How Google’s SEO updates are reshaping paid advertising strategies

The search landscape has undergone significant transformation over the past year, driven by a series of impactful updates to Google’s search engine optimization (SEO) algorithms. These changes are not only affecting organic visibility but are also reshaping how we approach paid advertising, particularly within academic publishing and scholarly communications.

Key SEO developments: 2024–2025

One of the most disruptive changes has been the introduction of AI Overviews. These AI-generated summaries now appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), occupying a substantial portion of the visible space and often reducing the prominence of traditional organic listings.

In March 2025, AI Overviews were triggered in over 13% of all search queries, up from just 6.49% in January. Informational content is most affected, with industries such as science, health, and society seeing the largest share growth.

Alongside this, Google’s March 2025 Core Update marked a significant shift in how content is ranked. The update prioritized original, helpful, and user-focused content, rewarding sites that demonstrate expertise and penalizing those relying on thin or manipulative SEO tactics. This update was described as the most volatile in a year, with noticeable ranking fluctuations across sectors, including health and finance.

Google has also strengthened its spam detection capabilities. The SpamBrain AI system now detects low-quality AI-generated content with 98% accuracy, up from 92% in 2024. This has led to increased penalties for sites using mass-produced content, parasite SEO tactics, and over-optimized anchor text.

Implications for paid advertising

As organic visibility declines due to the rise of AI Overviews and stricter content policies, paid advertising has become more critical. Ads continue to appear at the top of SERPs, making them a reliable method for maintaining visibility, especially for academic publishers seeking to promote journals and research outputs.

However, this increased reliance on paid ads has led to heightened competition.

According to WordStream’s 2025 benchmarks, cost-per-click (CPC) increased across 87% of industries, with some sectors experiencing rises of over 40%. This trend is particularly pronounced in high-value academic and educational keywords, where competition for visibility is intensifying.

Integrating SEO and PPC strategies

In this evolving environment, it is no longer viable to treat SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising as separate disciplines.

By integrating these strategies to maximize performance, insights from organic keyword performance can be used to refine paid search targeting and improve ad copy. This approach ensures that ads align with user intent and reflect the language and topics users are actively searching for.

Landing page quality has also become a decisive factor in ad performance. Google’s Quality Score system evaluates landing pages based on relevance, originality, and user experience.

Ads that link to low-value or poorly optimized pages may receive lower ad rankings.

Evolving ad messaging and performance monitoring

Ad copy must now reflect the same principles that underpin Google’s SEO updates. Messaging should be user-focused, authoritative, and clearly communicate the academic value of the content being promoted.

Overly promotional or generic ads are likely to underperform compared to those that demonstrate relevance and expertise.

Adopt a more rigorous approach to performance monitoring. Changes in organic visibility can directly impact paid campaign metrics, including click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and overall cost efficiency. Google’s own guidance emphasizes the importance of aligning bid strategies and optimization goals with business objectives to maintain campaign performance.

Recommended best practices

To remain competitive in this dynamic landscape, consider the following best practices:

1. Firstly, SEO and PPC efforts should be fully integrated. This includes sharing keyword data, aligning messaging across channels, and ensuring that landing pages are optimized for both organic and paid traffic.

2. Secondly, content quality must be prioritized. All promoted academic content should be original, authoritative, and designed to meet the needs of the intended audience. This approach supports both SEO performance and paid campaign effectiveness.

3. Finally, budget strategies should be adapted to reflect the new competitive environment. Be prepared to adjust ad spend in response to rising CPCs and shifting organic visibility, ensuring that resources are allocated where they will have the greatest impact.

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Sources:

1: Goodwin, D. (May 6, 2025). Google AI Overviews now show on 13% of searches: Study. https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-13-searches-455057

2: Page, S. (2025, April 1). Google algorithm updates: All major changes up to 2025. https://www.impressiondigital.com/blog/key-google-algorithm-changes/#2025updates

3: Yadav, P. (June 27, 2025). Google’s latest spam policy update 2025. https://www.dmltraining.com/blog/google-2025-spam-policy-update/ 

4: Marino, S. (2025, May 19). Google Ads Benchmarks 2025: Competitive Data & Insights for Every Industry. WordStream. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/2025-google-ads-benchmarks

5: The MTM Agency (2025, March 25): The synergy between SEO and PPC: Benefits of an integrated marketing strategy. https://themtmagency.com/blog/the-synergy-between-seo-and-ppc-benefits-of-an-integrated-marketing-strategy

6: Google Ads Help. About Quality Score for search campaigns. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118?hl=en-GB

7: Lysakowska-Lambari, S. (March 31, 2025). Mastering Google Ads Quality Score: Boost Ad Performance & Lower Costs. https://quibble.digital/insights/google-ads-quality-score/

8. Google Ads Help. Determine a bid strategy based on your goals. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2472725?hl=en#:~:text=Google%20Ads%20offers%20several,the%20unique%20context%20of

9. Webteam IMG (August 22, 2025).  Paid vs Organic: Maximizing Your Marketing Impact. https://www.growwithimg.com/paid-vs-organic-marketing-strategy/

10. Google Search Central. Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

11.  Archbold, D. (July 30, 2024). Understanding quality score in PPC. https://social-plus.media/2024/07/30/understanding-quality-score-in-ppc/

12. PPC Geeks (March 12, 2024). CPC (Cost Per Click): This is how much you pay each time someone clicks on your ad: strategies to lower your cost per click. https://ppcgeeks.co.uk/marketing/cpc-or-cost-per-click-this-is-how-much-you-pay-each-time-someone-clicks-on-your-ad-learn-how-to-maximise-your-marketing-strategies-to-lower-cost-per-click/