The paid media lab

Download Aaron Young's Google Ads Optimization Checklist (for free) here: https://www.definedigitalacademy.com/optimise

Looking for a repeatable, structured way to optimize your Google Ads campaigns without burning out or flying blind?

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab, we’re joined by PPC expert Aaron Young - founder of Define Digital Academy, and one of the most trusted and popular voices on YouTube when it comes to paid search.

Aaron walks us through his updated 2025 Google Ads Optimization Checklist - a practical, spreadsheet-based framework that breaks campaign management into clear, actionable steps using his unique S.T.A.B. method:

 • Spending & segmentation

 • Targeting

 • Ads & landing pages

 • Bidding

Whether you’re managing Search, Shopping, PMax, Display, Demand Gen or YouTube campaigns, this checklist will help you eliminate guesswork, reduce wasted spend, and scale performance with confidence.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro + checklist overview

1:53 - Aaron’s main PPC focuses

3:31 - ‘Golden rule’ for Demand Gen + PMax

6:36 - ‘Optimized targeting’ in Demand Gen

8:26 - How to use the optimization checklist

11:11 - Understanding the S.T.A.B method

14:47 - How to prioritize ad optimization actions

16:12 - How to operationalize & action ad optimizations

18:57 - Actions you shouldn’t overlook

20:01 - Additional tips to enhance ad optimization 

22:41 - How to identify & action additional optimizations

27:53 - Final thoughts / outro

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab podcast, we’re joined by Inny Vaiciute to break down how to outsmart rising CPCs with smarter PPC account structure - covering strategy, segmentation, and common mistakes that drain budget.

As Senior PPC Manager at Circus PPC, Inny manages high-performing campaigns across ecommerce and lead gen - blending creative problem-solving with data-driven decision making to consistently drive results.

In this episode, we explore everything from campaign type selection and geographic setup to the death of SKAGs, when to segment ad groups, and how to feed the algorithm the cleanest possible data.

If your CPCs are spiraling and you need to make every click count, this is your playbook.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:59 - Inny’s key focuses in PPC right now 

3:32 - Why does account structure matter with high CPCs?

5:04 - Common account structure issues that inflate costs

7:27 - How to decide when to segment campaigns

9:27 - Blending campaign types to keep costs down

12:36 - Pros/cons of Demand Gen campaigns

14:45 - Single keyword ad groups vs Themed ad groups

17:19 - Structuring campaigns around funnel stages

20:22 - How geographic campaign structuring affects CPCs

22:54 - Predicting campaign changes / Google performance planner

26:14 - Final thoughts

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab podcast, we’re speaking to Teodor Yordanov about how to master local campaigns in Google Ads - covering best practices, real-world strategies, and the common pitfalls to avoid.

Very few marketers understand how to bridge the gap between digital campaigns and physical store visits like Teodor Yordanov, Senior Paid Media Director at Book Up Media and Marketize Me. 

With over £100M in managed ad spend and deep experience across retail, ecommerce, and travel, Teo shares the exact tactics he uses to drive high-intent foot traffic at scale.

In this episode, we explore everything from store visit attribution and local inventory ads, to Teo’s postcode-based location targeting method - and the exact campaign structure that delivered a 210% MoM increase in store visits.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

3:07 - Teo’s Google Ads generic search term script

5:00 - What are local store visits in Google Ads

6:50 - Why use Google Ads to drive in-store traffic?

8:32 - What are Local Inventory Ads & why are they effective

12:05 - Inefficiencies with location targeting for LIAs

13:48 - Teo’s advanced postcode targeting tool

16:50 - How to optimize local store visit campaigns

20:01 - Case study: 210% MoM increase in store visits

22:35 - Final thoughts

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab, we’re joined by Kirk Williams - founder of ZATO Marketing, TEDx speaker, and 2025’s 3rd most influential PPC expert - to break down exactly how to optimise PMax for eCommerce success.

Whether you’re managing a single-product Shopify store or a large multi-brand catalogue, Kirk’s advice will help you turn underperforming PMax campaigns into high-performing ROI machines.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

3:55 - How PMax differs from other campaign types

6:29 - PMax campaign structures for shopify stores

13:57 - Feed optimization best practices

19:33 - How to get more insights from PMax

22:01 - Driving the most revenue from PMax

26:54 - Final thoughts

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab podcast, we're speaking to Amy Hebdon about the potential of Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) - covering best practices, key strategies, and the all-too-common RSA mistakes to avoid.

Very few marketers know the ins-and-outs of RSAs as well as Amy Hebdon, founder of Paid Search Magic and creator of the famed ‘Magnetic RSAs’ course, where she breaks down every aspect of what successful RSAs look like. 

In this episode, we cover everything you need to know about Responsive Search Ads, and get Amy’s insights on what the future holds for them.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

3:01 - What are Responsive Search Ads?5:11 - The key elements for RSA setup

6:56 - Target audience vs. Anti audience

8:54 - How important is the ‘Ad Strength’ metric?

12:04 - Common mistakes & pitfalls to avoid

14:01 - Should you use ChatGPT for RSA ad copy?

15:55 - When you should pin vs. shouldn’t pin 

17:34 - Key factors to keep in mind with RSA campaigns

19:08 - Creating & targeting more niche audiences

21:21 - Troubleshooting underperforming RSAs

23:10 - What will the future hold for RSAs?

25:45 - How AI overviews impact PPC

27:34 - Running ads in LLMs?

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

The Paid Media Lab is back for Season 2 - and we're kicking things off by speaking to none other than Frederick Vallaeys about his methods for streamlining PPC management with ChatGPT and other LLMs. 

Recently voted the #1 most influential PPC expert of 2025, Fred brings a wealth of knowledge from decades in the industry - previously as a Product Specialist & Ads Evangelist at Google, or currently as CEO of Optmyzr.

In this episode, Fred reveals how he’s harnessing the power of ChatGPT and other large language models to streamline campaign management and save thousands of hours on PPC tasks.

Whether you’re managing ads at scale or just starting to explore AI in paid media, Fred’s practical, cutting-edge insights will give you a serious edge (and save you countless hours!)

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro: PPCSurvey results, PerformanceMCR event

5:10 - Which tasks should you automate with ChatGPT?

7:54 - How to write better prompts for GenAI

12:24 - Using GenAI for ad copy, keywords, socials

18:51 - Feeding ChatGPT the right data

23:40 - What tasks should you NOT use ChatGPT for?

28:07 - Final thoughts

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

Read Fred's full SEL article on connecting ads data to GenAI for smarter PPC here: https://searchengineland.com/4-ways-to-connect-your-ads-data-to-generative-ai-for-smarter-ppc-454330

Watch Navah Hopkins' episode on using Dynamic Search Ads for competitor research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsduYRdokhI

Season 2 of the Paid Media Lab podcast kicks off on the 21st May!

Join us as we sit down with the best in the PPC business - including top performance marketers, media buyers, and growth strategists - to uncover what’s actually working in paid media right now. 

No fluff - just real insights, proven tactics, and unfiltered conversations in a digestible format to improve your PPC game (and potentially save you thousands!)

🎧 New episodes dropping weekly - follow us on your preferred podcast platform to stay ahead of the curve.

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab podcast, we're speaking to Tomasz Abbott-Wieczorek about the often under-appreciated topic of ad copy localization for international PPC campaigns. 

You likely already know Tomasz as the founder of the PPC Profit Club, a sizable community of marketers sharing tips, strategies, and best practices for PPC success. 

Individually, Tomasz has audited over $1 billion in Google Ads spend, and has been ranked amongst the top 100 most influential PPC voices worldwide.

In this episode, Tomasz discussed key strategies to maximize the ROI on international PPC campaigns - something Tomasz has extensive experience in - by aligning with cultural nuances, linguistic expectations, local buying behaviors, and more.

In just over 25 minutes, we discussed everything marketers need to know about adapting their ad copy for international campaigns:

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:35 - PPC Profit Club

04:03 - Why ad copy localization matters

05:38 - Likely performance improvements from localization

07:02 - Industries where localization really matters

09:25 - Tips for identifying the best local copy 

12:09 - Case study: The best brands to learn from

13:52 - Testing/optimizing localization copy

17:22 - How use AI in localization

20:43 - Balancing unique localization & brand messaging

23:07 - Key ad copy localization tips

23:54 - Final thoughts / outro

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab podcast, we sat down with PPC expert Lucy Smith to discuss demand-led bidding, and how it can help marketers make the most of their ad budgets.

With over eight years of experience managing campaigns across paid search, paid social, and programmatic channels, Lucy has worked with clients across various industries to refine bidding strategies that adapt to real-time demand.

During our conversation, we broke down:

• What demand-led bidding is and why it’s more important than ever.

• How to move beyond fixed budgets and let demand dictate your ad spend.

• The impact of Google’s latest PMax updates and how to use them effectively.

• Common pitfalls to avoid when transitioning to demand-led bidding.

• Technical considerations and tools that can help optimize performance.

If you’re looking for ways to drive more efficiency, maximize tROAS / tCPA, and stay ahead of competitors--this episode is a must-listen.

Timestamps: 

00:00 - Intro

01:06 - Insight into new PMax controls

03:31 - Overview of demand-led bidding (+why it’s so important)

05:52 - Who benefits the most from demand-led bidding

07:27 - Considerations when approaching a demand-led strategy

09:25 - Real-world examples to consider

10:50 - Lucy’s first-hand experience & pitfalls to consider

15:05 - How long to wait before deciding to make changes

16:10 - Expectation setting & communication 

18:12 - Technical considerations to be aware of 

20:52 - Recommended tools / scripts

23:16 - PMaximiser rundown

24:28 - Key advice for implementing demand-led bidding

26:56 - Final thoughts / outro

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library

In this episode of the Paid Media Lab podcast, we sat down with PPC expert Chris Nightingale to discuss all things landing pages in 2025 and beyond. 

Chris is the owner of Can-Do Marketing, having previously worked as the Marketing Lead at AO and the Head of Digital Marketing at Alleyoop to name but a few. 

With over 10 years experience in both the B2B and B2C marketing spaces, Chris has an extensive background in all aspects of marketing. He has a particular interest in the power of landing pages, and their potential to turn visitors into long-time customers. 

During our chat, we recapped landing page fundamentals that every marketer needs to consider, before diving into more advanced strategies and considerations to see success in 2025 and beyond. 

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:25 - Landing page fundamentals 

03:38 - Key landing page mistakes to avoid

06:50 - What % of budget go towards landing pages?

09:01 - Step-by-step: Create landing pages

11:32 - Relating search ad copy to landing page copy

14:38 - PMax landing pages & final URL expansion

17:08 - Should you send paid traffic to blogs?

18:30 - Real-world customer journey examples

20:47 - Building social proof

22:38 - Personalization & dynamic landing page advice 

25:55 - Final thoughts

Prefer watching over listening? Subscribe to Lunio's YouTube channel to get full-length video episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@lunio.ai

Get more free PPC tools, webinars, and resources at:

https://www.lunio.ai/resource-library