Programmatic advertising and paid search aren’t standing still – and neither are the brands winning with them.
AI-driven bidding, smarter attribution, and cross-channel optimization have raised the bar on what these channels can deliver as a connected paid media strategy.
AW’s digital and media strategists break down what’s changed, what’s driving performance, and how a full-funnel, data-driven approach powers more efficient, scalable growth.
Reach the Right Audiences Quicker with Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising uses automation and real-time data to buy and place ads with greater speed and accuracy. Platforms evaluate signals like user behavior, geography, device, and engagement history to decide which audiences to target, where ads should appear, and what each impression is worth in seconds.
The result? More efficient media buying, more relevant messaging, and a stronger return on spend. And it’s growing fast. Programmatic digital display ad spend in the U.S. is projected to exceed $180 billion, accounting for over 90% of display advertising.
But display is just one slice of the programmatic pie.
“Today, programmatic powers display, video, native, connected TV, digital out-of-home, and audio, all driven by the same audience intelligence engine,” explains Erica Brown, VP, integrated media services at Austin Williams. “When we show clients how they can apply advanced targeting across all these channels, that’s when things get really exciting. This level of precision allows brands to reach audiences earlier in their decision-making process, driving awareness and consideration before a search even happens.”
Programmatic Advertising in 2026: Smarter Targeting, Better Measurement
Advancements in data, technology, and AI have expanded what programmatic can do. Predictive planning, more granular audience segments, premium placements, and cross-channel retargeting have become standard practices in programmatic advertising.
Measurement has evolved alongside it, too. “We’ve seen a significant leap in attribution,” says Pam Wicks, AW’s director of media operations. “Post-view and post-click tracking let us follow users who saw or clicked a programmatic ad but converted later through another channel, like paid search. That cross-channel visibility changes how we evaluate performance — and that visibility becomes especially valuable when awareness turns into action.”
Capturing High-intent Demand with Paid Search
“Paid search remains the most efficient way to convert high-intent users,” says Hartej Saini, AW’s senior search strategist. “It fuels growth by targeting people who are actively searching, and turning that demand into leads and conversions.”
In 2026, paid search is more than just a keyword-matching exercise. “Keywords are still the foundation, but the channel is evolving into a sophisticated, AI-driven ecosystem,” Saini explains. “Platforms are learning to interpret user intent and serve more relevant ads beyond just the search terms.”
In practice, that means layering keyword targeting with audience segments and smart bidding strategies, such as value-based bidding and max conversions with target CPAs, to match ads to high-intent users more precisely. Algorithms have also gotten smarter about when not to spend, helping to preserve budgets when conversion signals are weak.
Ad creative is changing, too. Responsive search ads now dynamically adapt messaging based on user behavior and search intent, improving relevance and performance in real time.
As search platforms continue to incorporate AI-generated results, AW is testing strategies within Google’s AI Max for Search. “This allows us to reach long-tail, conversational searches, which have been growing in popularity, and can enable placements in AI Overviews,” Saini notes.
Why Programmatic Advertising and Paid Search Work Better Together
“At AW, we look at programmatic media and search holistically rather than as separate channels,” explains Wicks. “Programmatic builds awareness and demand, while search captures intent and conversions. Together, they improve efficiency, increase branded search, and strengthen performance throughout the customer journey.”
That integration directly impacts performance. Across AW’s client campaigns, brands running programmatic and paid search simultaneously consistently see stronger branded search performance. Upper-funnel programmatic exposure drives users back to search engines to look up brands by name – and those same users convert at higher rates when they do. Programmatic also keeps brands visible throughout a user’s decision-making process through retargeting, driving conversions that ultimately appear in search.
The data flows back the other way, too. “Paid search functions as a signal engine – not just a conversion tool,” says Saini. “It tells you which products are generating demand, which audiences are converting, and how your messaging is actually landing. That intelligence can inform creative decisions across programmatic channels and beyond.”
Turning Signals into Results with a Data-driven Marketing Strategy
The brands seeing the strongest performance today aren’t necessarily spending the most. They’re connecting channels more strategically, optimizing in real time, and using data to make every dollar work harder.
Ready for a data-driven marketing strategy that does just that? Let’s talk.
