The PPC Live #18 talks collectively demonstrated that modern paid advertising success requires moving beyond tactical channel management to embrace strategic thinking, authentic content, data-driven testing, and AI collaboration in an rapidly evolving search landscape.n.
Steph challenges PPC professionals to move beyond clicks and channel-focused thinking, Başak shares data-driven insights from real-world A/B testing that reveal what actually works in paid advertising, and Neil Baker explores how AI is fundamentally reshaping the search landscape and transforming PPC professionals from operators into strategists.
Watch the live stream of all talks / Q&A.
Fuelling The Entire Marketing Ecosystem – Stephanie Caldecott
Steph challenges the conventional narrow focus of PPC (Pay-Per-Click) marketing by advocating for a more holistic, content-driven approach. The central argument is that PPC shouldn’t exist in isolation focused solely on clicks, but rather should be integrated into a broader marketing strategy that considers multiple business objectives.
The framework introduces Four Content Pillars that provide a comprehensive approach to digital marketing:
Key Takeaways:
Mindset Shift: Steph positions herself as a generalist rather than a specialist, embracing the philosophy that being a “jack of all trades” can often be more valuable than narrow expertise. This reflects a modern marketing reality where cross-channel understanding is increasingly important.
Beyond Clicks: PPC should not be viewed as “the main character” or evaluated purely on click metrics. Success requires thinking bigger about how paid campaigns fit into the overall marketing ecosystem.
The Four Content Pillars Framework:
- Growth (🌱) – Focuses on reaching new audiences and expanding market reach
- Authority (📢) – Emphasizes highlighting your unique selling proposition (USP) and establishing expertise
- Connection (❤) – Centers on authentic brand storytelling and building emotional relationships
- Promotion (💷) – Drives actual conversions and business results
A/B Tests That Drive Results – Başak Ödemiş
Başak founder of Make Digital with 8 years of digital marketing experience, shares data-driven insights from real-world A/B testing across multiple brands, demonstrating what actually works in paid advertising. She presents concrete examples with measurable results, emphasizing the importance of testing assumptions and learning from both successes and mistakes.
Key Takeaways
User-Generated Content (UGC) Wins: UGC significantly outperforms polished branded creatives, delivering 30-60% higher CTR and 20-40% lower CPC in the KARACA case study.
Specific Price Beats Percentage Discounts: Stating actual price reductions (e.g., “£10 off”) converts better than percentages. Panda Kindermöbel saw 28% higher CTR and 18% higher conversion rates.
Testimonials Drive Performance: Ads featuring customer reviews and social proof generate more clicks and conversions by building credibility.
Branding-Focused Landing Pages Convert Better: Landing pages with strong narratives, lifestyle imagery, and reviews outperformed simpler versions—82% more conversions at 46% lower cost for Normod.
Campaign Naming Doesn’t Matter to Users: Users care about strong discounts, not whether campaign names make sense. A “Winter Sale” extended into spring showed no drop in performance.
The Future of Search – Neil Baker
This presentation from Neil Baker, Head of Media at Tug Agency, explores how AI is fundamentally transforming the search landscape and what it means for PPC professionals. With 11 years in PPC, Baker argues we’re at an exciting inflection point where search behavior, Google’s platform, and the role of PPC managers are all rapidly evolving. The central theme is that AI is collapsing the traditional search funnel, requiring professionals to shift from operators to strategists.
Key Takeaways
The Search Landscape is Transforming: Google Lens reaches 2 billion users monthly, AI Overviews are expanding, and conversational search patterns are increasing queries by 27%. One in five searches now have commercial intent.
AI is Collapsing the Search Funnel: Traditional multi-step journeys (research → compare → buy) are being compressed into single-moment answers where AI provides recommendations and shopping options immediately.
Ads are Coming to AI Overviews: Google is testing ads inside AI-generated answers, not just above them. AI Max campaigns are being created specifically for this new placement, coming to the UK by end of Q4.
Content Strategy Must Evolve: Websites need content-rich pages optimized for LLMs to see you as an authority, not just for human readers. The relationship between PPC and content is changing fundamentally.
PPC Professionals are Becoming Strategists: The role is shifting from operator (manual control) to manager (managing AI tools) to strategist (providing goals, audience signals, and creative direction to teach the AI).
First-Party Data is Critical: Human data input combined with Google’s AI drives growth. Data flowing in is now as important as measurement data coming out.
Takeaways:
- Think Beyond PPC Metrics: Success isn’t just about clicks or CPC. Consider broader business objectives including growth (new audiences), authority (USP), connection (brand story), and promotion (conversions). PPC should integrate with overall marketing strategy.
- Authenticity and Social Proof Win: User-generated content outperforms polished branded creatives (30-60% higher CTR), testimonials drive conversions, and branding-focused landing pages with reviews convert 82% better. Real people and real stories resonate.
- Test Everything and Learn from Data: Price discounts (“£10 off”) beat percentages (28% higher CTR), branding beats product focus, and sometimes counterintuitive findings emerge (campaign names don’t matter to users). Let testing guide decisions, not assumptions.
- AI is Fundamentally Changing Search: The search funnel is collapsing from multi-step journeys to single-moment answers. AI Overviews are bringing ads inside answers, requiring new campaign types (AI Max) and a shift in how we think about search intent.
- Content is Now Critical for PPC: Your website content needs to work for both humans and LLMs. Create content-rich pages that establish authority for AI to reference, not just for users to read.
- The Role is Evolving to Strategist: PPC professionals are shifting from operators to strategists—providing goals, audience signals, creative direction, and first-party data to guide AI tools rather than manually controlling every element.
- Embrace Change and Experimentation: The industry is moving faster than ever. Success requires willingness to test new formats, adapt quickly, and remember that “change is hard at first, messy in the middle, but gorgeous at the end.”
