PPC insights: Our top SEM columns of 2017

2017 marked yet another eventful year for the SEM industry, and there was no shortage of great content to guide readers through it. See which topics were most popular with Search Engine Land’s PPC community in our top 10 paid search columns of the year.

Though paid search has long since cemented its place as a pillar of digital marketing, changes in technology and consumer behavior have continued to reshape the PPC landscape and keep search marketers on their toes. In 2017, we saw the last of “standard” text ads in AdWords as expanded text ads, introduced in 2016, became the new norm. We also said goodbye to the literal definition of “exact” as Google expanded exact match targeting to include close variants.

Yet, on the whole, search marketers spent more of 2017 looking forward than dwelling on the past. Two of our most widely read columns, penned by former Googler Frederick Vallaeys, were forward-thinking pieces that focused on how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are driving innovation and automation in paid search.

This past year also saw a host of new feature releases, and with new capabilities comes the need to try new things — which is why so many of our top columns this year focused on testing. From ad copy testing to landing page testing, search marketers sought out resources to help ensure that their ads are reaching their full potential.

For these topics and more, check out Search Engine Land’s top paid search columns of 2017!

1. The best-kept AdWords secret: AMP your landing pages by Frederick Vallaeys, published on 5/10/2017.
2. Seriously, Google, can you just make exact match exact? by Daniel Gilbert, published on 3/21/2017.
3. Attention search marketers: ALL keywords are branded keywords! by Larry Kim, published on 1/23/2017.
4. 10 AdWords ad copy testing ideas you can use right now by Jason Puckett, published on 3/14/2017.
5. The AdWords 2017 roadmap is loaded with artificial intelligence by Frederick Vallaeys, published on 6/7/2017.
6. 3 free AdWords testing tools to adopt today by Todd Saunders, published on 3/7/2017.
7. Three foolproof steps to excellent AdWords ads by Matt Lawson, published on 3/17/2017.
8. This script creates Google Slides with AdWords data to automate your presentation-making by Frederick Vallaeys, published on 8/2/2017.
9. The great big list of landing page tests to try by Amy Bishop, published on 5/2/2017.
10. How artificial intelligence drives PPC automation by Frederick Vallaeys, published on 1/18/2017.