Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing in 2025 evolved rapidly and became more intricate. Google drove many of the year’s most significant shifts, from expanded Search automation with AI Max and ads appearing in AI Overviews to long-awaited improvements in transparency and control for Performance Max. Meanwhile, changes to Google Tag Manager and conversion tracking reshaped how advertisers gather and trust their data. Policy updates, automatic content extraction, and major retailers like Amazon and Temu pulling back from Google Shopping further disrupted auction dynamics, highlighting rising friction between platform dominance, advertiser control, and overall market stability. As 2025 comes to a close, here’s a look at the most-read headlines, ranked by pageviews.
10. Google changed how Tag Manager works with Google Ads
March 10 – Google revised Google Tag Manager (GTM) so the Google tag loads before events fire, boosting tracking precision and data quality starting April 10. For containers using Google Ads and Floodlight tags, GTM now automatically loads the Google tag. Advertisers gained simpler access to Enhanced Conversions, cross-domain tracking, and auto events directly in tag settings. The change also streamlined data collection and compliance by automatically turning on user-provided data once Customer Data Terms were accepted.
9. Google Performance Max campaign API placement exclusions
Jan. 28 – Google confirmed that advertisers can manage Performance Max campaigns with API-based placement exclusions, reversing months of documentation and support advice that claimed this wasn’t possible. Research from ad tech company Optmyzr showed that API exclusions completely stopped spend on blocked placements and operated more quickly than manual exclusions in the UI…