Discover the growing challenges inside Google Ads, search visibility, and SEO performance in this data-driven episode of Run Radio.
In this episode, Quinn and Brian discuss the evolution of Google Ads reporting and how advertisers are losing more keyword-level visibility over time. They explain how traditional search campaigns once offered far more transparency, while newer campaign types like Performance Max and AI Max prioritize automation over advertiser control.
The hosts also examine concerns around Google’s partner network, spam traffic, broad-match keyword expansion, and the growing gap between actual search spend and visible search term reporting. They emphasize the importance of enhanced conversions, server-side tracking, and owning first-party data to ensure businesses can still optimize campaigns effectively despite reduced reporting transparency.
The conversation then shifts into SEO and search behavior, highlighting new Ahrefs data showing that nearly all clicks now happen on the first page of Google. Quinn and Brian explain how AI overviews, better search intent matching, and zero-click results are training users to expect instant answers, making page-one rankings more valuable than ever before.
Finally, the episode explores the broader implications of AI-driven search and advertising, including how marketers can adapt their strategies, why SEO remains critical despite changing traffic patterns, and why businesses should prepare for an increasingly automated search ecosystem.
Google has steadily reduced search term visibility and keyword-level reporting, especially inside automated campaign types like Performance Max, often citing privacy and automation improvements.
Performance Max is a Google Ads campaign type that uses AI and automation to run ads across multiple Google properties with less manual control from advertisers.
Recent studies show that over 96% of clicks happen on page one, meaning businesses that fail to rank highly are receiving significantly less search traffic.
Not always. While AI campaigns can improve efficiency in some cases, they often reduce transparency and advertiser control, making tracking and optimization more difficult.
Our in-house team works directly with US-based marketers. Tell us what you are trying to grow and we will tell you what we would do first.
Drop in your website and we will record a short teardown: where you are losing traffic, who is outranking you, and the three things we would fix first.
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