The clocks are back, the days are cold - 2025 is drawing to a close. For digital marketing, it's been a turbulent year - so turbulent, you might even be pleased to see the back of it.
After all, back in 2024, the State Of PPC Report showed that 49% of PPC professionals believed their work was harder than it was two years ago, and things have only become more difficult since.
In 2026, that difficulty is likely to increase even more, which makes preparation more important than ever. But how to prepare is a complicated question.
No one can see the future, but as experts in pay-per-click advertising (PPC), our team has the experience and the expertise needed to make in-depth predictions about what the PPC landscape might look like in 2026.
So, join us as we explore some likely trends across paid advertising over the next year.
We're not going to tell you what you already know. AI has redefined all aspects of digital marketing - thousands of articles out there already tell you how. And, of course, in 2026 that's likely to continue. What's likely to change is the results of blanket adoption of AI to automate EVERYTHING.
This has never been a good idea. Relying on AI tools to optimise entire PPC campaigns, from keyword targeting to budget allocation, is ill-advised. But in 2026, as AI adoption widens further, you'll need a careful human hand to guide your PPC strategy if you want to see any real success.
Keyword research, ad copy, and campaign planning can all be streamlined using AI tools. Cutting down on time spent scouring through data, drafting ad messaging and planning smart bidding are all useful ways AI can make your role easier.
But you need to stay involved to see strong results. Take the time to verify everything AI tells you, edit your ad copy with a careful eye for inaccurate information (particularly around important topics) and take campaign recommendations but evaluate and test them.
Generic AI-generated ads are not going to catch the attention of searchers, especially if your competitors are teaming this copy with cheaper prices or more precise targeting. Similarly, relying purely on AI for targeting may limit your reach without the creativity and nuance that comes from a human eye. The same goes for analysing and interpreting data.
In 2026, as AI use continues to grow in popularity, the way to stand out will be keeping human insight as part of the process.
“The advertising platforms have continued to increase the level of AI and automation in recent years, and that trend will only continue. In many ways, it simplifies bidding, targeting and ad copy creation. But reigning it in and ensuring it doesn't spend your budget ineffectually is only getting harder. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on both AI & human automation for a maximum ROI.”
- Emlyn Dennis, PPC Team Lead at The Digital Maze
Another potentially obvious point is that searchers are behaving differently now. In a number of ways and for a number of reasons.
This means even high-intent users are no longer starting with exact keywords. It also means that relying on keyword research and keyword targeting alone is also growing less fruitful. You need to be targeting your audience directly, as well as what they're searching for.
Audience targeting strategies are built around behaviour signals, demographics and first-party data to make sure you're being seen by the right people.
Keywords are not enough to signal intent - if you want to reach searchers who are likely to buy from you, you also need to take into account further signals.
Previous purchase data, in market segments or customer matches, will make sure your campaigns aren’t targeting people who aren't going to convert. In 2026, this will be essential to achieve success.
CPCs are always climbing. However, between 2024 and 2025, Google Search CPCs increased by a massive 45% - and they're amongst the most reasonable platform increases.
In 2026, steep rises are likely to continue. This doesn't mean the value of PPC as a format will diminish - if anything, it’s the opposite. But it does mean you will need to maximise the ROI for every campaign you run.
Every aspect of your campaign, from the platform you use to the keywords you target and even your landing page, will need refining to make sure your campaigns perform at the best of their potential. The time and effort put into fine-tuning these aspects may be an additional cost, but not doing the work will cost you far more.
Proper conversion tracking with regular evaluation of what is or isn't delivering is also essential. While CPCs may rise, if your conversion rates are also rising, you can still enjoy a strong ROI.
Ideally, take the time to conduct a full PPC audit. This will help you see which channels, keywords and strategies are attracting customers, as well as which landing pages are delivering conversions.
AI tools can help you gain even more insight from your results, as well as allow you to automate some of the optimisation you identify through the process.
2025 saw a significant shift away from the use of third-party cookies. The controls surrounding the collection of this type of data are tightening, while many users are becoming increasingly less inclined to click 'share' when they are asked. Major browsers such as Safari and Firefox now include cookie blockers, and even Chrome is phasing cookies out.
So, for 2026, you need to focus on a new source of user insights - first-party data.
This is data that covers interactions with your brand specifically, making it much more relevant and much more valuable than data collected through third-party cookies could ever be. It can also give more detailed and useful signals to AI-powered ad platforms to help them craft more successful campaigns.
Tools like Customer Match and Enhanced conversions use encoded first party data to track users. As this data is ‘hashed’ (converted into a fixed string using a one-way mathematical process) it is extremely secure, and allows you to collect very useful data in a way that protects privacy and complies with GDPR.
During 2026, the most valuable data will be that which you collect yourself - and that which you have complete control over!
Paid search success has always relied on finding the right advertising platforms to run your PPC campaigns on. The platforms your customers are already using.
But, there has always been space to focus on only one platform if it seems like your customers are primarily active there. If you're looking to keep costs low, restricting your budget allocation to only one platform has been a strong option if that one drives consistent results.
In 2026, that might change.
With the turbulence of algorithm changes across Google and Meta, having campaigns on more than one platform at once will only serve to strengthen your position.
And, for a really smart strategy, even businesses with a limited budget need to look beyond the basic Google or Meta options, too. Adding Microsoft ads or retail media networks such as Amazon ads to your PPC strategy can give a broader paid search profile, protecting you against some of the saturation you might find on Google or Meta.
Broadening to a multi-channel approach can also help you make contact at different points in the customer journey, which will also increase effectiveness. Work out which platform targets which stage, from discovery through to BOFU, and run campaigns accordingly.
In 2026, this will be easier than ever before, thanks to tools like Performance Max and Meta Advantage+. Powered by AI, these tools help you unify divergent campaigns and automate bidding and your shifting budget so it performs at its best.
You will still need to regularly return to and review your campaigns and optimise them. However, the PPC landscape stretches across multiple platforms - in 2026, if you want results, you need to be doing the same.
Do you want to shine a spotlight on your business with PPC in 2026? The process might be more complicated, but when you take the right steps, you can still drive traffic and increase sales through this incredibly valuable marketing channel.
Here at The Digital Maze, we build search campaigns that target user intent, create ad copy that boosts conversion rates and use AI tools to improve your PPC campaigns rather than undercutting them. Talk to us today to find out how we can help your business meet its goals through effective PPC.
Susan Giles is a skilled SEO copywriter and creative content writer with a passion for storytelling and a talent for turning complex ideas into engaging, accessible content.
With a background in freelance writing and creative writing tutoring, she brings both technical know-how and a love of language to everything she creates. Whether polishing existing copy or crafting fresh, optimised content from scratch, Susan knows how to make words work harder. Outside of writing, she’s usually buried in a good book.
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