Is Your Google Ads Campaign Ready for These 2025 PPC Trends?

While tried and true paid media strategies like keyword targeting and conversion tracking are still important for a successful Google Ads campaign in 2025, understanding the latest pay-per-click (PPC) trends is essential for navigating changes in the paid advertising landscape.

Google Ads are evolving, largely thanks to new developments in AI-powered search tools impacting the way people are searching—and the results they’re getting. PPC specialists need to stay informed and adaptable to these continuous developments.

The rise of AI Overviews appearing in search results is leading to higher search satisfaction among consumers, and AI-powered Google Ad campaigns are making running paid ads easier than before. However, simply relying on these AI tools isn’t enough to continue to optimize and drive results from your B2B paid search strategy. 

From tracking new federal regulations on data privacy to learning how to tailor generative AI to your business’ specific advertising needs, read on to discover our overview and predictions for the latest PPC trends.

Top 3 PPC Trends for Google Ads in 2025

Industry trends are constantly shifting the paid advertising landscape. Here’s a breakdown of the latest innovations currently influencing the world of paid search:

As Google continues to develop its AI automation features for Google Ad campaigns, PPC strategists need to understand how to use these tools alongside more traditional paid ad strategies.

Automated PPC campaign types like Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Smart Bidding work across all types of Google Ads to optimize campaign performance, automatically bid on search rank positions, and drive higher conversion rates—all tailored to conversion goals and target data customized by you. 

Each type offers slightly different benefits:

• Performance Max can generate detailed reports on campaign performance and identify conversion metrics for individual ad assets, as well as provide recommendations for improving assets and strategy.

• Reporting tools in Demand Gen campaigns compare ads to how paid media on other channels are performing simultaneously.

• Both campaign types work together with Smart Bidding to continuously optimize ads and automatically bid for search rank placements, without the need for manual bidding.

These campaigns also use AI to generate creative ad assets designed to optimize paid ads for higher search ranking, but PPC experts warn that strategists still need to assess the quality of Google’s generative AI capabilities.

While these tools are seeing widespread use and effectively streamlining multiple facets of Google Ad campaigns, they are still in the early stages of development. Performance data for these campaigns is mixed.

A recent study showed Performance Max campaigns reaching higher impression counts than traditional Search campaigns. Still, Search campaigns maintained higher CTRs, conversion rates, and values.

For overlapping search terms, Search achieved higher CTRs 65% of the time compared to PMax. (Source: Search Engine Land)

Just because AI can help campaigns run faster, it doesn’t always mean it can run them better, or without a PPC specialist to help manage and track their results. Make sure to provide highly relevant data for goals, tracking metrics, and reporting standards when first setting up these types of Google Ad campaigns.

2. Privacy Changes and Evolving Data Strategy

Recent changes in third-party cookies and digital data privacy regulations are forcing PPC strategists to rethink the ways they approach targeting, measuring engagement, data collection, and reporting.

Although data privacy requirements vary by state, paid media professionals should begin shifting their focus to first-party data for audience targeting and segmentation. This means collecting information only from leads and customers who have interacted directly with your website or ads and have actively given consent.

Doing so allows you to prioritize high-quality audience segments while staying compliant with evolving regulations. It also opens the door to stronger customer relationships.

By being transparent about what data you’re collecting, when, and how, you can build trust with your audience and stand out from competitors with less visible data practices.

3. Impact of AI Overviews on Organic and Paid CTRs

AI Overviews have made searching easier for consumers, but they’re also making it more difficult for businesses to get clicks on both paid and organic search results. As consumers are now more likely just to read an AI Overview than click on results lower on the page, zero-click searches are causing previously top-ranked businesses to sink to lower search ranking positions.

Optimize your web content for a better chance at having AI Overviews pull information from your business. Make sure you’re providing up-to-date educational content on your company’s website about relevant topics in your industry, especially on pages serving as the destination URLs for your paid ads.

Additionally, make sure your web content targets keywords you want to rank for. This gives you a better chance at having your content highlighted in the AI Overview for searches of these and similar keywords.

Highway 9 Consulting’s Expertise in Google Ads

Wondering where to take your paid media strategy next? 

Amid new technologies, limitations, and constant innovation, the need for PPC specialists to guide your Google Ad campaigns to high levels of success is now more important than ever. 

At Highway 9 Consulting, we offer award-winning PPC strategies to take your B2B paid search efforts to the next level. We’re not just on top of the latest PPC trends—we know how to navigate the changes happening in paid media and have years of high-performance industry experience to prove it. 

Want to get started? Download our Google Ads 101 Checklist to build a smarter campaign from the ground up.