually driving conversions and spend — not just impressions. That means better optimisation decisions, from scaling winning inventory to cutting wasted spend. It also makes it easier to trust and justify Performance Max performance with concrete data, rather than relying on aggregated reporting.

How advertisers can use it. The update opens up several practical use cases. High-performing placements can now inform Audience Ads strategies, such as building remarketing campaigns or impression-based audiences from winning inventory.

At the same time, advertisers can identify poor-fit placements and exclude them using account-level URL exclusion lists, helping protect brand safety and improve efficiency.

Between the lines. This is another step toward making automated campaigns more transparent. Rather than replacing control entirely, platforms are starting to give advertisers clearer signals on what’s working — and where to act.

What to watch:

• Whether this level of transparency expands further across PMax reporting
• How advertisers balance automation with manual optimisation
• If similar reporting features roll out across other platforms

Bottom line. With conversion and spend data now visible at the placement level, Microsoft is making Performance Max a little less of a black box — and a lot more actionable.

Google is enforcing a hard cutoff for older API versions, meaning advertisers and developers who don’t upgrade risk losing access to critical campaign management tools.

What’s happening. Google Ads API v20 will officially sunset on June 10, 2026. From that date onward, all requests to v20 will fail, requiring migration to a newer version to maintain uninterrupted API access.

Why we care. If you rely on the Google Ads API and don’t upgrade in time, automated workflows — including reporting, bidding and campaign management — could suddenly stop working. This could lead to data gaps, performance issues and operational disruption. Migrating early ensures continuity and avoids last-minute fixes that can impact campaign performance.

What to do. Google is urging users to upgrade as soon as possible and provides resources like release notes and upgrade guides to support the transition. Developers can also use the Google Cloud Console to review recent API activity, including which methods and versions their projects are calling.

Between the lines. API sunsets are routine, but the impact can be significant for advertisers relying on custom scripts, tools or third-party platforms. Missing the deadline could disrupt reporting, bidding or campaign automation workflows.

The bottom line. This is a firm deadline with real consequences: upgrade to a newer Google Ads API version before June 10 or risk losing access entirely.

Over the past few years, Performance Max has gone from an opaque experiment to a more capable — though still imperfect — campaign type for B2B marketers.

The fundamentals haven’t changed: skepticism still matters, first-party data is critical, experimentation is non-negotiable, and actionable reporting drives optimization. What has changed is how much better Google has gotten at operationalizing those inputs.

That means your Performance Max strategy needs to adapt. Here are five best practices for running more effective PMax campaigns for B2B today.

1. Guide AI with the right inputs

In 2022, given the automated nature of PMax campaigns and the aggressive way Google reps were pushing them, I predicted we’d see an accelerated move toward AI integration. That’s certainly played out, probably in part because of competitive pressures introduced by ChatGPT and the like. 

AI Max for Search (launched in 2025) and PMax are both being prioritized by Google, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing since Google hasn’t deprecated standard Search campaign for B2B and has provided a slew of helpful updates that make PMax more viable for B2B. 

Three updates worth using include: 

• Search themes, which are useful for more precise targeting.
• Brand exclusions, which help minimize CPC inflation and over-investment on less-incremental queries.
• Account-level channel reporting, which gives you a single dashboard look at performance across campaigns. For this feature, segment by conversion metrics to drill down on ROI by channel. You’ll quickly see overperformers where you can increase investment and underperformers that cry out for further optimization or reduced budget.  

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2. Address persistent lead quality issues

B2B lead quality in search campaigns has always been a challenge, and PMax’s relative lack of advertiser control makes that challenge tougher. I’ve pushed offline conversion tracking (OCT) since we’ve had that capability, but it’s an absolute non-negotiable for B2B campaigns.

Along with OCT, leverage a relatively new functionality, enhanced conversions for leads, and work around the edges by incorporating reCAPTCHA and testing other mechanisms to reduce PMax spam leads.

Dig deeper: The parts of Performance Max you can actually control

3. Build stronger audience signals

Citing the phase-out of third-party cookies that still hasn’t happened (!), Google officially sunsetted Similar Audiences in 2023, which — well, it was a big loss for advertisers.

To compensate, understand and adapt according to the nature of PMax targeting, which is based on audience signals. Feed the AI high-quality first-party data (CRM lists) and let the algorithm find “lookalikes” through its own internal signals.

CRM lists for B2B are obviously critical, and this should give you even more incentive to clean up and segment CRM data, with audience lists closest to the point of revenue (e.g., SQLs or revenue if you don’t have enough closed-won data to send strong signals), especially valuable for finding high-value new users.

4. Make creative a performance lever

Creative is an important part of the puzzle for PMax. Good creative can prompt the right audience to engage, and great creative can deter the wrong audience from engaging.

Because YouTube is now a massive part of PMax campaigns, video — which has never been a B2B strength — should be prioritized more than ever for performance marketing.

Google has made this easier by adding the ability to build AI-generated assets right in the Google Ads interface. Just recently, they launched an important complementary feature in beta: PMax A/B creative testing to help advertisers understand which creatives are actually driving performance, and to use test-and-control structures to surface winning (and losing) elements.

Dig deeper: Is Google Ads Asset Studio a game changer? Not so fast

5. Use reporting to drive decisions

A major source of frustration with PMax has been a lack of transparency into results. Over the last few years, Google has introduced reporting updates to address some of those concerns.

Search term insights and auction insights in the Insights tab provide more visibility into performance. Search term insights show how your ads perform for the queries users actually type, including how those ads are being matched and served. This added nuance makes optimization more precise.

Auction insights add competitive context, showing how your campaigns perform against others in the same auctions through metrics like impression share and outranking share.

Finally, asset-level reporting brings visibility to creative performance, with data on impressions, clicks, cost, and conversions for each asset.

Together, these updates give you a clearer view into what’s driving performance — and where to focus optimization efforts.

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Make Performance Max work for you

Taken together, recent updates make PMax more viable for B2B marketers than it used to be, especially for those with strong first-party data to train bidding algorithms and a need to find new customer pockets.

After more than 10 years in marketing, I still prefer having controllable levers — and I’m not willing to fully trust Google to act more in my (or my clients’) best interests than its own. Use everything at your disposal to make PMax campaigns work for you, and keep an eye out for new features Google releases that can give you more visibility and control over your account performance.

Dig deeper: Auditing and optimizing Google Ads in an age of limited data

The trial is live, limited to the U.S. for now, and moving faster than you likely expected. ChatGPT ads launched Feb. 9 for logged-in users on Free and Go tiers, with 600+ advertisers already in. 

With 800 million weekly active users, a global rollout of ChatGPT ads is a matter of when, not if. 

OpenAI has confirmed the next expansion to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The latest update from Adthena trialists suggests the UK could see ads as early as mid-May.

We’ve tracked ChatGPT ad placements since rollout. With an index of 50,000+ daily placements across B2B software, ecommerce, fintech, and consumer verticals, we’ve had a front-row view of how this format is evolving. Here’s what we’ve found.

What ChatGPT ads actually look like

ChatGPT ads appear inline within conversation responses. When you ask something with commercial intent like “best weekend getaway” or “top running shoes under $100,” a sponsored result can appear alongside the AI’s answer, clearly labeled “Sponsored.”

This isn’t a search bar. It’s a conversation. Users arrive already engaged, already researching, often close to a decision. 

The format is tighter than traditional search: no sitelinks or extensions — just a headline, short body copy, and a destination.

But here’s what we didn’t expect. Our data shows what we’re calling the Adthena “Double Parked” phenomenon: a single brand appearing twice in the same response.

We spotted New Balance with two separate sponsored placements in one ChatGPT answer. This raises a key question around visibility, frequency, and what it means to own a conversation on this platform.

10 things we’ve learned from 50,000+ daily placements

If you move fast, this is a rare moment: a new format, an uncontested landscape, and data most competitors don’t have yet. Here’s what it shows.

1. Headlines follow a “Brand: Benefit” formula. A name, a colon, a value claim. Think “Betterment: 5.25% APY Cash Account.” Dominant across top performers.
2. Almost every ad leads with the brand name. Awareness thinking for a format where users are already deep in a conversation, not just entering a search bar.
3. Headlines average just 30 characters, with a ceiling around 36. The constraint forces hyper-concise messaging and every word earns its place.
4. Body copy runs around 19 words, structured as two tight sentences. One lead proof point, one offer or nudge. One reason to click.
5. Context mirroring is a defining feature. The strongest ads echo the user’s query directly. A running shoe ad referencing “the transition from 5k to 21.1k” isn’t a coincidence.
6. The $ symbol drives conversion. Specific dollar figures, precise APY rates, credit amounts. Concrete claims consistently outperform vague promises in intent-heavy environments.

7. Numbers dominate body copy. Specs, trial lengths, rates. Hard numbers feel more native and trustworthy than soft superlatives in a research-led environment.
8. “Free” is the most common conversion lever. It removes friction for users already in research mode and close to a decision.

9. CTAs are action-specific and generic “Learn More” is virtually absent. “Open Account,” “Shop Cell Phones,” “Claim Credits.” Every CTA names the brand, offer, or next step.

10. Tone is confident and measured. Exclamation marks are rare. The best ads mirror ChatGPT’s calm register—hype punctuation kills trust here.

What this means for your paid search strategy

Top-performing brands in ChatGPT don’t repurpose Google ad copy and hope for the best. They write for a conversational, intent-rich environment where users are already halfway through a decision before the ad appears.

Lead with your brand name. Anchor value in specifics. Make low-friction offers central to your creative. If you’re not thinking about context mirroring, you’re leaving performance on the table.

The bigger question is visibility. If your competitors show up in ChatGPT conversations and you don’t, you’re not just missing clicks — you’re missing the conversation.

See exactly what’s happening with Adthena’s ChatGPT Ads Intelligence

Knowing the trends is one thing. Knowing what your competitors are doing on your exact prompts is another. That’s the problem we set out to solve.

Right now, ChatGPT ads give you impressions and clicks — nothing more. No competitive context, no prompt-level visibility, no insight into who else appears in the same conversations or where you’re missing coverage. You’re optimizing blind.

Adthena’s ChatGPT Ads Intelligence changes that. Here’s what you get.

Your performance, in context

The Ads Performance tab gives you a live snapshot of your ChatGPT activity: ad presence rate, top-performing intent group, total impressions, average CTR, and unique competitors detected. The trend chart shows your presence over time so you can clearly see whether you’re gaining or losing momentum.

Know which topics you’re winning and where to close the gap

The Topics and Keywords Analysis view breaks down performance by intent group, showing your ad presence rate against the competitor average. Each group includes a built-in tactical recommendation, so you always know your next move.

See your own ads as users see them

The Ads Sampling tab shows all your ChatGPT creatives with their headline, description, image, and format. The insight panel highlights your top-performing creative and surfaces optimization opportunities, like pairing a price anchor with a time-limited offer.

Understand exactly what competitors are running

The Competitor Creative Analysis panel breaks down rival ads across your tracked prompts: the images they use, the dominant copy themes, and their format mix. No more guessing what your competition is doing.

Never miss a shift in the competitive landscape

The Ads Benchmarking tab shows who’s advertising on your prompts and how their presence changes week to week. The “What changed this week?” feed flags new entrants and share shifts in plain language before your next campaign review.

Find the gaps before your competitors do

The Competitor Gap Analysis table shows every prompt where competitors have presence and you don’t, flagged by intent group and competitor count. A clear, prioritized view of where to expand your ChatGPT coverage.

The first prompt is the new first click

We’re tracking early-stage data from a platform still in limited rollout. As OpenAI expands to new countries and the advertiser base grows, the competitive landscape will shift fast. Brands building their ChatGPT presence now — learning the format, testing creative, mapping competitive gaps — will have a meaningful head start over those who wait.

Don’t let competitors win the first prompt. Join the product waitlist to uncover your ChatGPT ads landscape. 

In the meantime, get your ads ready with Adthena’s free ChatGPT AdBridge. Connect your Google Ads account and we’ll build your ChatGPT ads setup with AI-enriched campaigns and smarter negative keywords — delivered to your inbox, ready to import.

Google is trying to simplify one of its most complex products, helping advertisers and analysts get more value from Google Analytics without deep technical expertise.

What’s new. Google Analytics is rolling out Task Assistant, a guided workflow tool that surfaces tailored recommendations to improve property setup, data collection and reporting.

How it works. Available in the left-hand navigation, Task Assistant organizes recommendations into clear categories like connecting accounts, enhancing reporting and fixing data issues. Users can mark tasks as complete as they go or skip items that don’t align with their business goals, creating a more flexible setup experience.

Why we care. Google is making it easier to identify gaps in tracking and fix them quickly, which leads to more reliable data and better decision-making. Task Assistant helps ensure Analytics is properly configured without requiring deep expertise, reducing the risk of missed insights or inaccurate reporting. Ultimately, better data setup means more confident optimization of campaigns and budgets.

Between the lines. Analytics platforms are powerful but often underutilized due to poor configuration. Task Assistant is Google’s attempt to reduce that friction by turning setup into a step-by-step process rather than a manual audit.

The bottom line. Task Assistant aims to make Google Analytics more actionable, guiding users toward better data quality and more effective measurement with less guesswork.

Google is filling a key measurement gap between awareness and consideration, giving advertisers a clearer view of how their brand is actually perceived — not just remembered.

What’s new. Google Ads has introduced a new “Association” metric within Brand Lift Studies. Advertisers can define a concept, category or attribute, and Google will ask users a survey-style question: which brands they associate with that specific idea.

How it works. Instead of measuring simple recall, the metric evaluates whether audiences connect your brand to a desired positioning. That could mean “premium,” “sustainable,” or even a product category — offering a more nuanced read on brand perception.

Why we care. Google is giving you a way to measure brand positioning, not just awareness or recall. The new Association metric helps determine whether campaigns are actually shaping how consumers perceive a brand — a critical step between being known and being chosen. It also enables more strategic optimization of creative and messaging, especially for brands trying to own specific attributes or categories.

Between the lines. Brand Lift has traditionally focused on awareness, recall and consideration. Association sits in between, helping advertisers understand whether their messaging is shaping how people think about the brand, not just whether they recognize it.

The catch. There’s still a constraint: advertisers can only select three Brand Lift metrics per study, so adding Association means making trade-offs with existing KPIs.

The bottom line. Association gives advertisers a more strategic lens on brand building — measuring not just visibility, but whether campaigns are landing the intended message.

First seen. This update was first spotted by Google Ads expert, Thomas Eccel who shared the update on LinkedIn.

The difference between a 2% margin and a 20% margin increasingly comes down to whether you’re renting attention or owning the answer.

For years, search rewarded the ability to buy visibility. That model is weakening.

As AI systems increasingly resolve queries without a click, the value shifts from traffic acquisition to answer formation.

When you move from buying clicks to engineering answers (i.e., structuring content so it can be surfaced, cited, and trusted by AI systems), you change what you own. Instead of renting placement, you build answer equity: durable inclusion in the outputs that shape decisions.

The goal isn’t to turn off paid search. It’s to stop relying on it as your primary source of demand. Over time, this can lower acquisition costs and reduce volatility, because you’re not competing for every impression.

An atomic sandwich

To operationalize this shift, you need a content structure that maximizes what AI systems can extract. Think of it as an “atomic sandwich.”

An atomic sandwich content structure shifts the focus from chasing traffic to maximizing intent density. Here’s how:

The atomic fact (top bun)

Most organizations treat their search budget like a high-interest payday loan.

You keep pouring cash into the paid bucket for that immediate hit of traffic, and it feels like you’re winning.

But the moment you stop feeding the meter, your brand disappears.

The forensic proof (the meat)

For many organizations, this isn’t just marketing inefficiency — it’s an organizational risk.

In the emerging Answer Economy, your rented audience is evaporating. Data from Seer Interactive (Sept 2025) shows paid CTR on informational queries has dropped 68% when Google’s AI Overviews are present.

You’re not just paying for clicks. In many cases, your paid traffic contributes to awareness that AI systems can later satisfy without requiring a click.

The structural directive (bottom bun)

The “box” has changed.

Here’s the structural leak in your balance sheet: to survive 2026, you must stop buying a crowd and start engineering the answer.

If your brand isn’t among the trusted sources behind the machine’s answer, your visibility — and influence — shrinks significantly.

The new “box”: From librarian to forensic auditor

We’ve moved from a search engine that directs users to a generative engine that validates information. Every dollar you spend on ads to cover a lack of E-E-A-T is money you’re burning.

The data is clear: appearing in search results is no longer a viable model on its own.

• The organic collapse: A SISTRIX (March 2026) analysis found that when an AI Overview is present, position 1 CTR drops from 27% to 11% — a 59% decline.
• The global impact: Ahrefs (Dec 2025) found AI Overviews correlate with a 58% lower average CTR for the top-ranking page.

The goal is no longer just to rank in search, but to be consistently included among the sources AI systems rely on.

Without trust, you’re paying for ghost impressions.

In the old box, you could survive by being loud. In the new box, you survive by being certain.

The search addiction cycle (why your org can’t quit)

Most companies are in organizational denial.

You see the cost of rented clicks rising and quality falling, but you’re too afraid to stop because you’ve neglected your information architecture and have no foundation. That’s a balance sheet liability.

• Stage 1 — the vanity hit: early paid search wins made you feel like a genius. You mistook traffic volume for business health.
• Stage 2 — tolerance building: As the Answer Economy evolved, keywords got more expensive. Instead of fixing structural integrity, you upped the dose.
• Stage 3 — the context-debt overdose: You’re paying for zombie facts — content an AI can summarize in seconds. Zero-click searches have surged to 69%. Your expensive awareness is consumed for free by AI.
• Stage 4 — total dependency: Your marketing manager becomes a budget operator rather than a builder of durable demand. They aren’t building answer equity; they’re managing cash transfer to Google.

The forensic intervention: The 7-point organizational health check

Use this checklist in your next review to find where your Answer Equity is leaking.

• The Information Gain test: Ask Gemini to summarize your page. If it adds nothing beyond common results, you’re in violation of Google’s Information Gain patent. You have a zombie fact with zero value.
• The entity audit: Does your brand have a verified Google Knowledge Graph ID? Without it, you’re not an asset — you’re just text.
• Source of ground truth: Are you cited in AI Overviews? BrightEdge (Sept 2025) shows that without a citation, your visibility is effectively zero.
• The faucet test: If you cut PPC spend by 20%, does lead volume drop 20%? If so, you have no foundation — you’re renting revenue.
• Schema and provenance: Are you using Schema.org/Person to link experts to your brand? Unverified content is untrusted noise to a retriever.
• The “meat” ratio: Review your top 10 posts. Do they include primary research? If not, they’re fodder for the AI’s top bun with no reason to click.
• Machine-readable graph adoption: Is your team moving toward W3C RDF-star (RDF 1.2) or ISO/IEC GQL standards? These are the 2026 blueprints for verifying Answer Equity.

The recovery plan: From rented clicks to owned authority

1. Purge the zombie facts (the information gain protocol)

Stop rewarding word count. Every piece of content must deliver a “meat” layer — information gain a retriever can’t synthesize from the rest of the web. That’s how you reclaim your margins.

Dig deeper: Information gain in SEO: What it is and why it matters.

2. Build your “E-E-A-T engine” (the trust infrastructure)

Stop treating schema as a technical extra. It’s your trust score on the digital exchange. Ensure your authors have strong provenance so AI retrievers can instantly crawl and confirm your expertise.

Dig deeper: Decoding Google’s E-E-A-T: A comprehensive guide to quality assessment signals.

3. Measure ‘intent density’ (the scoreboard shift)

If your traffic drops but lead quality holds, you’re winning. Focus on users who bypass the summary because they need the deep, forensic expertise only you provide.

Dig deeper: Measuring zero-click search: Visibility-first SEO for AI results.

The final shift: Building your answer equity

The shift from renting an audience to owning the answer is the most significant strategic pivot your organization will make this decade. It moves you from a marketing expense to a balance sheet asset.

The paid trap offers a temporary high but leads to a fiscal dead end. Every dollar spent there is consumable — used once and gone when the auction ends.

When you move that capital into your information infrastructure, you stop paying for the privilege of being ignored. You start building a digital entity that owns its facts, earns trust, and controls its future in the Answer Economy.

Your first step: don’t boil the ocean.

Take your top-performing paid landing page and run the seven-point health check. If it’s a “zombie fact” environment, engineer information gain back into the page.

Stop asking for a ranking report; start asking for an entity audit.

The 2026 organization isn’t defined by how much it spends to rent an audience, but by how much it proves it owns the answer.

You have the blueprints. You have the data. Now stop funding the payday loan and start building answer equity.

Google is doubling down on AI-driven ads just as search behavior shifts toward conversational queries, giving advertisers more automation while trying to preserve control.

What’s new.

AI Max expands beyond Search: Now rolling out to Shopping campaigns and travel-specific formats, broadening reach across more advertiser types.

AI Brief (powered by Gemini): A new interface that lets advertisers steer AI using natural language inputs.

Text disclaimers + URL automation: Compliance-friendly updates to pair with automated landing page selection.

Why we care. Google is making AI Max a core layer across Search, Shopping and Travel, meaning automation will increasingly determine how ads are matched to user intent. This update expands reach into more conversational, high-intent queries that traditional keyword strategies miss, helping brands capture demand earlier in the journey.

At the same time, tools like AI Brief and new compliance features give advertisers more control over messaging and targeting, reducing the risk of fully automated campaigns feeling like a “black box.”

Shopping gets smarter. For retailers, AI Max for Shopping uses Merchant Center data to generate more adaptive ads that can respond to long-tail and exploratory queries, helping brands appear earlier in the discovery phase rather than only at the point of purchase. The rollout is positioned as a simple upgrade for existing Shopping campaigns, suggesting Google wants rapid adoption.

Travel gets consolidated. Travel advertisers get a consolidation play. Search Campaigns for Travel bring previously fragmented formats into a single interface with unified reporting and integrated AI Max capabilities. The move reduces operational complexity while reinforcing Google’s push toward centralized, AI-driven campaign management.

More control with AI Brief. The most notable addition is AI Brief, which attempts to solve a long-standing advertiser concern: lack of compliance control in automated systems. Advertisers can define messaging rules, specify which queries to prioritize or avoid, and shape how different audiences are addressed. The system then generates previews, allowing feedback before campaigns go live.

Automation meets compliance. Google is refining how traffic is directed to websites. Final URL expansion uses AI to select the most relevant landing page for each query, and the new text disclaimer feature ensures required legal messaging remains intact even when automation is active. This signals a push to make AI usable in more regulated industries without sacrificing compliance.

The bottom line. AI Max is evolving from a Search add-on into a foundational layer across Google Ads, combining automation, cross-format reach and advertiser input to adapt to a more AI-driven, conversational search landscape.

Google adds AI Brief and text disclaimers to AI Max. See how new controls help regulated advertisers adopt automation while maintaining compliance and messaging accuracy.

The post New: AI Brief And Text Disclaimers Come To Google AI Max appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google expands AI Max to Shopping and Travel campaigns. Learn what’s changing, how it works, and what advertisers should prepare for ahead of broader rollout.

The post Google Launches AI Max For Shopping and Travel Campaigns appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Digiday reports an early ChatGPT ads manager build now shows $3-$5 CPC bids for some pilot advertisers, as OpenAI continues expanding its ad tools.

The post ChatGPT Ads Now Offer CPC Bidding Between $3 And $5: Report appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Ads now enables call recording by default for eligible AI-qualified call leads, changing how call conversions are evaluated in the U.S. and Canada.

The post Google Ads Makes Call Recording Default For AI Lead Calls appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

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.

Newest SEO Jobs

(Provided to Search Engine Land by SEOjobs.com)

• Senior Product Manager (SEO)
  May 4, 2026
  At NerdWallet, we’re on a mission to bring clarity to all of life’s financial decisions and every great mission needs a team of exceptional Nerds. We’ve built an inclusive, flexible, and candid culture where you’re empowered to grow, take smart risks, and be unapologetically yourself (cape optional). Whether remote or in-office, we support how you […]
• Digital Marketing Manager (SEO/SEM)
  April 28, 2026
  Job Description Attention: Kapitus is aware that individuals posing as recruiters may be communicating with job seekers about supposed positions with Kapitus. Kapitus has received reports that the content and method of communication can vary, but messages may contain requests for payment (e.g., fees for equipment or training) and/or for sensitive financial information. Kapitus will […]
• Digital Marketing Specialist (Local SEO)
  April 27, 2026
  Job Description Benefits: Competitive salary Health insurance Opportunity for advancement Paid time off Training & development Digital Marketing Specialist (SEO Focus) Company: Direct Clicks Inc. Job Type: Full-Time or Hourly Based on Experience Location: Remote Candidates must be located within driving distance of Roseville, Minnesota for occasional in-person team meetups. About Direct Clicks Inc. Direct […]
• SEO Account Manager
  April 24, 2026
  Remote (Canada-wide) · Full-time · $75,000–$90,000 CAD About Webserv Webserv is a digital marketing agency that helps mission-driven businesses — particularly in behavioral health — grow through SEO, paid media, and conversion-focused web strategy. We’re a tight-knit team that values curiosity, ownership, and the kind of work that actually moves the needle for our clients. […]
• Sr. SEO/AEO Manager (B2B SaaS – US or Canada Based)
  April 21, 2026
  The Basics: Growth Plays is hiring a Senior SEO/AEO Manager based in the US, Canada or LATAM, to support and manage ongoing customer engagements and relationships. You’ll act as the main point of contact for your clients, and focus on building relationships and trust while driving strategy-aligned growth for the long term. This role is […]
• Independent Outbound Sales Representative
  April 20, 2026
  Company: Local Leads DigitalLocation: RemoteJob Type: Contract, 1099Compensation: 100% Commission, Uncapped Job SummaryLocal Leads Digital is hiring an Independent Sales Representative to help grow adoption of the L.O.C.A.L. Tool, our local SEO fulfillment solution. This is a fully remote, 1099 independent contractor opportunity for someone who is confident in outbound sales and comfortable building their […]
• Growth Strategist (SEO/AEO)
  April 20, 2026
  We Are: NoGood is an award-winning, tech-enabled growth consultancy that has fueled the success of some of the most iconic brands. We are a team of growth leads, creatives, engineers and data scientists who help unlock rapid measurable growth for some of the world’s category-defining brands. We bring together the art and science of strategy, […]
• Intermediate Search Specialist
  April 17, 2026
  We are seeking an intermediate-level SEO Specialist for Hive Digital, a cutting-edge and award-winning agency that prides itself on helping change the world for the better. We offer a highly collaborative team that works together to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients in a fast-paced, fun work environment. Are you ready to bring […]
• Director, Global Digital Marketing (SEO/SEM/Email)
  April 15, 2026
  Director, Global Digital Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) Team Position Overview The Director of Digital Marketing is at the center of 10x Genomics’ digital marketing engine, delivering measurable business impact and innovating across channels to ensure leadership in scientific markets. This position reports to the Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications as is responsible for […]
• Senior SEO Analyst
  April 14, 2026
  This role offers you the opportunity to deepen your SEO expertise and develop your leadership skills within a tight-knit agency team. Sr. SEO Analysts lead our client relationships and bring our outcome-driven strategies to life. They are responsible for delivering value and results to our clients through their high-quality work, commitment to building deep SEO […]

Newest PPC and paid media jobs

(Provided to Search Engine Land by PPCjobs.com)

• Marketing Specialist
  May 4, 2026
  Join Our Vibrant Team at Food Trends Catering & Events! About Us: For over two decades, Food Trends Catering & Events has been redefining the art of off-premises catering from our midtown Manhattan headquarters. Whether it’s a cozy dinner for ten or a dazzling gala for over 1,000 guests, we deliver excellence with every bite […]
• Digital Strategist – Paid Social
  May 4, 2026
  Digital Strategist, Paid Social Media Digital Media | New Media & Internet | Marketing & Advertising Hybrid | New York, NY | United States (U.S.) $65,000-$90,000 Base + Benefits A leading, innovative digital media company seeks an experienced Digital Strategist, Paid Social Media to successfully manage paid social campaigns, analyze campaign performance, and report campaign […]
• Paid Media Manager (Promotion Program)
  May 4, 2026
  Job Description Job Description About the Role This is not a traditional job. It’s a fast-track growth program designed for digital paid media professionals who want to accelerate into leadership and diversify into an omni-channel marketer. At WITHIN, we’re looking for professionals with 2+ years of hands-on experience in paid media (paid social and/or paid […]
• Director of AI Demand Generation
  May 4, 2026
  Job Description Job Description Description: Director of AI Demand Generation Guideline | Toronto, New York, or Chicago Full-Time | On-Site / Hybrid About Guideline Guideline is a global provider of ad intelligence and media plan management technology, powering the strategy, planning, and management of advertising buying and selling for the world’s leading enterprises. Our solutions […]
• Senior Director, Growth Marketing
  May 4, 2026
  Job Description Job Description Company Description OUR STORY: Equinox Group is a high growth collective of the world’s most influential, experiential, and differentiated lifestyle brands. We restlessly seek what is next for maximizing life – and boldly grow the lifestyle brands and experiences that define it. In addition to Equinox, our other brands, SoulCycle and Equinox Hotels are all recognized […]

Other roles you may be interested in

Manager, SEO, KINESSO (Hyrid, New York, NY)

• Salary: $90,000 – $95,000
• Manage senior analysts and help analysts grow into the next level of their career.
• Translate clients’ business goals and marketing objectives into successful search engine optimization strategies.

Senior Manager of Marketing (Paid, SEO, Affiliate), What Goes Around Comes Around (Jersey City, NJ)

• Salary: $115,000 – $125,000
• Develop and execute paid media strategies across channels (Google Ads, social media, display, retargeting)
• Lead organic search strategy to improve rankings, traffic, and conversions

Senior Marketing Manager, Vanguard Renewables (Remote)

• Salary: $120,000 – $182,000
• Work closely with CMO and RNG team to develop and execute a strategic marketing roadmap aligned with business priorities.
• Serve as the primary marketing liaison for RNG team, acting as the connective tissue between the Marketing and Commercial groups.

SEO Manager, Veracity Insurance Solutions, LLC, (Remote)

• Salary: $100,000 – $135,000
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of SEO Specialists
• Set clear expectations, quality standards, workflows, and growth paths across the team

Senior SEO Manager, Lunar Solar Group (Remote)

• Salary: $80,000 – $100,000
• Lead strategy, execution, and deliverables across 4–6 client accounts independently
• Own end-to-end SEO strategy and execution across all core deliverables and processes

Performance Marketing Manager, Recruitics (Hybrid, Lafayette,CA)

• Salary: $70,000 – $90,000
• Work in platform to configure campaigns – set up budgets, targeting, creative, and run dat
• Monitor ongoing performance to identify areas of opportunity

Marketing, Social Media & PR Manager, PARTNERS Staffing (Fort Myers, FL)

• Salary: $75,000 – $85,000
• Develop and execute integrated marketing campaigns for shows, content releases, events, and brand initiatives
• Identify target audiences and create strategies to grow reach and engagement

Local Search & Listings Manager, TurnPoint Services (Remote)

• Salary: $80,000 – $90,000
• Own the strategy and governance for local search visibility across all business locations.
• Develop optimization frameworks and standards for Google Business Profiles and other listing platforms.

Senior Branding manager, rednote (Hybrid, New York, US)

• Salary: $228,000 – $320,000
• Define and drive rednote’s global brand strategy, shaping its positioning across key international markets
• Lead integrated marketing initiatives end-to-end, ensuring alignment across creative development and media execution

Senior Paid Media Manager, Brightly Media Lab (Remote)

• Salary: $70,000 – $100,000
• Directly build, manage, and optimize campaigns within Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Facebook Ads (Meta).
• Serve as the lead point of contact for your book of clients, taking full ownership of their success and growth.

Marketing Specialist, The Bradford group (Hybrid, The Greater Chicago area)

• Salary: $60,000 – $62,000
• Launch and manage paid social campaigns primarily on Meta platforms.
• Oversee daily budgets and performance optimizations against revenue and ROI goals, using data-driven insights to continuously improve results.

Paid Search Specialist, Maui Jim Sunglasses (Peoria, IL)

• Salary: $65,000 – $70,000
• Plan, set up, and manage paid search, display, and shopping campaigns on Google Ads.
• Manage and optimize advertising budgets to achieve revenue and efficiency targets.

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