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Channel

Paid Search

Paid search is advertising on search engines where marketers bid for visibility against query intent.

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Marketing Refs Editorial, reviewed by Marketing Refs Review DeskPerformance Marketing3 sources

Decision model

Paid search performance = query intent + bid + ad relevance + landing page quality

How it works

Paid search captures existing demand and is commonly managed through CPA, ROAS, CTR and conversion rate.

Key takeaways

  • Use Paid Search when the decision depends on paid acquisition economics and measurable channel performance.
  • Pair Paid Search with related concepts before changing strategy, budget or execution.

Where it is used

  • Performance Marketing planning
  • Campaign review
  • Team alignment

Used by Marketing teams · Growth teams · Students

Examples

  • A demand team uses Paid Search to decide where attention should be created, captured and measured.
  • A campaign manager connects Paid Search to landing pages, offers and conversion metrics before judging channel performance.

Common mistakes

  • Using Paid Search as jargon without tying it to a decision, owner or measurement signal.
  • Treating Paid Search as isolated from adjacent concepts that change how it should be applied.

Questions

What is Paid Search?
Paid search is advertising on search engines where marketers bid for visibility against query intent.
When should marketers use Paid Search?
Paid Search should be used when it clarifies a marketing decision, owner, workflow or measurement question.
What is a practical example of Paid Search?
A demand team uses Paid Search to decide where attention should be created, captured and measured.

Sources

NextSEO vs SEM

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