Is performance still performing?
The performance marketing landscape is changing. Fast. For the first time in two decades Google has seen a drop in search activity, with January 2025 marking the fourth consecutive month its market share sat below 90%.
Of course they still have a monopoly, but there’s no denying this is a significant shift as new ways to seek out the content we want drives a mammoth behaviour change.
Over a quarter of respondents to a recent study by Future Publishing claimed they would turn to AI platforms such as ChatGPT over traditional search, with four primary reasons cited:
- It delivers faster, direct results
- A simplified search process to make it more user friendly
- Results are accurate, relevant and personalised
- Summaries make complex topics more accessible
When it comes to performance, it isn’t just about who’s shouting the loudest anymore. It’s about who can deliver the most thoughtful content, and ensure it’s picked up by AI.
Google’s investments in tools such as Gemini looked to lure users back to the platform, but it’s not hard to find articles peppered with concerns regarding its accuracy and speed. Its introduction of AI overviews has also contributed to a significant jump in zero-click searches as it pushes both paid and organic listings down results pages. Not only does this impact ROI, there are also fewer opportunities to capture user intent via these traditional ad placements, and feed these learnings into a wider marketing strategy.
As well as this move to AI to find content, almost half of GenZ-ers are now thought to begin their searches on social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube with a recent study conducted by Forbes & Talker Research suggesting a quarter find new brands on social media daily.
Recognising and responding to these shifts is critical to remain relevant and align strategies with a changing user behaviour. Not only do businesses need to diversify their online presence beyond Google, they need to ensure their content is structured in a way that’s useful enough to be referenced by AI tools.
Note: AI needs to be embraced, but its wider impacts must also be understood. See our previous article for more insight into its environmental impact and what it could mean for your sustainability credentials.
The other critical action is to commit to brand-led advertising as part of your overall strategy. The importance of a long-term approach isn’t new news. But for a performance landscape in flux, it’s now more critical than ever that it works in partnership with brand activity to drive profits and sustainable growth.
A recent IPA study suggested that 60% of advertising payback comes through a robust, sustained approach, with WARC suggesting the median revenue ROI increase when moving from a performance only to a mixed strategy was a whopping 90%.
Create a strong brand, and you’re setting the scene for your performance marketing to work harder; every penny you spend on brand marketing isn’t just about long term brand equity – it’s an instant action to improve the efficiency of performance.
In a world of fast answers, a strong brand presence could be your unfair advantage.
Beth Menear, Account Director, One Black Bear
Source list
Yahoo tech/Tom’s Guide Special report, People are ditching Google for AI
Tech Round, The Search Shake-up
Forbes/Talker Research, Is Social The New Google
WARC, The Multiplier Effect
Profit Ability, The New Business Case For Advertising, IPA