What You Need to Know About PPC in 2026

Not getting the results you used to from your paid search? In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with PPC specialist Cathal Melinn 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. 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. Cathal’s top 3 tips Separate brand and non-brand campaigns: Run a dedicated brand campaign on exact match to protect your name and control impression share.Start small and structured: Begin with 10–15 carefully chosen exact match keywords and grow strategically. Don’t ignore the mid-funnel: Demand Gen campaigns can feed your search performance and deliver measurable returns faster than traditional top-of-funnel activity. The Ahead of the Game podcast is brought to you by the Digital Marketing Institute and is available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube,  Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠all other podcast platforms.   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!  Timestamps 3:14 – Why Demand Gen is changing the funnel 12:54 – AI Max vs Performance Max 17:52 – Manual bids vs smart bidding 23:00 – The “learning phase” myth 29:00 – Amazon & Bing: where else to invest 34:05 – Why PR supercharges PPC 38:16 – Metrics that actually matter 40:14 – The biggest PPC mistakes 46:31 – The future: pay-per-conversation? 48:31 – Tools and automation stack 51:10 – Cathal’s starter framework for beginners