Paid Search Isn’t Dead. Your Strategy Might Be.

Search is dead. SEO is dead. AI is king. Until next quarter—when AI is dead, too.

In digital marketing, big declarations never seem to stop. We like to put permanent labels on things because it feels easier: easier to write something off, easier to believe that if you just do X, Y, and Z, you’ll win. Reality is never that simple.

And yet, I still hear people confidently claim that paid search is dead. That one surprises me the most. I’m open to new ideas, but in my experience, paid search isn’t dead—it’s just harder, noisier, and far more sophisticated than it used to be.

So why are people saying otherwise?

Why the “Search Is Dead” Myth Won’t Die

Paid search has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. What started as a scrappy tool for startups to scale into enterprises is now a massive ecosystem.

Ad networks, naturally motivated to grow revenue, have made it easier for anyone to join auctions. That’s good for accessibility, but it means more competition—often from companies with no strategy who still drive up auction prices.

The result? Strategies that worked in 2010 don’t work in 2025. The environment is crowded. Chaotic. Yet at the same time, incredibly advanced and nuanced.

What Still Works in 2025

Paid search isn’t a money-printing machine by default. But with the right approach, it can still be one of the most profitable levers in digital marketing.

Here’s what matters:

• Flexible strategy with financial rigor. Be ready to pivot, test, and fail—but always ground your decisions in incremental profit and ROI. Ignore the noise and stay focused on what truly moves your business forward.

• Patience. You may try 10 ideas before one works. Sometimes the math just isn’t there until the timing shifts, like when a competitor drops out of auctions and suddenly the data density improves. Winning in search means testing, learning, and iterating over time.

• Good data. Value-based bidding with offline conversion imports remains the most powerful strategy, if you have the data density, infrastructure, and clarity to support it. Remember: the model that helps you measure success may not be the same one that helps the network optimize.

• Don’t go it alone. Paid digital is too complex for a one-person show. At Working Planet, we’ve seen how bringing different perspectives and expertise to the table helps uncover opportunities and manage risks faster.

• Play the network’s game. Don’t blindly auto-apply every recommendation. But don’t dismiss them, either. Some are genuine improvements. Others are rewarded with cheaper traffic and greater reach because they align with how the network wants you to operate.

The Bottom Line: Is Paid Search Dead?

The paid search of 2010 is.

But in 2025, paid search is alive, thriving, and still capable of driving massive growth, if you’re willing to adapt, stay disciplined, and keep testing.

The real question isn’t whether paid search is dead.It’s whether your strategy is.