What You Need to Know About PPC in 2026

<p>Not getting the results you used to from your paid search? In this episode of the DMI podcast, host <a href="https://willfrancis.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Will Francis</a> speaks with PPC specialist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathalmelinn/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Cathal Melinn</a> about the current state and future of pay-per-click advertising. With rising costs, AI-driven automation, and new campaign types like Demand Gen reshaping advertising, Cathal shares what’s actually delivering results right now, and what marketers should approach with caution. </p><p>They explore why PPC is still profitable (but less forgiving than before), how AI Max for Search differs from Performance Max, and why mid-funnel campaigns are becoming essential. Cathal also explains how to structure campaigns strategically, manage budgets effectively, and avoid over-relying on automation. </p><p><strong>Cathal’s top 3 tips </strong></p><ol><li><strong>Separate brand and non-brand campaigns: </strong>Run a dedicated brand campaign on exact match to protect your name and control impression share.</li><li><strong>Start small and structured: </strong>Begin with 10–15 carefully chosen exact match keywords and grow strategically. </li><li><strong>Don’t ignore the mid-funnel: </strong>Demand Gen campaigns can feed your search performance and deliver measurable returns faster than traditional top-of-funnel activity. </li></ol><p>The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWKV2YlzIxeVNDzvfbvSxg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a>,<a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/ahead-of-the-game/id1502583392" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">  Apple Podcasts</a>⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/6r6nCK6XALNOAiXvHoxyve" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Spotify</a>⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠all other podcast platforms.   </p><p>And if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so others can find us. If you have other feedback or would like to be a guest on the show, email the podcast team!  </p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Timestamps </strong><br />3:14 – Why Demand Gen is changing the funnel <br />12:54 – AI Max vs Performance Max <br />17:52 – Manual bids vs smart bidding <br />23:00 – The “learning phase” myth <br />29:00 – Amazon &amp; Bing: where else to invest <br />34:05 – Why PR supercharges PPC <br />38:16 – Metrics that actually matter <br />40:14 – The biggest PPC mistakes <br />46:31 – The future: pay-per-conversation? <br />48:31 – Tools and automation stack <br />51:10 – Cathal’s starter framework for beginners </p>