#paid-search

From October 1, 2026 new non-portfolio Microsoft Advertising campaigns on automated bidding lose the Max CPC cap. Which keep it, plus a deadline checklist.

Google is auto-upgrading Search campaigns to AI Max through September. Microsoft's AI Max for Search is now GA and reaches Copilot. Same name, two decisions.

Google's August 20 post bundles three AI Max changes, only one of them dated to September. Telling the live from the announced is the whole decision.

SE Ranking's 50K-keyword study found a text ad on 29.45% of ad-eligible AI Mode queries — 53.6% at CPC $10+. What PPC teams should do with the CPC curve.

Google is testing Strongest match and Strong match badges on Search ads. A PPC manager guide to what the labels mean and why bids needn't change yet.

Microsoft Ads layers LinkedIn seniority data onto Bing search intent without LinkedIn CPCs. A 2026 B2B guide to the 10 tiers, bid strategy, and lower CPCs.

Google expanded Limited Ad Serving to Search on June 12, 2026, throttling unqualified advertisers. User complaints are now a trigger. How to stay qualified.

Google pushed DSA auto-migration to AI Max from Sept 2026 to Feb 2027 after advertiser pushback. Use the reprieve to baseline a Campaign Experiment now.

150+ PPC statistics for 2026 covering Google, Bing, Amazon Ads, and AI search advertising. Budget allocation, ROI benchmarks, and automation trends.

2026 Google Ads benchmarks with CPC, CTR, and conversion rates by industry. Cost trends, Quality Score impact, and AI bidding performance analysis.

How to advertise in Google AI Mode with placement strategies and bidding optimization. Early data shows ads appearing in 25.5% of AI Mode results in 2026.