The TikTok sale is complete. TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC closed on January 22, 2026, placing majority control in the hands of American investors Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. The ad infrastructure and auction mechanics are still running.
User deletions spiked nearly 150 percent post-announcement, but active usage held flat. Sentiment and platform health are two different things.
Governance shifts hit auction dynamics before they touch the product. Watch CPM and conversion rate week over week, not month over month.
Pulling budget reactively during platform transitions destroys learning phase momentum and costs more to rebuild than staying in.
Platform governance is now a media planning variable. The TikTok sale set a precedent that extends to every major platform in your media mix.
On January 22, 2026, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC officially purchased TikTok’s U.S. operations from ByteDance, transferring control to an American-led investor group anchored by the tech giant, Oracle, and investment groups Silver Lake and MGX.
What does this mean for advertisers on the platform?
The app isn’t shutting down. This is a governance restructuring, and TikTok’s ad products and auction mechanics are still running for its 170 million U.S. users. That said, regulatory shifts like this create real volatility risks that deserve a structured response.
This guide breaks down what did and didn’t change, and how to protect your performance without abandoning one of the most powerful paid channels in your media mix.
What the TikTok U.S. Sale Actually Changes
After the sale, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC now owns the U.S. aspects of the platform. ByteDance still owns a 20 percent stake, but the governing majority is now American.
Here’s what that means in practical terms.
What changed
Data governance is the biggest structural shift. U.S. user data is now stored and managed under American oversight, with Oracle handling cloud infrastructure. The new joint venture is also retraining TikTok’s recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data exclusively, to keep the content feed free from outside manipulation. Users won’t notice that change immediately, but it’s significant.
The American-owned entity now sets content moderation. The transition introduced additional compliance review processes for ad targeting parameters and audience segments, requiring some targeting options to be re-approved as the platform rebuilt its ad infrastructure.
What didn’t change
The TikTok ads infrastructure is intact. TikTok Ads Manager, Smart+, TopView, and In-Feed formats are all still live. At the 2026 NewFronts, TikTok unveiled new ad formats, including Logo Takeovers and Prime Time placements, showing that new ownership isn’t slowing down on advertising anytime soon.
Creator monetization is also unchanged. The TikTok algorithm still powers discovery through the For You Page, so its rules are still critical for anyone trying to make money on the app. Per TikTok CEO Shou Chew’s internal memo, ByteDance’s global entity continues to manage the platform’s e-commerce operations and broader marketing functions on the new U.S. platform.
Early User Signals: Noise or Real Risk?
According to Sensor Tower data shared with CNBC, the daily average of U.S. users deleting TikTok jumped nearly 150 percent in the five days following the joint venture announcement, compared with the previous three months.
A drop that sharp could raise serious concerns for advertisers, but it deserves some context before we decide whether it signals real risk.
Three things fueled the spike, and none of them signal structural collapse:
A data center power outage caused failed uploads and For You feed irregularities, which TikTok publicly acknowledged.
An updated privacy policy prompted in-app backlash, though the flagged language was present in an archived August 2024 version of the same policy.
Uncertainty around the new ownership’s content moderation approach prompted some creators to hedge their distribution across other platforms.
Competing platforms saw temporary bumps. U.S. downloads for UpScrolled increased more than tenfold, and platforms like Skylight Social and Rednote climbed 919 and 53 percent week over week, respectively.
Monitor trends like these. A sustained shift in creator behavior matters far more to your campaigns than a short-term uninstall spike driven by a data center outage and a misread privacy policy.
The Real Paid Media Variable: Auction Volatility
Here’s what most advertisers miss during a major platform transition: governance changes hit auction dynamics before they touch the product.
TikTok operates on an auction system where costs fluctuate based on competition, targeting choices, and ad quality. Your cost per mille (CPM) isn’t a fixed rate. It moves with how many advertisers are competing for the same audience at any given time, which makes the post-sale period worth watching closely.
Two forces are working in opposite directions right now.
The first is upward CPM pressure from the algorithm retraining cycle. The new joint venture is retraining TikTok’s recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data exclusively. As that process plays out, ad delivery patterns can shift mid-campaign. Campaigns optimized against the previous algorithm’s behavior may see performance move before any creative or targeting change explains it.
The second force is a temporary drop in auction competition. Some marketers were already planning to scale back spending heading into the transition. That window won’t stay open long. As advertiser confidence returns and paused budgets resume, CPM pressure will rise again.
Three things to monitor right now:
Watch your week-over-week CPM movement. Any sustained spike signals a shift in auction dynamics, not just creative underperformance.
Monitor conversion rates independently of volume, since algorithm retraining can compress efficiency without changing impression counts.
Track creative fatigue aggressively. TikTok’s auction dynamics and creative decay rates punish advertisers who let assets run too long without refreshing.
Why Overreacting Hurts Performance
Pulling budget in response to platform uncertainty feels like risk management, but it’s often the riskiest move you can make in practice.
TikTok’s algorithm depends on a learning phase to optimize ad delivery. During this window, it tests bidding by evaluating your audience and creative to identify who is most likely to convert. Full optimization stability is generally reached around 50 conversions per ad group.
Any significant change, like pausing campaigns or cutting budgets sharply, pushes an ad group back into the learning phase, resetting the optimization progress already built.
The cost of underfunding is equally concrete. Campaigns that don’t meet effective spending thresholds show CPMs 40 to 60 percent higher than properly funded ones, because the algorithm cannot optimize without sufficient data volume.
The post-sale period sharpens this dynamic considerably. With the algorithm retrained on U.S. data, cost per acquisition may increase 20 to 40 percent before stabilizing. Pausing during this window causes the algorithm to stop learning from your account entirely. Advertisers who read that temporary cost-per-action (CPA) spike as a signal to exit will reset their learning phase mid-cycle, compounding the problem they were trying to solve.
There’s also a competitive angle worth considering. Brands that maintained their presence through the transition period emerged with stronger relative positioning as competitors pulled back. When auction competition drops, CPMs follow. Advertisers who stayed in captured that efficiency. Those who paused paid higher costs to re-enter a recovering auction.
Volatility creates both inefficiency and opportunity. Which one you experience depends on whether you plan for it or react to it.
How to Protect Performance Without Abandoning TikTok
Here’s the operating model to build so you can capitalize on TikTok’s volatility now, or another platform’s in the future.
1. Pre-Approve Budget Flex Scenarios
Making significant budget changes reactively can ruin campaign performance. Deciding your triggers now means you respond with a plan instead of scrambling.
Don’t wait for a performance drop to decide how you’ll respond. Define your thresholds in advance, like a sustained CPM increase of 20 percent or more week-over-week or a conversion rate drop held across two consecutive weeks.
2. Keep Meta and YouTube Shorts Warm
A channel you haven’t run in months is a cold channel. Meta and YouTube Shorts require the same data runway as TikTok to reach full optimization stability, roughly 50 conversion events per ad group. Maintain enough spend on both to keep your audiences warm and your algorithms learning, so you’re never rebuilding from zero.
3. Increase Creative Velocity
On TikTok, creative has a short shelf life. Volatile auctions accelerate that decay further. Volatile auctions accelerate that decay. Have new creative variations ready to deploy before you need them, not after performance has already dropped.
4. Tighten Weekly Reporting Cadence
Temporarily shift from monthly to weekly performance reviews. CPM movement and conversion rate shifts during algorithm retraining happen fast. Catching them early gives you time to adjust bids before small inefficiencies compound.
5. Audit Platform Dependency
You want to ensure you’re spending enough to gain traction, but not so much that one platform can make or break your marketing success. Roughly 13 percent of agencies’ social spend over the past 12 months has gone to TikTok. If TikTok represents more than 30 percent of your paid social budget, you have concentration risk that deserves a contingency plan.
Zooming Out: Governance Is Now a Media Planning Variable
The TikTok case underscores a growing tension between digital privacy and free speech in the government’s approach to technology platforms. As apps collect vast amounts of user data, governments will likely continue scrutinizing foreign-owned platforms.
That scrutiny isn’t going away, and it won’t stay limited to TikTok. If another foreign-owned platform gains popularity, Congress may revisit this model of ownership-based restrictions. The legal and regulatory architecture built around TikTok is now a template.
Meanwhile, data sovereignty pressures are intensifying globally. Governments worldwide are restricting cross-border transfers and asserting jurisdiction over data within their borders, possibly touching every major platform operating at scale in the U.S. market.
Platform risk is no longer purely a performance question. Ownership structure and data governance now belong in the same due diligence conversation as CPM benchmarks and audience sizing. A channel that delivers strong return on ad spend (ROAS) today can face structural disruption tomorrow for reasons unrelated to its ad product.
FAQs
Did TikTok Sell?
On January 22, 2026, TikTok closed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX collectively owning 45 percent of the new entity. ByteDance retained nearly 20 percent. The platform continues operating under U.S. majority ownership as TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.
How Much Did TikTok Sell For?
The deal valued TikTok U.S. at approximately $14 billion, a figure widely considered low given that TikTok’s U.S. entity generates roughly $14 billion annually in advertising revenue alone.
Analysts have noted that the $14 billion price tag gives the company a price-to-sales ratio comparable to that of mature, low-growth companies, far below the multiples commanded by Meta and Alphabet. Most independent estimates put TikTok U.S.’s true market value significantly higher.
Conclusion
TikTok remains a Tier 1 paid media channel. The U.S. market accounts for roughly 38 percent of TikTok’s entire global advertising income, a concentration that reflects genuine advertiser confidence. That doesn’t change because of a governance restructuring.
What does change is how you should think about it. Tier 1 status doesn’t mean risk-free. The TikTok sale established a precedent for how governments can intervene in platform ownership, and that precedent applies beyond TikTok. Every major platform you rely on now carries some version of this risk.
The smart move is better planning.
Stay active on TikTok while the auction competition is still recovering. Build a paid media strategy that lets you flex budgets quickly when conditions shift. Define your thresholds now so you don’t make reactive decisions under pressure, and keep your creative velocity high. Short-form content gives you a low-cost way to keep creative cycling regardless of what’s happening at the platform level.
The platforms that attract 170 million users don’t disappear overnight. Build your strategy around that reality.
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LinkedIn articles are long-form content published natively on LinkedIn. They live on your profile, get indexed by Google, and surface in LinkedIn search results long after you publish them.
Feed posts drive reach. Articles build the kind of credibility that makes someone want to hire you, work with you, or trust your expertise.
The strongest use case for articles is distribution, not creation. Adapt existing content rather than starting from scratch.
Performance starts with the headline. Specific, opinionated titles outperform vague ones every time.
Articles are increasingly picked up by AI-generated search answers, making them a quiet but growing visibility channel outside LinkedIn itself.
Most brands still treat LinkedIn like a feed-first platform. Post a thought, collect some likes, move on. That works well enough for reach. It does almost nothing for credibility.
The shift worth paying attention to is not about posting frequency. LinkedIn now surfaces content through search and AI-generated answers that reach well beyond your first-degree connections. The professionals and brands showing up in those spaces are not the ones with the most followers. They are the ones publishing LinkedIn articles.
LinkedIn articles are one of the most underused assets in organic LinkedIn marketing right now. I’ll cover what makes them different from feed posts, how to use them as a distribution channel, and how to write them in a way that actually gets read.
LinkedIn Articles Aren’t New, But Their Role Has Changed
LinkedIn launched its publishing platform more than a decade ago under the name Pulse. Most marketers filed it under “things we should probably use” and forgot about it. The format has since been rebranded simply as LinkedIn Articles, and the ones paying attention to what it has become now have a real head start.
What changed is how LinkedIn itself handles content discovery. The platform acts more like a search engine than it used to. Older articles get resurfaced to relevant audiences. Search queries on LinkedIn increasingly pull from published articles, not just profiles. And because LinkedIn articles are public and hosted on a high-authority domain, Google indexes them. A well-written piece can appear in organic search results for months after publication, reaching people who have never heard of your brand.
Most marketers make one of two mistakes here. They either ignore articles entirely, or they copy-paste from their company blog and treat it as done. Neither approach takes advantage of what the format uniquely offers. It is worth noting that articles are available to both individual profiles and company LinkedIn pages, which means the opportunity exists at every level of your presence on the platform.
The deeper issue is that articles require a different strategic mindset than feed content. They are not built for the scroll. Discoverability on LinkedIn works differently than most marketers assume, and that distinction is worth understanding before you publish your first piece.
Why Articles Play a Different Role Than Feed Posts
Feed posts are built for speed. A sharp observation, a quick take. They generate engagement quickly and lose most of it within 48 hours. That is not a flaw, just the format doing what it was designed to do.
Articles operate differently. They are not competing for attention in a scroll. A reader who finds your article through LinkedIn search or a Google result is already in a different mode. They are not skimming a feed but are likely looking for something specific, and are willing to spend time with it.
That behavioral difference is what makes articles valuable for credibility in a way feed posts aren’t. Publishing a well-structured argument on a topic you have real expertise in signals something that likes and comments cannot. It shows you can develop an idea past a single take. The people making decisions about who to hire or work with notice that and they are very much not counting your impressions.
There is also a practical career and business case that rarely gets discussed. The people who evaluate you before a hiring decision or a pitch are not reading your feed. They are searching your name. A LinkedIn profile with published articles on relevant topics sends a different signal than one without. It is the difference between someone who has opinions and someone who has a body of work.
The Real Opportunity: Articles as a Distribution Channel
The framing that kills most LinkedIn article strategies is boiling it down to: “We need to create more content.” More is not the problem. Distribution is.
Most marketing teams are already producing content that never reaches its full potential audience. Blog posts with strong insights get two weeks of traffic and fade. Bylined pieces in trade publications get shared once, then disappear. Presentations from industry events are often never seen again outside the room where they were given.
LinkedIn articles give that content a second life. Take a blog post, extract its central argument, and adapt it for LinkedIn’s format and audience. The original piece stays on your site. The article links back to it and drives qualified traffic from readers who found the piece through LinkedIn search or Google. This extends the shelf life of work you already did without doubling the workload.
The same logic applies at the individual level. An executive’s byline in an industry publication reaches that outlet’s audience once. The same argument published as a LinkedIn article reaches their network, their followers, and anyone searching that topic on the platform for months afterward.
This is the reframe that makes articles sustainable: they are a distribution layer, not a content creation obligation. If your team treats every article as a net-new piece, it will always feel like too much. If they treat it as an adaptation of something that already exists, the lift is manageable and the compounding visibility adds up over time.
How to Write LinkedIn Articles That Actually Perform
Performance starts before the first sentence. Your LinkedIn headline is the only thing most readers will see before deciding whether to click. Vague titles get scrolled past while specific, opinionated ones get clicked. “Thoughts on the Future of B2B Marketing” is invisible. “Why Most B2B Content Strategies Stall at the Awareness Stage” signals a real argument and a reason to keep reading.
Once someone is in, lead with the insight. Most articles lose readers in the first two paragraphs because the writer is still warming up, providing background, explaining what they are about to say. Skip that. Start with the argument. The context can come later (if it is needed at all) structure matters more on LinkedIn than on a traditional blog also, since readers on the platform skim before they commit. Short paragraphs and clear transitions help them orient quickly. The occasional subheading does not hurt either. A reader who skims and grasps the structure is far more likely to slow down and read closely than one who hits a wall of text and bounces.
Tone is the variable most writers underestimate. LinkedIn articles perform better when they sound like a person who has a real position, not a brand running a content calendar. Opinionated works. Specific works better. “Here is what we have seen hold up across dozens of campaigns” lands differently than “Here is what the research suggests.” Readers can tell the difference between lived experience and summarized consensus and respond accordingly.
One practical tip: write the headline last. Draft the piece, find the sharpest sentence in the whole thing, and ask whether it belongs at the top of the article or in the headline. The answer is usually both.
Close with a soft call to action. The article should be valuable on its own, but it can still point somewhere. A forward-looking question to spark discussion, a brief observation that invites a reply, or a link to a related resource all work. Hard sells do not belong here. The goal is to earn the next click, not demand it.
One step most people skip: after publishing, go into the Manage tab and set a custom title and description for your article. These fields are what search engines use in place of your on-page headline, so taking two minutes to optimize them for a target keyword meaningfully improves how the piece gets found off-platform.
Where LinkedIn Articles Fit in a Modern Content Strategy
Most content strategies have a gap between awareness and action. Social content gets attention. Your website converts it. What sits in between is often nothing, and that gap is where brands lose the consideration battle to whoever showed up with more substance.
LinkedIn articles fill that gap. They are where a reader who already knows you exist decides whether your thinking is worth trusting. That is a different job than a feed post or a homepage. It is the consideration stage, and most brands leave it completely unaddressed.
Think about how buying decisions actually get made in B2B. Someone sees a post, looks up the author, skims the profile, and then either moves on or goes deeper. Articles are what “going deeper” looks like. A series of well-argued pieces on a specific topic does more to establish authority than any amount of engagement metrics on short-form content. It is proof of thought, not just presence.
Your owned content still handles the conversion. An article should not be trying to close a deal. It should be building enough confidence that a reader wants to take the next step on their own.
The brands doing this well rarely talk about it as a content strategy. They talk about it as a sales and trust-building motion. That reframe is worth borrowing.
The Missed Opportunity: LinkedIn Articles and AI/Search Visibility
Here is something most LinkedIn content guides do not mention: your articles can show up in Google before your company website does.
LinkedIn’s domain authority is among the highest on the internet. When you publish an article there, you are borrowing that authority. A well-structured piece on a specific professional topic can surface in Google organic results, featured snippets, and AI Overviews faster than a comparable post on a newer company blog that is still building its own search presence.
For brands that are early in their SEO journey, that is a meaningful shortcut. And the opportunity is only growing: LinkedIn is now the second most cited source in AI-generated answers, trailing only Reddit.
Source: Semrush
Most marketers measure LinkedIn articles by what happens on LinkedIn. Reach and engagement matter, but they miss the larger picture. A piece that generates modest engagement on the platform can quietly pull in search traffic for months. The people finding it that way were never in your feed. They were looking for an answer, and your article was there.
AI-generated answers tend to pull from sources that are credible and publicly accessible. LinkedIn articles are both. If you are not publishing them, you are not in that conversation at all.
FAQs
How do you post an article on LinkedIn?
For individual profiles, go to your LinkedIn homepage and click “Write article” in the post creation box. For company pages, click “Create” and then “Publish an article.” Both paths take you to LinkedIn’s native publishing editor. Add a headline, body text, and a cover image, then hit Publish. After publishing, share the article to your feed with a short caption to extend its initial reach.
What do LinkedIn articles look like?
LinkedIn articles have their own URL and display with a headline, a cover image, and a full article body. They live on your profile under the “Articles and Activity” section and can be shared across the platform or externally.
How long should a LinkedIn article be?
Between 600 and 1,200 words tends to work well. That is long enough to develop a real argument, short enough to hold attention. Structure and clarity matter more than hitting a specific word count.
What is the LinkedIn article image size?
The recommended cover image size is 1200 x 627 pixels. Use a clear, high-contrast image that communicates the topic. Skip generic stock photography if you can.
Are LinkedIn articles credible?
They can be. Articles that reflect genuine expertise and specific experience carry strong credibility signals. The format does not make content credible on its own. The thinking does.
Are LinkedIn articles indexed by Google?
Yes. Public LinkedIn articles are indexed by Google and can appear in organic search results. This is one of the most underappreciated benefits of the format, since a well-written article can generate visibility long after it was published.
Conclusion
LinkedIn articles are not a volume play. The teams getting real results from them are not publishing more often. They are being more deliberate, using articles to deepen ideas that already have an audience and extend content that is already doing work elsewhere.
The format rewards a genuine point of view backed by specific experience. If you have content worth publishing, you have content worth adapting. Start with one strong piece, sharpen the argument for a LinkedIn audience, and publish it with a headline that earns the click. The discoverability of that article, both on and off the platform, will depend on how well you understand LinkedIn SEO, so that is worth getting right from the start.
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Content agencies often specialize in certain industries or subsets of content marketing, such as technical SEO or conversion-focused content.
Our list of some of the best content marketing brands in the business covers a range of services and specialties.
Check out their client lists and portfolios to see if their work aligns with your expectations and preferences.
Knowing what to look for in a content marketing company and the right questions to ask can help you identify the ones with the abilities and capacity to help you expand and improve your content strategy and reach your marketing goals.
The content world is changing, but people still know its value. A 2023 survey from the Content Marketing Institute showed that over three-fourths of marketers indicated that content marketing generates demand and leads.
This is no surprise when you realize 70 percent of people would prefer to learn about a company through an article rather than advertising.
Content marketing can generate huge amounts of traffic, leads, and sales for your business. If you’re a company looking to get started with content marketing, it can be tough to find the resources and expertise you need.
What kind of content do your customers want from you? Is that the same kind of content that creates revenue for your business? Today we’ll take a look at the best content marketing companies in the industry to help you answer those questions and more.
Agency
Best For
Ideal For
Notable Clients
Standout Approach
NP Digital
Immediate and consistent revenue growth
Broad (B2B, e-commerce, SaaS, finance)
CNN, Adobe, Western Union, SoFi
Revenue-focused content with technical SEO built into every campaign from the start
Seer Interactive
Big data search and content
Competitive industries like finance, banking, and mortgages
Asos, Intuit, SendGrid, Terminix
12,000GB proprietary data warehouse surfaces hidden customer trends competitors can’t see
Brainlabs
Technical SEO
Not specified
Formula 1, Estée Lauder, Capital One, Polaroid
Built on a team of mathematicians, scientists, and programmers driving data-backed automation and testing
Fractl
In-depth, research-heavy content
Research-intensive industries
Porch, Fanatics, Superdrug, Healthline
Research published in Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and the NYT, with a dedicated client growth division
Entrepreneurial approach to flipping underperforming businesses through aggressive conversion optimization
The Content Bureau
B2B content marketing
Technology, venture capital, and financial sectors; global corporations
American Express, PayPal, Microsoft, Cisco
Woman-owned agency with 80 percent of staff at 10+ years tenure, offering premium, high-attention client service
Webprofits
Growing challenger brands
E-commerce, consumer, and retail brands scaling fast
Logitech, Philips, Nespresso, HP
“Fluid marketing” methodology blends digital strategy and performance marketing to find hidden growth opportunities
Siege Media
Scalable SEO content
Fortune 500 companies down to small startups
Zillow, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Asana
Passive link generation through content, backed by a proprietary link management tool maintained monthly
Directive
Performance marketing for tech companies
Tech companies of all sizes
Amazon, Bill.com, Matillion, SentinelOne
Generated $10B+ in client revenue by acting as an embedded extension of in-house marketing teams
1. NP Digital – Best for Immediate and Consistent Revenue Growth
NP Digital is my content marketing company. We created NP Digital in 2017 to serve the millions of people who needed help with their content marketing to grow revenue.
Rankings are important, but many marketers still focus obsessively on keywords and content that doesn’t lead to revenue. I’ve always focused on helping readers build a business that generates traffic, leads, and, most importantly, revenue. So we have a big focus on developing high-quality content that ranks high and converts visitors into customers by aligning with user intent.
Today, we’re one of the top content marketing brands in the business. a powerhouse global agency with one of the top 100 blog destinations in the world.
Another thing that’s different about NP Digital is the fact that we incorporate technical SEO into our content marketing planning. SEO — technical, on-page, off-page, local, etc.— it’s always a package deal with content marketing. Our status as one of the top SEO agencies means you get the best of both worlds.
We stay on top of Google’s updates and algorithms and adjust our strategies accordingly. This means the content we create for our clients automatically performs well with Google. here’s no extra work required.
NP Digital is my way of helping everyone achieve the revenue and growth they deserve in their business.
2. Seer Interactive – Best for Big Data Search and Content
Wil Reynolds founded Seer Interactive, which got its start as a search engine optimization company. What makes Seer one of the best content marketing companies on our list is its focus and emphasis on big data.
Using a combination of in-house and third-party tools, they’ve built a massive data warehouse with almost 12,000 gigabytes of data they can analyze to identify new, hidden, and unexpected customer trends.
If you’re in a competitive or cutthroat industry (e.g., finance, banking, or mortgages), this data is what you need to stay ahead of your competitors.
With Seer Interactive, their approach is SEO-heavy. That should be an important priority for every company, whether you’re big or small, but not every company is ready for Big Data.
Brainlabs was founded by Daniel Gilbert in 2012. Understanding that marketing was becoming all about data, he took the unusual tactic of hiring mathematicians, scientists and programmers to support automation and data-driven insights.
His approach paid off: Since 2020, the agency has expanded its services by acquiring other marketing companies, including the SEO-focused Distilled, a leader in the space.
Today Brainlabs is known as one of the top content marketing agencies for technical SEO and helping companies evolve in an increasingly competitive SEO landscape. They are constantly experimenting and testing to improve conversion rates.
4. Fractl – Best for In-Depth, Research-Heavy Content
Fractl is a research-heavy, data-driven content marketing company. They’re focused on rapid, organic growth that’s driven by content marketing, data journalism, digital PR, and search engine optimization.
Research makes Fractl unique.
They’re always researching industry-related topics, and they share their understanding of the art and science behind newsworthy content. They share their research in top publications, leading market resources, scientific journals, and authoritative conferences around the world.
Their research has been published in MarketingProfs, TNW, The Economist, Time, the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, Pub Con, and many other publications and journals.
If you’re in a research-heavy industry and you’re looking for a high-growth content marketing company, Fractl is a good choice. Aside from being one of the best content marketing brands, they’re one of the few companies that have a division dedicated to client growth.
5. Column Five – Best for Data and Content Visualization
Column Five describes itself as a creative content agency. They’re primarily focused on the visual side of content marketing — storytelling, design, data visualization, video, interactive motion graphics, even exhibition design.
They are most known for their “child of the 90s” viral video on behalf of Internet Explorer, which launched their reputation as one of the best content marketing brands out there.
As a content creation company, Column Five is focused primarily on content strategy, content creation, and content distribution. They rely on a simultaneous mix of organic and paid distribution channels to draw attention to client content.
The company mantra is “the best story wins,” showing their commitment to developing great content that delivers big results. It specializes in content that is “inherently newsworthy,” making it more likely to get traffic, links, and media attention.
6. Single Grain – Best for Conversion-Driven Content Marketing
In 2014, entrepreneur and leading marketing expert Eric Siu made a big gamble. He bought a failing SEO agency for less than the cost of a cappuccino — $2. This wasn’t the first time he’d made a seemingly risky bet — in the past he led the growth strategy for an online education company when it had just a few months of cash left in the bank.
“A month into it, the CEO pulls me aside,” Siu recalls, “and he’s like, ‘Eric, you know, 48 people, their families, they’re riding on your shoulders right now, and if you can’t hit numbers in the next month, we’re gonna have to let you go.’”
Did I mention he was just 25 years old at the time?
Eric leveraged his marketing know-how and entrepreneurial outlook to turn Single Grain around and take it to where it is today: solidly among the ranks of the best content marketing brands out there.
Eric Siu and the Single Grain team can do for your business what they do best: turn it around. They know how to turn a faltering business into a successful one with an approach of optimizing for conversions and focusing on rapid growth.
7. The Content Bureau – Best for B2B Content Marketing
The Content Bureau bills itself as a premier B2B content marketing company. This agency is woman-owned, 100 percent virtual, and their team is 90 percent female, of which a third are women of color. The Content Bureau focuses its attention on the technology, venture capital, and financial sectors, working almost exclusively with global corporations that rely on them year-round.
Many of their clients are long-term, stable clients who prefer their premium approach, exclusive attention, and veteran workforce; 80 percent of their team have been with The Content Bureau for 10+ years.
As an organization, they give their clients lots of handholding; they’re open and transparent with each of their clients, and they deliver amazing service with their extraordinary content.
Webprofits is the content marketing and advertising company that was co-founded by Sujan Patel and Alex Cleanthous. Their company focuses on challenger brands in the e-commerce, consumer, and retail space that want to grow their business fast. They’ve refined their process based on real-life, in-the-trenches experience.
In fact, Patel doesn’t think of Web Profits as an agency. He calls it a marketing “hit squad,” a team of specialists who understand your business inside and out.
What makes Web Profits one of the top content marketing companies? They use a unique “fluid marketing” approach, which combines digital strategy with performance marketing. This enables its team of experts to identify hidden correlations and connections that can point to exciting opportunities for content marketing.
This makes the Web Profits team uniquely qualified to serve challenger brands that want to make a big impact.
Siege Media prides itself on taking a “scientific approach” to scaling SEO-focused content. The agency works with a wide range of companies, from established Fortune 500 businesses to small startups.
The focus of the business is on link-building. Siege Media creates content that serves as passive link generators, a tactic they say is more effective than manual outreach. Their formula results in high-impact content that produces instant results—and it’s a cost-efficient tactic, too.
Siege’s superpower is a proprietary solution for link management. Siege maintains the tool for its clients on a monthly basis, ensuring that websites are always aligned with overall goals and updates.
This commitment to innovation and leveraging technology for content marketing makes Siege one of the best content marketing companies for the future.
10. Directive – Best for Performance Marketing for Tech Companies
CEO Garrett Mehrguth founded Directive when he was just 21, focusing on SEO. Today it works with some of the world’s most prominent tech companies, helping them become more discoverable in a dynamic and often challenging industry. Since its founding, it’s generated more than $10 billion in revenue.
The agency uses a unique data-driven methodology to generate quality leads organically across the marketing funnel. The team prefers to act as a partner rather than a vendor, serving as an extension of its clients’ in-house marketing teams.
4 Characteristics that Make a Great Content Marketing Company
A good content marketing company will have no problem demonstrating that they have the expertise and the resources they need to make your campaign a success. These are some qualities to expect in a high-quality content marketing agency.
1: A Stable Team of Content Creators
Content mills produce poorly written filler content that’s mainly written for search engines. Not only is that a short-sighted approach, but Google’s algorithm is more likely to ding sites that use it—especially now that it is incorporating AI.
The best content marketing companies have a roster of regular and consistent writers on their team. Stable writers are skilled at writing, grammar, logical consistency, and storytelling. These writers can draw your readers in, creating content that moves people towards a specific goal or objective that you have in mind.
These writers don’t need a lot of babysitting, and they’re able to figure things out, to a certain extent, on their own. They’re dependable, and they’re able to match your brand voice.
When you contact a content marketing company, you’ll want to ask them questions about how they run their business.
How many writers do you have on staff?
Are they freelance or W-2? Do you use a mix of both?
How many of your writers are full-time? Part-time?
How do you manage your team of writers?
How many years of experience does the average writer on your team have?
When you ask companies these questions, listen to their answers carefully. Look for any inconsistencies or red flags. If you spot any, bring them up immediately and ask for an answer.
2: Access to Publishers and Influencers
According to Derek Halpern, founder of Social Triggers, you should be spending 20 percent of your time on content creation and 80 percent of your time on content promotion. The content marketing companies you work with are no different. If you’re investing a significant amount of time and money in creating an amazing piece of content, you should be spending 4x as much time on promotion to make sure your target audience sees it.
When you’re working with a content marketing company, they should already have a list of influencers and publishers in their address book. They should also have strong connections and relationships with the right people, so they’re reasonably sure they can drive traffic to your content.
3: Specialized Knowledge About Your Industry
In an ideal world, your content marketing provider has a significant amount of experience in your space, or the ability to connect with experts who do. At a minimum, you’ll want to ensure that the content marketing company you choose can write credibly about the topics that are relevant to your business.
The more specialized the content, the more important these criteria are for your business.
Industries like healthcare, engineering, or finance require large amounts of specialized experience. It’s unrealistic to expect an inexperienced company to write credibly about a highly technical topic.
Specialization requires specialists. The more technical your business, the more important it is to hire a content marketing company with experience and expertise in your field.
4: Content Analysis and Measurement
When you’re investing in the services of a content marketing company, you’ll want to see the numbers. The agency should be able to provide you with a detailed breakdown that includes data outlining your performance as well as the KPIs, metrics, and sentiment surrounding your content.
This information should give you the answers to the following questions:
Does this content move us closer to our campaign goals?
Does this piece of content (e.g., blog post, whitepaper, e-book, infographic) lead to enough conversions?
How far are people reading into your content?
Where in our flywheel are we losing customers?
What do we need to change/optimize to improve our conversion rates?
Which content marketing opportunities are we missing, and where?
Creating content isn’t enough. The content marketing company you choose should provide you with the actionable data you need and a comprehensive strategy to create profitable content for your business.
What To Expect From a Great Content Marketing Company
Top content marketing agencies are able to get you up to speed on their processes and provide you with a consistent and comprehensive set of deliverables. These deliverables ensure that your content marketing campaigns stay on track and that you’re able to achieve the consistent results you need.
To do this, your content marketing provider should provide you with onboarding guidance and specific deliverables throughout the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch phases of your campaign. These should include:
Content samples demonstrating your knowledge and expertise
The information and materials (e.g., credentials, existing content) they need from you to get started
A statement of work and a list of deliverables (e.g., 14 2,500-word articles each month, edits included)
Their process (if they’re not working with you and yours)
Projected campaign milestones, timelines, and calendars
Your point-of-contact, including their name, and contact information
Hours of availability
The best way to communicate (e.g., Slack, email, phone, chat, or text)
Expectations from you
Their process, policies, and procedures
Analysis and reports, including business goals, objectives, KPIs, metrics, strategy, tactics, and risks
Content audits
Consistent updates on your campaign performance
Regular (weekly or monthly) calls to discuss performance
Consistently updated due dates and delivery timelines
Monthly debrief to discuss successes and failures
Here are some additional details you should also expect from your content marketing providers:
Good boundaries (including the ability to say no)
Prompt and clear feedback
Accurate information on various parts of your campaign, including financial, campaign, and performance data
The best content marketing companies ask a lot of questions. They make sure to provide you with the upfront information you need to vet their company and make an informed decision. Once you’ve decided to move forward, they ask you for all of the information and materials they’ll need to produce the results you want.
FAQs
What makes good content marketing?
Good content marketing is different for every business, but in general, it involves creating well-written content that provides valuable information for your target market. It also draws in qualified leads and converts them into customers at a rate that justifies your investment.
How do you track content marketing results?
Tracking content marketing results involves setting clear goals, identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, inquiries, and conversion rates to use as metrics, and monitoring the results. Most content marketing agencies use analytics tools to track and measure results.
How do you optimize for content marketing?
Optimizing for content marketing involves several steps. First, research who your target audience is and their needs. This will guide you toward topics for content development that can answer their questions and provide valuable information. Incorporate SEO to ensure your content ranks high on search engine results pages and brings in organic traffic. Finally, analyze the results to refine content topics, formats, and overall strategy.
Which content marketing agency is best for B2B companies?
B2B companies should look for agencies that focus on long-form content, SEO, and lead generation. The best partners understand how to create content that nurtures prospects over time, not just drives traffic. Agencies with strong experience in SaaS or professional services tend to perform best here.
Which content marketing company is best for small businesses?
Small businesses need agencies that balance quality with cost. Look for teams that offer flexible packages or project-based work instead of large retainers. The goal is to get consistent, high-quality content without overcommitting your budget early on.
Which agency is best for SEO-driven content?
You want an agency that combines content creation with keyword research and technical SEO. Firms that focus heavily on search performance will build content designed to rank, not just read well. Check for proven results in organic traffic growth and rankings.
Should you hire a specialized content agency or a full-service marketing agency?
Specialized agencies go deeper into content strategy and production. Full-service agencies connect content to SEO, paid media, and conversion optimization, which can drive better overall results. If content is your main bottleneck, go specialized. If growth is the goal, full-service often wins.
How do you choose the right content marketing agency?
Start with their results. Look for case studies showing traffic growth, lead generation, or revenue impact. Then review their content quality and process. The best agencies have a clear system for research, creation, and optimization.
Conclusion
Content marketing produces more leads and revenue than traditional marketing methods. If you’re looking for a good content marketing company to help you get started, it can be tough. Use this list to identify the companies that are a good fit for your business.
With this post, you should have a pretty good idea of the questions to ask, what to expect, and how to select the right content marketing provider.
Invest the right amount of effort with the right company, and your content marketing will grow faster than you expect. It’s tough in the beginning, but it will take effort, push through, and keep creating really helpful content, even if it’s hard.
You’ll see consistent revenue growth once customers realize that you’re serious about helping them solve their problems. Content marketing is the best way to show them that you understand, and you can help. With this said, combining with other disciplines is the best way to unlock your content’s true potential. Check out my lists of the best CRO agencies and top social media agencies for more information.
The best feature of HowSociable is the ability to see, at a glance, how you’re doing on each social network.
The visual interface for the free version shows mentions across 12 sites, including Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Reddit, WordPress, Blogger, and Foursquare.
With a premium account, you’ll be able to view up to 36 platforms.
You’re given a score based on several metrics, and you can check out competitors, too!
I’m clearly lagging most in my Google Plus, LinkedIn, and YouTube accounts. Now I know where to dedicate my resources.
If you need a big-picture social scoreboard, look no further than HowSociable.
7. Klout
Klout is another platform that provides a simple score to show your social media reach.
It also shows what subjects you’re influential in.
Simply log in and connect your X, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress, Blogger, and YouTube accounts.
You’ll then be presented with cross-channel measurements of your reach and engagement.
Brands also use Klout to connect to micro-influencers and to schedule social posts.
It’s not the final word in your social reach, but it’s a great barometer.
8. TweetReach
TweetReach is another X-exclusive tool that’s useful for finding out more about your followers and brand mentions.
Check out how my username, @NeilPatel, stacks up.
I reach 481,939 people, nearly twice my actual follower count.
This is useful information to determine how influential your followers are.
You can use this data to guide your influencer programs and to determine who to follow.
It’s a great tool to scout the competition, as well.
9. Crowdfire
Crowdfire is a powerful tool for growing your X and Instagram followings.
Whether online through the web app or on a mobile device, you can analyze your accounts and engage in real time.
Learn what your friends talk about, blacklist or whitelist followers, automate posts, and more.
This robust tool has a simple UI and can be used as your go-to social media reader.
On top of these features, it helps you share relevant content as you browse the web. It even provides suggestions.
Crowdfire is like having your own social media assistant.
10. SocialPilot.co
SocialPilot rivals Hootsuite and Buffer as one of the top social media automation tools around.
The free version lets you connect up to 5 social media profiles. From each of these, you can post up to 10 times per day.
Using one app to post while you’re on the go frees up a lot of space on your mobile device.
Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr are supported.
You can also access Pages and Groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ — a feature that Hootsuite lacks.
The app team is great about fixing bugs and engaging with the community across social media and the app stores.
Great support makes for a better user experience.
11. Buffer
There are a ton of debates online that compare Buffer versus Hootsuite, and I prefer Buffer simply for its ability to schedule Instagram posts.
It’s also as good as SocialPilot at accessing Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ Pages and Groups.
These BI dashboards can track your reach across social networks. It even mines data from Klout.
This team can scrape all your social data and provide valuable insights into how to become a better marketer.
Whether you’re a social marketer, content marketer, or full-service digital agency, Simply Measured takes your analytics further.
Understand facts about the ages, locations, genders, and more about your followers.
Learn the time of day and day of the week when your posts perform best.
Simply Measured is worth the price, although the cost varies.
2. Mention
If you’re hoping to scale your social efforts to an entire team, Mention is a great place to start.
This simple UI monitors brand mentions across the web and social media, providing a ton of personalized insights.
What I love most about Mention are the real-time alerts.
You can use Google Alerts to a certain extent, but they’re often way behind Mention.
I’ll typically find a mention of myself before my Google Alerts do.
Mention beats me to the punch every time. The plans start at $29 per month.
3. Klear.com
Klear is an influencer marketing dashboard that lets you search for and connect with influencers.
You can also use it to see how you rank as an influencer against your followers.
For example, let’s search cycling.
Here we can find the most influential people who are discussing cycling in any country we want to target.
We can also check related keywords like biking, bikes, and cyclists.
From there, we can connect with these influencers and partner with them to promote our brand.
Cool, right?
The cost varies by the number of influencers you want to target.
4. Sentiment
Sentiment metrics help you analyze social performance across channels.
You’ll understand how customers engage with your brand, and you can even publish directly from the dashboard.
Plans start at $250 per month, and this site gives you all the tools necessary to manage a team of 10 social media analysts.
Built-in CRM, SLA, and scheduling tools make Sentiment a valuable asset for marketing agencies.
Even an in-house social marketing team could use it. Sentiment gives managers a way to quantify social media efforts and ROI.
5. ZoomSphere
ZoomSphere has a great graphical interface that reminds me of an amped-up WordPress dashboard.
Color-coded projects, channels, and modules can be created to manage your social efforts within a drag-and-drop interface.
At $400 a month, it’s not cheap, but it’s one of the best social media management tools on the market.
This one-price-fits-all model is great for businesses that overuse other social platforms and end up paying enterprise premiums.
Set up reports, access online and phone customer service, and gain valuable insight into your cross-platform digital marketing efforts.
6. Meltwater
Formerly IceRocket, a free, real-time social search engine, Meltwater provides powerful analytics and insights.
Companies like Johnny Rockets, LogMeIn, and the University of Michigan use it to great success.
Plans are priced according to your specific needs and cover a wide array of social analytics and tracking services.
Real-time analytics are sorted into colorful graphs and charts that make it easy to see exactly where your brand stands online.
You can also view your live feed and interact across social channels in one place.
Meltwater will explain at a glance who’s talking about you, where they’re mentioning you, and how they feel about you.
7. Webhose.io
The Webhose.io API scrapes data feeds all across the web and social media.
If you’re mentioned anywhere from major media to a tiny blog or even a Tweet, Webhose will find it.
This data analytics company is basically selling all the data you can eat!
Hook up a hose and grab as much as you can afford to find the most up-to-date information about any topic.
You may remember Webhose when it was known as Omgili (Oh My God I Love It!).
It was almost as good an Internet portal as Google itself.
Now it’s a paid service that you can use to make sense of data feeds around the Internet.
Don’t underestimate it because your competitors are likely using this type of data already.
FAQs
Which social media tool is best for small teams?
Buffer and Later are strong options for small teams. They’re easy to use, affordable, and focus on scheduling and basic analytics without overwhelming you. If you need more collaboration features, Hootsuite is a step up.
Which social media tool offers the best value?
Buffer gives solid value if you mainly need scheduling. Hootsuite and Sprout Social cost more, but they bundle scheduling, analytics, and engagement tools into one platform. The best value comes down to how many features you’ll actually use.
How many social media tools should a content team use?
Most teams only need two to three tools. One for scheduling (like Buffer or Later), one for analytics or management (like Sprout Social or Hootsuite), and optionally a listening or design tool. More than that usually creates friction.
Should you use an all-in-one tool like Hootsuite or separate tools like Buffer and Later?
All-in-one tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social work well if you want everything in one place. Separate tools like Buffer and Later are better if you want simplicity or lower costs. Start simple, then upgrade if your needs grow.
What features matter most when choosing a social media tool?
Look at scheduling, analytics, and ease of use first. Tools like Sprout Social and Hootsuite stand out for reporting and team features, while Buffer and Later excel at straightforward scheduling. Pick based on how your team actually works.
Conclusion
Social media is one of the biggest channels for marketing in 2017 and beyond.
Everyone’s on social media, and brands are rushing to reach consumers where they congregate online.
Unfortunately, it can be a difficult task to stay active on so many social feeds.
Digital marketing agencies don’t have it any easier.
An analyst working at an agency could be in charge of dozens of Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn feeds at any given moment, and need to have the best social media content for each channel.
Keeping track of everything is difficult without the right tools.
I showed you my favorite social media tools. Now show me yours. If you need help choosing a social media agency, my team can help with that too.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00Dubado Solutionshttp://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.pngDubado Solutions2026-04-26 03:23:002026-04-26 03:23:00Best Social Media Management Tools for 2026
SEO fundamentals don’t require a lot of technical expertise. Even beginners can get results by starting with keyword research, then building content quality and site structure around what they find.
Strong SEO and AI visibility are built on the same principles. Authoritative content and a clear site structure help you rank in traditional search and get cited in AI-generated answers.
User experience directly affects SEO. Page speed, mobile optimization, and easy navigation are confirmed Google ranking factors.
Links from high-authority sites signal trust to search engines and AI systems alike. Quality always beats quantity when building your backlink profile.
Search engine optimization (SEO) remains one of the most reliable ways to drive consistent, targeted traffic to your site.
That hasn’t changed.
What has changed, though, is the environment in which it operates.
The difference now is that strong SEO doesn’t just help you rank on Google. It positions your content to be cited by the AI systems that increasingly shape what users see first.
This guide covers the SEO basics you need to build a foundation that holds up in both traditional and AI-driven search. If you’re new to SEO or tightening up an existing strategy, this is the right place to start.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s how you get your website to show up when people search for what you offer.
More specifically, it’s the process of improving your site’s performance, authority, and structure to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), including the AI Overviews (AIOs) that now sit at the top of many results pages.
Google gets more than 80 billion visits every month. That’s a lot of potential customers, but modern digital marketers have to consider more than Google alone.
Social SEO’s potential to reach new customers is off the charts, too. Nearly half of consumers use TikTok as a search engine, and more and more people (Gen Zers, in particular) use social platforms like YouTube and Instagram to find content that answers their questions.
Visibility on those platforms (and in AI systems) follows many of the same principles of traditional SEO: authoritative content, clear structure, and direct relevance to what people are actually asking.
The same is true for AI systems. Well-structured, credible content is what earns citations in AI Overviews and social search alike.
Why Is SEO Important?
AI taking up more SERP real estate doesn’t change the fundamentals of your marketing strategy.
The best way to reach and convert your target audience is to focus on the keywords they’re most likely to search for and the intent behind those searches. Those fundamentals hold true across both traditional blue links and AI-generated answers citing your content.
According to seoClarity’s analysis of 432,000 keywords, 97 percent of AI Overviews cite at least one source from the top 20 organic results, proving ranking well is a reliable path to AI visibility.
If that tells us anything, it’s that ranking well in traditional search and earning visibility in AI-generated answers are built on the same foundation.
Strong SEO basics build the infrastructure that AI systems draw on when deciding what to cite.
Nail the basics, and you’re not just competing for blue links. You’re competing for the answer, too.
Setting Yourself Up for SEO Success
Before getting into the SEO basics, make sure you have the right foundations in place.
Your domain name matters more than people think. Something straightforward and related to your business will perform better in search. A .com extension is the gold standard, but .net and .co are solid alternatives.
Your hosting platform is equally important. Choose one that prioritizes security and facilitates fast page loading. Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor, and a slow site hurts both your rankings and your users.
A logical site structure helps search engines find and index your pages. It also helps visitors quickly and intuitively navigate to whatever they’re looking for.
You’ll notice Kim’s Restaurant (above) as an example.
The homepage branches into four main category pages: Menu, Locations, Catering, and About. Only one of those categories (Locations) goes a level deeper, with a dedicated page for each neighborhood. Every page has a clear parent, and the structure mirrors how a real user would navigate the site.
None of this needs to be perfect on day one. Jonathan Hoffer, SEO Manager at NP Digital, puts it well:
“Often, when starting an SEO program, perfection is the enemy of starting. Zeroing in on your audience and what they’re searching for can help. The path to the top of the SERPs begins with a single article being published.”
Common SEO Myths
Before going further, it’s worth clearing up a few common SEO misconceptions that tend to trip people up:
SEO produces instant results. It doesn’t. Most strategies take three to six months before you see meaningful movement in rankings.
More keywords mean better rankings.Keyword stuffing actually hurts your rankings. Google rewards relevance and context, not repetition.
You only need to do SEO once. Search is a moving target. Algorithms are always being updated, and competitors are constantly adapting their strategies.
AI has made SEO obsolete. As we covered above, strong SEO is still the most reliable path to both organic and AI visibility.
SEO Subtypes
SEO breaks down into several subtypes. Depending on your target audience and your goals, certain types of SEO will matter more than others. Here’s a quick breakdown:
On-page SEO optimizes the content and HTML elements on individual pages, including keywords, title tags, meta descriptions, and headings. These are foundational elements in ranking for the right queries.
Off-page SEO builds your site’s authority through external signals, primarily backlinks from credible websites. More trust from other sites means more trust from search engines.
Technical SEO optimizes your site’s infrastructure so search engines can crawl and index your content correctly. This covers site speed, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, and structured data.
Local SEO improves your visibility in location-based searches. It’s critical for brick-and-mortar businesses and service providers targeting customers in specific areas.
International SEO optimizes for audiences in different countries and languages. It’s particularly relevant for brands looking to grow beyond their domestic market.
Social SEO optimizes your presence on social platforms like TikTok and YouTube, which increasingly function as search engines in their own right.
SEO, GEO, and LLMO
AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode have sparked the creation of two more SEO subtypes: generative engine optimization (GEO) and large language model optimization (LLMO).
GEO focuses on structuring your content so generative AI systems pull from it when composing answers.
LLMO goes a step further, optimizing your brand’s presence across the large language models that power those systems.
The underlying principles closely mirror conventional SEO. Traditional ranking signals like strong E-E-A-T and clean site structure carry weight in GEO and LLMO, just as they do in traditional search.
SEO Basics #1: Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of identifying the specific words and phrases people use when looking for information on search engines.
For example, a vegan restaurant could use keywords like “vegan restaurant near me” and “best vegan burgers” in its website copy and blog posts to help it rank on the first page of Google.
Good keyword research can reveal:
How many people are searching for a specific keyword or phrase.
The search intent behind those queries. Are people looking for information, or are they ready to buy?
How relevant a keyword is for your target audience and content.
How competitive a keyword is based on what other sites are ranking for it.
Long-tail keywords that surface your audience’s pain points and suggest content topics.
Start by brainstorming relevant topics for your business, then run them through a keyword research tool like Ubersuggest or Semrush. Use what you find to shape your content strategy.
Here’s a look at the keyword opportunities our friends at the vegan burger restaurant might have:
Also, remember that search results are always changing. Be sure to revisit your strategy regularly as algorithms and competitors evolve.
Quick Tips for Keyword Research
Brainstorm seed keywords. Start with basic terms relevant to your business and industry, and use those as the foundation for deeper research.
Understand your audience. Identify the exact words and phrases potential customers type when searching for your product or service.
Target long-tail keywords. More specific phrases people use when they’re closer to a buying decision tend to have less competition and higher conversion rates.
Explore related keywords. Identifying terms closely related to your primary keywords helps you avoid keyword cannibalization.
Consider search intent. There are four types: informational (question-based queries), navigational (website- or webpage-specific queries), transactional (product or service queries), and commercial (research-based queries featuring words like “best” or “review”).
SEO Basics #2: Create Effective, Optimized Content
Good content is fundamental to SEO.
Useful content, from articles and infographics to videos and e-books, earns links from other websites. Prospective customers will also see you as a reliable, credible source of information.
Here’s what my colleague Matthew Santos, Chief Product Officer at NP Accel, has to say about content marketing:
“Over the past 20 years, we have seen so many new features come out from Google that have caused SEOs to adopt new tactics, but one constant we have never seen Google move away from is the importance of high-quality content. As we have continued to double down on high-quality content, we have seen thousands of customers over the last five years survive every single one of the major core algorithm updates.”
Regularly creating informative, relevant, and optimized content is one of the primary ways to grow your organic presence. It’s not a guarantee, but it stacks the deck in your favor alongside other SEO best practices.
Add your keywords where they feel natural and relevant. Stuffing keywords into your copy can make it unreadable and much less effective, causing your pages to drop in the rankings.
It also helps to add a key takeaways section at the top and an FAQ section at the bottom of your blogs. Both improve readability for human visitors and make your content significantly easier for LLMs to parse and cite.
Brainstorm content ideas based on audience needs. Use your target keywords to generate topics. A plumbing business targeting “how do I fix a sink” could turn that into an article explaining why hiring a professional is better than DIY.
Write clearly and concisely. Provide helpful information and cut the fluff. Use headings, bullet points, and formatting to improve readability and make content skimmable.
Implement E-E-A-T. Write well-researched and accurate content supported by expert quotes. Cite your sources, and build author bio pages that showcase each contributor’s credentials, demonstrating their status as subject-matter experts (SMEs).
Incorporate relevant keywords. Include your target keywords to optimize content for SEO, but always prioritize natural, readable prose over keyword density.
Use proprietary data. First-party statistics and unique insights give AI systems and readers something they can’t find anywhere else.
Try different content formats. Different formats serve different purposes. Infographics, for example, work well for data and case studies build authority, while blog posts drive ongoing organic traffic.
Repurpose and refresh old content. Repurposing your old content is one of the best ways to get the most value from it. For example, long-form content could be compiled into an e-book or published as a newsletter series. Updating dated references, stats, and facts keeps older posts relevant and valuable over time.
SEO Basics #3: Optimize Your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Title tags and meta descriptions tell search engines what your site is about, helping them match your pages to the right search queries.
Optimizing them drives more traffic to your site and gives searchers a clearer picture of what you offer. They also directly influence your click-through rate, the percentage of users who see your listing in a SERP and decide to click it.
Title tags signal to visitors what they can expect to read. They should spark curiosity and encourage your audience to go deeper into your content.
Think of meta descriptions as a quick sales pitch. They’re your chance to attract and engage your audience right from the search results page, before they ever reach your site.
Urtopia’s meta description above tells e-bike shoppers exactly what they’ll find before they click. It provides a clear signal that pulls in the right audience and filters out the wrong one.
Quick Tips for Crafting Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Include relevant keywords. Keywords in title tags and meta descriptions boost your content’s visibility in search results, just as they do in body copy.
Place keywords close to the beginning. Search engines prioritize the most relevant content. Front-loading your keywords sends a clear signal about what the page covers.
Keep them focused and concise. Aim for 150–160 characters in a meta description that conveys the main benefit or unique selling proposition.
Use action-oriented language. Words like “now” and “today” create urgency, while action verbs like “discover” and “learn” can draw readers in.
Test variations. Try different keywords and sentence constructions to see which drives the highest click-through rates.
SEO Basics #4: Focus on User Experience (UX)
User experience (UX) refers to how easily people can use your website and find what they need. It’s one of the most overlooked areas of basic SEO for a website, as it’s consequential for rankings.
A user comes to your site to find a product or information. Your design and visuals can add real value, but they can’t compensate for a slow, confusing, or inaccessible site.
Google knows this.
Page speed and mobile-friendliness are confirmed ranking factors, and ease of navigation sends strong signals about usability, too. A site that frustrates users sends negative signals to search engines, while one that keeps visitors engaged sends positive ones.
According to Google, 53 percent of mobile users will abandon a site that takes longer than three seconds to load, confirming that mobile-friendliness and page speed are non-negotiable UX factors.
A positive user experience keeps visitors on your site longer and encourages them to explore multiple pages. Engaged visitors are also more likely to sign up for a newsletter or download a resource, leaving behind the engagement signals that tell search engines your site is useful.
Quick Tips for Improving UX
Increase site speed. Page speed is one of the most important ranking factors. Compressing images and removing unused plugins or third-party widgets can meaningfully improve load times.
Simplify navigation. Your main menu should be logical and easy to understand. Use submenus or drop-down menus to organize additional pages rather than overwhelming visitors with too many options at once.
Reduce clutter. Too many ads and pop-ups are distracting, particularly on mobile devices.
Provide clear calls to action. Don’t make visitors hunt for a way to schedule an appointment or view a demo. Most won’t stick around long enough to find it.
Make your website accessible. An accessible website means everyone can use it and keeps you compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
SEO Basics #5: Prioritize Mobile Experience
Mobile devices now account for more than 62 percent of global website traffic, and that number keeps climbing. Catering to mobile users is a must if you want your content to rank.
Google uses a mobile-first approach to indexing, meaning it crawls the mobile version of your website to understand and rank your pages.
A mobile-responsive website is essential. That means designing and coding your site so it automatically adjusts based on the device being used.
One of the best ways to test your mobile performance is Google’s Lighthouse tool for Chrome. It generates a detailed report like the one below, and tells you exactly what to fix.
Quick Tips for Improving Mobile Experience
Design for touch interaction. Larger buttons and clickable elements make it significantly easier to navigate on a small screen.
Keep content concise and scannable. Users reading on phones move fast. Short paragraphs, clear headings, and bullet points help them find what they need quickly.
Streamline forms and checkout processes. Minimize the number of fields and make error messages clear and easy to see on a small screen.
Optimize images for mobile. Large, uncompressed images are among the most common culprits of slow mobile load times. Compress them and use responsive image sizing.
Test across devices. Your site may look fine on one phone and break on another. Regular cross-device testing catches issues before your users do.
SEO Basics #6: Build Links
Backlinks from high-authority, relevant sites send a trust signal to Google. It’s like having somebody vouch for you. The more credible sites that link to yours, the more likely you are to rank well in the SERPs.
For example, here’s the Ubersuggest backlinks report for my own site. I’ve got a strong spread of backlinks across a range of sites, which signals to search engines that my website is a reliable and trustworthy source of information.
AI systems like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT increasingly favor sources with strong third-party credibility. Brand mentions and citations across the web all signal that your content is worth referencing.
Quick Tips for Building Links
Create valuable, educational resources. Original research, comprehensive guides, and data-driven content are the types of assets other sites naturally want to reference and link to.
Fix broken links. Use tools like Ubersuggest’s Site Audit feature to identify broken links on high-authority sites in your niche, then reach out and offer your content as a replacement.
Pursue media requests. Platforms like Connectively (formerly HARO) connect you with journalists looking for expert sources. A single mention in a major publication can earn a high-authority backlink and boost your AI visibility at the same time.
Run a competitive analysis. Identify which sites are linking to your competitors but not to you. Those are warm prospects. If your content is stronger, you have a compelling reason to reach out.
SEO Basics #7: Don’t Neglect Technical SEO
Good content won’t perform if your site has technical issues preventing search engines from finding and understanding it.
Technical SEO is the foundation that makes everything else work.
Without it, even your best content may never get indexed or ranked. Addressing the technical side of your site makes sure search engines can interpret your content and serve it to the right audience.
Tips for Improving Technical SEO
Optimize your site structure. Create a logical, hierarchical structure for your website. This helps both users and search engines navigate easily.
Improve site speed. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix issues slowing your site down. Compressing images and leveraging browser caching are good starting points.
Implement SSL. Secure your site with HTTPS. It protects user data and is a confirmed Google ranking factor.
Create and submit a sitemap. Generate an XML sitemap and submit it through Google Search Console. This helps search engines discover and index your pages more efficiently.
Fix broken links. Regularly check for and repair broken links. Tools like Ubersuggest or Screaming Frog can help identify them quickly.
Manage duplicate content. Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page when similar content exists across multiple URLs.
Optimize your robots.txt file. Make sure to configure your robots.txt file correctly to guide crawlers on which parts of your site to index and which to ignore.
Monitor crawl errors. Check Google Search Console regularly for crawl errors and address them promptly to keep your important pages indexed.
SEO Basics #8: Measure Your Results
Monitoring your SEO strategy’s performance over time lets you make data-driven decisions to improve it and boost your rankings.
Analyzing SEO metrics helps you spot opportunities to replicate high-performing content and catch technical issues that drag your content down.
It also helps you adjust your strategy to ensure you’re producing relevant, keyword-optimized content that targets the right audience. That’s what leads to higher organic traffic and better business outcomes that demonstrate SEO’s value to stakeholders.
With the rise of AI visibility, measurement now goes beyond rankings and clicks. So, you’ll need to monitor your presence in AI systems, too.
Tools like Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit and Otterly.ai let you track how often your brand is cited across AI-generated answers on platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews.
As AI search continues to grow, brands that measure both traditional SEO performance and AIO or GEO results will have a clearer picture of where they actually stand in search.
Quick Tips for Measuring Results
Define clear key performance indicators (KPIs). Choose the KPIs most relevant to your business that you can act on and improve, including traditional metrics like rankings and CTR, as well as AI visibility signals like citation frequency and share of voice.
Use analytics tools.Good tools to get started include Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Ubersuggest for traditional SEO. For tracking AI visibility, platforms like Ahrefs Brand Radar and Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit are helpful.
Create a regular tracking cadence. Consistent monitoring helps you identify performance changes and uncover new optimization opportunities.
Benchmark your performance. Compare your results against industry standards and competitors to understand where you stand in both traditional search and AI-generated results.
Conduct A/B testing. Test different content variations, keyword approaches, and structural changes to see what performs best across both search and AI platforms.
Act on your results. Tracking your KPIs only matters if you take steps to resolve issues and build on what’s working.
FAQs
What is SEO?
SEO is the process of optimizing your website to increase the chances of it ranking high in search engine results.
It includes a wide range of elements, including keyword research, content creation, backlinks, and mobile responsiveness.
How do I do SEO?
Start by auditing your existing content. Make your pages more readable, add keyword-optimized headings, and create unique title tags and meta descriptions. From there, work through the fundamentals covered in this guide.
What is on-page SEO?
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing the content and HTML elements on individual pages, including keywords, title tags, meta descriptions, and headings, to rank for the right queries.
What is technical SEO?
Technical SEO covers the infrastructure of your site, including speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, and structured data, ensuring search engines can find and index your content correctly.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to appear in location-based searches, which is critical for brick-and-mortar businesses and service providers targeting customers in a specific area.
Conclusion
Modern-day digital marketing is often like trying to fire an arrow at a moving target. Learning the SEO basics makes it much easier to hit the mark, and there’s a lot you can do to boost your rankings, even with limited technical skills.
Start by reviewing your existing content. What can you do to add value to your pages and make it easier for visitors to find what they need?
In today’s SERPs, hitting the mark means more than ranking on page one. It also means producing authoritative, well-structured content that also earns visibility in AI-generated answers.
Think of your audience and the search engines when working on your site. As your strategy matures, explore advanced SEO techniques and study the latest search engine trends to stay ahead of the curve.
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours, and they still matter because they help search engines evaluate how authoritative and trustworthy your site is.
Not all backlinks are equal. A few relevant, high-quality links from authoritative sites are usually more valuable than many weak or spammy ones.
Backlinks support AI visibility because generative engines and language models favor content from authoritative, trustworthy sources, and backlinks are one of the clearest signals of that authority.
Tracking backlinks means monitoring quality and growth. Pay attention to referring domains, anchor text distribution, and link stability over time.
The best way to build backlinks is to earn them through useful content and targeted outreach. You will need to keep refining your approach based on what works.
AI is reshaping search, but one traditional SEO practice has held its ground: backlinks.
A backlink in SEO is a link from another website that points to yours. These mentions across different websites help search engines understand how you fit into the overall picture of your industry, and sites that reference you repeatedly signal authority and trust to Google. That authority also carries weight in AI-driven search experiences, where AI platforms favor content from sources they consider trustworthy.
Backlinks still matter, and the case for them has only grown stronger as AI reshapes how search works.
So, What Exactly Are Backlinks?
A backlink forms when another site links to your page, signaling to search engines that your content is worth referencing. You may also hear them called inbound links or incoming links.
The screenshot below shows what a backlink looks like in practice, with one site linking directly to another as a reference.
Nikki Brandemarte, Senior SEO Strategist and Local SEO Team Lead at NP Digital, explains it well: “Getting backlinks from reputable sources can demonstrate to Google that you have expertise on the topics you cover. I like to think of quality backlinks as a ‘vote of confidence’ that you know what you’re talking about.”
Backlinks help search engines understand which pages other websites find useful and authoritative enough to mention. That same authority can also support visibility in AI search experiences, even if backlinks are not the main ranking factor there.
I’ll go into what makes a “good” and “bad” backlink later in this article. For now, the key thing to know is that backlinks are one of the clearest ways authority gets passed around the web.
Backlink Examples/Types
Dofollow backlinks are the standard links most site owners want. They allow search engine bots to crawl and index your site, passing authority signals that typically have the biggest SEO impact. These are the links worth prioritizing in your outreach and content efforts.
Dofollow HTML example: <a href=”https://example.com/”>anchor text</a>
Nofollow backlinks work differently. They carry a special HTML attribute that tells search engines not to pass authority, but they still drive referral traffic and keep your link profile looking natural. You’ll commonly find them on social media, forums, and sponsored content. Since 2019, Google has treated nofollow links as hints rather than strict directives, meaning some may still carry indirect value.
Nofollow HTML example: <a href=”https://example.com/” rel=”nofollow”>anchor text</a>
A healthy backlink profile includes both. Pursuing only dofollow links can signal to search engines that your links are artificially built rather than earned, which can work against you.
Why Are Backlinks Important For SEO?
Even as search has changed, backlinks still help search engines understand when other websites see your content as worth referencing. Authority and trust still influence rankings, especially for competitive topics.
Backlinks serve as a seal of approval from one site to another. They strengthen your site’s credibility and make it easier for search engines to surface your content in results. They’re also critical for driving targeted, quality traffic to your site. When someone clicks through from a relevant site, they arrive already interested in what you offer.
Backlinks also play a bigger role in the broader visibility ecosystem around search. Strong mentions and links earned through strategies like digital PR can support your presence across traditional and AI search.
Backlinks require ongoing attention, though. They aren’t “set it and forget it” things. A strong backlink profile is built over time and needs regular review. It’s an investment in your site’s long-term success and one of the clearest ways to build durable SEO authority.
Quality beats quantity when it comes to backlinks.
A single backlink from a high-authority, relevant site can do more for your SEO than dozens of low-quality links. High-quality backlinks strengthen your site’s authority and can push your rankings higher in search results.
Going after links without caring about their quality is a recipe for trouble. It’s like inviting a bunch of strangers to your party without checking if they vibe with your crowd. This approach can tarnish your site’s reputation and lower its ranking.
High-quality backlinks share a few common traits:
Relevancy: A link from a site in a related or complementary field helps Google see your link as more valuable.
Domain or page authority: When authoritative sites link to yours, Google assumes your site is more trustworthy as well.
Dofollow links: These pass authority signals to your site and are worth prioritizing in your outreach efforts. That said, a healthy backlink profile includes nofollow links too, since an all-dofollow profile can signal to search engines that you built your links artificially.
Anchor text: Relevant anchor text can provide an even bigger potential boost to rankings.
What counts as a quality backlink can also vary by industry and competition level. In more competitive spaces, you may need stronger, more relevant links to stand out. That’s especially true for ecommerce link building, where product and category pages aren’t naturally linkable and quality links are harder to earn.
Low-quality backlinks typically come from sites unrelated to your niche, sites with questionable content, or known spam sources. Paying for links or accepting them indiscriminately puts your SEO at risk, regardless of how tempting a shortcut it may seem.
Are Backlinks Important For AI?
Backlinks are still important in AI-driven search, though not as a direct ranking factor. Google has confirmed that the same core SEO guidance applies to AI features like AI Overviews and AI Mode, and backlinks are part of that foundation.
Backlinks support visibility across generative engine optimization (GEO), large language model optimization (LLMO), and answer engine optimization (AEO), the three major AI optimization frameworks shaping modern search. In GEO, which focuses on getting your content cited in generative summaries, backlinks signal the depth and authority generative engines favor. In LLMO, which shapes how language models understand and reference your brand, backlinks reinforce the consistent authority signals models rely on. Even AEO, which targets direct answer boxes and featured snippets, stronger backlink profiles help pages earn those placements more easily.
AI platforms tend to surface content from sites they consider authoritative. Semrush analyzed 1,000 unique domains and found a strong positive relationship between authority score, which reflects backlink quality, and how often a domain appears in AI-generated answers. The Pearson correlation of 0.65 and Spearman correlation of 0.57 from the study indicate a strong relationship, meaning sites with stronger backlink profiles show up in AI search results more consistently.
Publishing crawlable, useful content remains the priority, but backlinks across reputable sites reinforce that you are a trusted source worth surfacing.
Microsoft’s guidance on AI search visibility reinforces the same point, noting that traditional SEO fundamentals, including crawlability, backlinks, and content authority, remain central to whether content gets surfaced in AI-generated answers.
The chart below shows how different backlink metrics correlate with AI visibility across 1,000 unique domains. Authority Score, which reflects overall link quality, shows the strongest relationship by a significant margin.
For AI search, backlinks are one signal among many, but they remain a meaningful one.
How to Track Your Backlinks
Tracking your backlinks is just as important as building them. Backlink analysis tools show you which sites link to yours and help you catch problems before they affect your rankings.
Spot any links that could be dragging your rankings down, such as links from spammy or irrelevant sites.
Identify opportunities for higher-quality or more links.
You also want to understand which sites are linking to you, whether those sites are relevant to your niche, what anchor text they’re using, and whether your referring domains are growing over time. My backlink checker surfaces all of this in one place, giving you a clearer picture of whether your backlink profile is getting stronger or just getting bigger.
The tool also makes competitive analysis straightforward. Enter a competitor’s URL and you can see everyone linking to them but not to you, turning that gap into a list of actionable link-building opportunities. Advanced filtering lets you narrow results by region, anchor text, domain score, page score, and URL, and you can choose to view only dofollow or nofollow links. Once you’ve refined your results, you can export them to CSV for further analysis.
As you get more backlinks, monitoring them manually takes too much time and effort. The right backlink analysis tools make maintaining them much easier and help you make smarter link-building decisions and catch problems early.
Backlink Building Best Practices
You’re ready to start building backlinks, but you can’t just fire off pitches to every publisher with a major name. Here’s what Kimberly Deese, Director of Digital PR at NP Digital, has to say about it:
“Two factors that impact building high-quality backlinks are the target page you are trying to build links to and the number of opportunities that currently exist that are relevant to that target page. Personalize content to personas and specific use cases to create more opportunities to reach out and build that personalization into your pitch and call to action.”
The biggest best practice is relevance. Start creating content that’s valuable and relevant to your niche. Focus on content people want to cite, like original research or genuinely helpful guides.
You should also look for broken-link opportunities. When a site in your space points to an outdated resource, you can suggest your content as a replacement.
Media requests are another strong play. Journalists and editors regularly need expert quotes, and a strong response earns you authoritative links and mentions.
It also helps to study what’s already working. Competitive backlink analysis can show you which sites, formats, and outreach angles are earning links in your niche. These are some core moves, but backlink building rewards consistency. Check out our full guide on how to build backlinks for a deeper look at execution.
FAQs
What are backlinks?
Backlinks, also known as inbound links or incoming links, are links from one website to a page on another website. Search engines treat them as endorsements, using them to evaluate your content’s credibility and relevance, which can improve your visibility and rankings. They also play a role in AI search visibility. AI platforms tend to surface content from authoritative sources, and backlinks are one of the clearest signals of that authority.
How do I build backlinks?
Building backlinks ethically means creating content that earns links organically and reaching out to reputable sites in your industry. The strongest approaches include original research that journalists want to cite, digital PR campaigns that earn coverage on authoritative publications, and broken-link outreach that positions your content as a replacement for outdated resources. Quality and relevance matter more than volume.
How do I check my backlinks?
Ubersuggest’s free Backlink Checker is a strong starting point. It shows you which sites link to yours, flags links that look spammy or weak, and tracks referring domains, anchor text, and new or lost links over time. Those metrics together tell you whether your backlink profile is genuinely strong or just large.
Conclusion
Backlinks are one of the most important parts of a solid SEO strategy. They build credibility and authority, and search engines notice. That same authority carries into AI-driven search, where platforms consistently favor content from sources they trust.
The work is ongoing. You need to track what you have, pursue broken link opportunities, cut what’s hurting you, and keep earning better links over time. When you approach backlinks correctly, the payoff compounds. Stronger links mean stronger rankings, and stronger rankings mean more of the right people finding your content.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00Dubado Solutionshttp://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.pngDubado Solutions2026-04-22 19:00:002026-04-22 19:00:00What are Backlinks and Why are they Crucial for SEO?
CTV advertising delivers video ads within streaming content on internet-connected TV devices, with targeting and measurement precision that linear TV never had.
Streaming accounted for 45.6 percent of all ad-supported TV viewing in Q4 2025, while only 36 percent of U.S. adults still subscribe to cable or satellite.
Inventory is expanding fast. Amazon has repositioned its demand-side platform (DSP) as a cross-screen programmatic platform, and Pinterest’s acquisition of tvScientific has brought discovery-based audience data into the CTV mix.
CTV advertising rewards intentional spend. Set clear outcome goals, keep frequency under control, and track metrics that connect to real business results rather than just impressions.
Not every business is a natural fit for CTV advertising, but self-serve buying tools have lowered the barrier significantly, making meaningful tests possible without a traditional TV budget.
Here is what you need to know about CTV advertising to reach the right viewers on the biggest screen in the house.
What is Connected TV?
Connected TV (CTV) is exactly what it sounds like; televisions that connect to the internet. But it’s so much more than just smart TVs. CTV encompasses any device that allows you to stream content on your TV screen—think Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, and gaming consoles as well.
The shift towards CTV has been dramatic. In 2023, cable TV subscribers dropped to 72.2 million from 98.7 million in 2016. Why? Because 82% of American adults say streaming entertains them more than cable TV. It’s not just about cutting the cord—it’s about gaining control over what, when, and how we watch.
What Is CTV Advertising?
CTV refers to internet-connected devices that enable viewers to stream video content on a TV screen. This includes smart TVs like LG and Samsung, streaming sticks like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, and video game consoles like Xbox or PlayStation.
CTV advertising is a form of digital advertising that delivers video ads within that TV streaming content. Ads can appear across ad-supported tiers of streaming services like Hulu and Peacock, free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels like Pluto TV and Tubi, and apps on streaming devices.
CTV ads give you the full-screen, lean-back viewing experience of traditional TV ads, with the reporting and optimization of paid digital. Google Display & Video 360 (DV360), for example, lets advertisers layer CTV-specific audience segments on top of first- and third-party data, going well beyond the demographic filters available in standard Google Ads campaigns.
The screenshots below show the difference in targeting controls between the two platforms. Google Ads operates within Google’s own data signals, while DV360 lets you bring in your own customer relationship manager (CRM) lists and third-party data on top of that.
That kind of targeting sophistication is becoming the standard across the industry, and the major players have taken notice. Amazon has repositioned itself not just as a streaming platform but as a full-funnel, cross-screen programmatic ecosystem, reflective of broader trends in paid media.
Through Amazon’s DSP, advertisers can now access inventory across its own distribution channels and third-party platforms like Netflix and Disney. Layering Amazon’s first-party shopper data on top of that inventory creates targeting and attribution capabilities that go well beyond standard streaming buys.
CTV advertising’s reach is expanding just as quickly as its targeting capabilities. Netflix’s ad tier generated $1.5 billion in revenue in 2025 and is expected to nearly double to roughly $3 billion in 2026. CTV ads on LinkedIn have also entered the mix, enabling B2B advertisers to reach professional audiences on connected TV screens through partners like Roku, Samsung, and NBCUniversal.
Metro Vein Centers is a good illustration of what CTV advertising precision looks like in practice. The clinic used CTV’s geotargeting to reach women in specific demographic groups near its physical locations, layering in a retargeting campaign to re-engage previous site visitors. The result was an 85 percent reduction in cost per site visitor.
How Does CTV Advertising Work?
Here’s how the CTV advertising process works from the moment a viewer hits play:
Viewer Initiates: A viewer selects content to watch on their connected device. This could be anything from a Netflix show on a smart TV to a YouTube video on a gaming console.
Publisher Transmits Data: The publisher (like Hulu or Roku) sends available viewer information to an ad exchange. This data might include device type, content genre, and any known viewer demographics.
Auction Begins: An automated bidding process, known as real-time bidding (RTB), starts for this specific ad opportunity. This happens in milliseconds, before the content even begins to load.
Platforms Share Information:Supply-side platforms (SSPs) provide more detailed information to potential buyers. This could include the viewer’s approximate location, the time of day, and the type of content being watched.
DSPs Bid: DSPs with matching criteria automatically bid for the ad slot. If you’ve set up a campaign to target, say, sports fans in Chicago, your DSP will bid on this opportunity if it matches.
Exchange Selects Winner: The highest-bidding DSP wins, and their ad is placed. If that’s your ad, it’s then served to the viewer as part of their streaming experience.
This entire programmatic advertising process happens in less than a second, across millions of devices simultaneously, matching your ad to the right viewer before content even loads.
There are three main ways to buy CTV ads:
Open auction or RTB: Prices are determined during a real-time auction.
DSPs: Advertisers use them to manage bids and targeting.
SSPs: Publishers use them to make inventory available to buyers.
Ad exchanges: These are the digital marketplaces where SSPs and DSPs transact.
The buying process is getting smarter, too. NBCUniversal teamed up with agency RPA and ad server FreeWheel to test agentic AI systems that handle campaign planning, activation, and execution across both linear TV and streaming, including live sports. The goal is to let AI handle the operational grunt work so teams can focus on strategy.
Benefits of CTV Advertising
Here’s what CTV advertising can do for your marketing:
Precise targeting: You can reach specific audiences based on interests, behaviors, and locations.
Real-time measurement: You’ll see who watched your ad, for how long, and what they did afterward. This instant feedback tells you what to change and when.
Reach expansion: CTV advertising lets you connect with viewers who’ve switched to streaming.
Higher completion rates:CTV advertising’s targeting means your message is more likely to resonate, keeping viewers engaged to the end.
Agile campaigns: Unlike traditional TV, you can adjust CTV ads quickly. Spot an underperforming element? Change it immediately and see the impact.
You’ll need enough budget to generate meaningful signal, creative built for a full-size screen, and a clear sense of your target outcome. Self-serve buying tools have made entry more accessible than ever, but you still need enough spend to generate data worth acting on.
How to Plan and Execute a Connected TV Campaign
A strong CTV campaign doesn’t happen by accident. Here is what the CTV advertising planning and execution process looks like step by step:
Develop your strategy.
Choose the right platform.
Create compelling content.
Set your budget and bidding strategy.
Monitor and optimize your campaign.
1. Develop Your Strategy
Before you spend a dime, you need a clear plan:
Define your objectives: Are you aiming for brand awareness, lead generation, or direct sales? Be specific.
Identify your target audience: Who are you trying to reach? Provide as much detail as possible about your target audience’s demographics, interests, and viewing habits.
Set clear KPIs:Decide how you’ll measure success. It could be:
Impressions:Tracks how many times your ad is displayed.
Completion Rate: Measures the percentage of viewers who watch your entire ad.
Cost Per Completed View (CPCV):Tracks the cost for each viewer who watches your ad through to the end.
Brand Lift:Measures changes in brand awareness, perception, or purchase intent after viewing your ad.
Reach and Frequency: Tracks how many unique viewers saw your ad and how often.
Website Visits: Measures traffic to your website after running the CTV campaign.
Conversion Rate: Tracks the percentage of viewers who take a desired action after seeing your ad.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Measures the revenue generated relative to your ad spend.
Foot Traffic: Tracks increases in in-store visits attributed to your CTV campaign for brick-and-mortar businesses.
Align with other marketing efforts: CTV works best when it reinforces messaging across your other paid and organic channels. If you’re running paid search or paid social, make sure your CTV creative is telling the same story.
Once your strategy is set, the next decision is where to run your ads. Here are your main options:
Smart TV manufacturers: These are TV brands, like VIZIO and Samsung, that have built-in streaming capabilities. They offer ad inventory across their native apps and sometimes partner channels.
Streaming devices: These are external devices that connect to TVs to enable streaming. Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV are a few choices, though Roku and Amazon also manufacture their own smart TVs. They provide ad opportunities across their platforms and partner apps.
Video streaming services:These content providers stream content directly to viewers and offer ad inventory within their programming streams. Hulu and YouTube are a couple of major players when it comes to CTV, but other apps like Netflix and Disney+ also offer advertising options.
DSPs: These technology platforms enable you to buy ad inventory across multiple CTV sources, offering broader reach and more advanced targeting options. Amazon’s DSP and DV360 are two examples.
Over-the-top (OTT) aggregators: OTT refers to video content delivered over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite providers. CTV is the device used to view that content, like a smart TV or game console. In short, OTT is the delivery method, while CTV is the screen. Platforms like FreeWheel and Magnite aggregate ad inventory from multiple streaming services and devices, giving buyers a single point of access to diverse CTV inventory. Unlike DSPs, which operate on the demand side, aggregators work on the supply side, connecting publishers to potential buyers across multiple platforms.
FAST platforms: Free ad-supported services like Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel have expanded rapidly into mainstream viewing. Tubi is already reaching more than 100 million monthly viewers, offering broad reach at competitive CPMs.
Social platforms: Social media platforms are increasingly entering the CTV space, extending their audience data and ad products to the television screen. Pinterest, for example, announced the acquisition of tvScientific, connecting its discovery-based audience data to TV reach. The platform’s first original CTV series, “Bring My Pinterest to Life,” launched on Roku in March 2026, giving brands a shoppable format that bridges upper-funnel inspiration with connected TV exposure.
Each platform type has its strengths, and the right choice depends on your campaign goals, audience, and budget. Smart TVs and streaming devices give you direct access to viewers, while DSPs and aggregators offer broader reach and more granular targeting. FAST platforms and newer entrants like Pinterest add scale and audience data that didn’t exist in CTV a few years ago. Most advertisers find that a mix works better than any single path.
3. Create Compelling Content
Good CTV creative has one job. It must earn attention on a screen where the viewer did not invite it in. A few principles separate the ads that work from the ones that get ignored.
Hook fast, stay clear. You have seconds before a viewer mentally checks out. Lead with the problem, the product, or a visual that demands attention. The message should land cleanly, even if speakers are muted.
Design for one takeaway. CTV is a lean-back environment. Viewers are not scrolling past your ad, but they are not taking notes, either. Pick one thing you want them to remember and build everything around it.
Give viewers somewhere to go. A QR code, a branded search term, or a simple URL gives engaged viewers a direct path to act. According to Innovid, interactive ads earn an average of 71 additional seconds of viewer time over standard pre-roll, suggesting that engagement formats are worth the extra production effort.
Match the creative to the audience. CTV targeting is precise enough to serve different messages to different household segments. A generic spot wastes that advantage. Tailor the message to those watching.
Think beyond the 30-second spot. Pause ads, overlay formats, and shoppable units are all part of the modern CTV creative toolkit.
Overlay formats appear during content and let viewers scan a QR code or click through to take an action like visiting a site or making a purchase.
Pause ads appear when a viewer pauses content and can include QR codes or direct response prompts.
Shoppable units let viewers buy directly from their TV when their retail accounts, such as Walmart or Amazon, are linked to their device.
Lexus used dynamic countdown creatives paired with a home screen roadblock on LG Smart TVs during the U.S. Open, reaching viewers the moment they launched the app before content even began. The campaign drove a 64 percent lift in brand perception, which is a strong illustration of how matching creative format to a high-attention moment can move brand metrics in a way a standard pre-roll spot cannot.
Another automotive brand used Vizio’s Inscape platform to target households identified as “auto intenders” on CTV, running seven campaigns across six models over three months. The campaign resulted in more than 2,600 vehicle purchases and delivered an average ROAS of $31.91, showing that CTV can drive high-value conversions when targeting is built around purchase intent rather than broad demographics.
Both cases illustrate what separates effective CTV from wasted spend. One shows how matching creative format to a high-attention moment moves brand metrics, while the other shows how building targeting around purchase intent drives measurable conversions.
4. Set Your Budget and Bidding Strategy
CTV advertising rewards intentional spending over volume.
Start with a test budget, not your full commitment. Give the campaign enough room to generate real traction across audiences and placements before scaling. Industry guidance generally points to dedicating 15 to 30 percent of your digital video budget to CTV advertising as a starting point for meaningful testing.
Understand how CTV advertising is priced. Most CTV inventory is bought on a cost per mille (CPM) basis, with rates for most U.S. campaigns ranging from $20 to $40 per thousand impressions and many settling around $25 CPM, depending on targeting depth, content type, and inventory quality. Premium direct deals, such as those on Netflix, can push rates significantly higher. Cost per acquisition (CPA) is better thought of as an outcome goal than a bidding model, or something you optimize toward rather than bid on directly.
Allocate budget across platforms based on performance. If you are running across multiple publishers or buying paths, let delivery data drive where the money goes. Do not set it and walk away.
Set frequency caps. This prevents ad fatigue and stops you from burning budget on viewers who have already seen your ad enough times. Research suggests three to seven exposures optimize impact, while more than 10 can reduce purchase intent.
Spend less time chasing the lowest CPM and more time making sure your budget is working against the right audiences in the right environment.
5. Monitor and Optimize Your Campaign
CTV advertising gives you real-time performance data that most traditional TV buys never could. Here’s how to use it:
Track key metrics. Monitor impressions, completion rates, and conversions to understand whether the campaign is delivering and whether viewers are watching through to the end.
Analyze viewer behavior. Look at engagement patterns and drop-off points to understand where creative is losing attention and where it is holding it.
Adjust in real-time. Many platforms enable you to optimize campaigns while they’re running, rotating creative, or tightening targeting based on what the data is telling you.
Test and learn. Try different creative versions or bid strategies. Small tests compound into meaningful performance gains over time.
Connect online and offline data. Use attribution tools to understand how CTV exposure influences actions taken on other devices or in physical locations.
Run incrementality tests. Platform-reported metrics often undercount CTV’s true contribution. Comparing exposed households against a control group gives you a cleaner read on whether your campaign is changing behavior, not just reaching people who were already going to convert.
FAQs
What is connected TV (CTV)?
Connected TV (CTV) refers to any device that connects a TV screen to the internet to stream video content, including smart TVs, streaming sticks, and game consoles.
How does connected TV (CTV) advertising work?
Connected TV (CTV) advertising works by placing video ads within streaming content on connected TV devices, either through direct publisher deals or programmatic buying. Advertisers can then target, measure, and optimize campaigns using platform and publisher data.
What is the difference between CTV and OTT?
Connected TV (CTV) refers to devices that connect a TV screen to the internet, such as smart TVs, streaming sticks, and game consoles. Over-the-top (OTT) is the broader method of delivering video over the internet and can include phones, tablets, and desktops. A CTV buy targets that living room device specifically, while a broader OTT buy reaches audiences across all screens.
How much does CTV advertising cost?
Most connected TV (CTV) inventory is priced on a cost per mille (CPM) basis, with rates for most U.S. campaigns ranging from $20 to $40 per thousand impressions and many settling around $25 CPM, depending on targeting depth and inventory quality. Self-serve platforms have made it possible to test CTV without a traditional TV budget, though you still need enough spend to generate data worth acting on.
Conclusion
CTV has earned its place as a core part of any modern media mix. The brands winning on CTV right now are the ones applying the same discipline to testing and measurement that they bring to search and paid media.
If CTV is not yet part of your 2026 media mix, start by defining your audience and picking a platform that fits your buying model. Strong video creative that holds attention on the biggest screen in the house will do the rest.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00Dubado Solutionshttp://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.pngDubado Solutions2026-04-21 19:00:002026-04-21 19:00:00What is Connected TV Advertising?
The Ubersuggest Chrome Extension surfaces keyword data like volume, CPC, and competition scores directly on Google, YouTube, and Amazon search results pages without leaving your browser.
The extension works on both Windows and Mac, and activates automatically once installed.
YouTube and Amazon support expands your keyword research beyond Google, covering video and ecommerce search behavior in one tool.
The extension connects to the full Ubersuggest platform, where AI visibility features help you track how your brand and content appear in AI-generated search results.
Traditional organic rankings are no longer the whole picture. Ubersuggest helps you monitor visibility across both classic search and the AI-powered results shaping where traffic goes next.
The Ubersuggest Chrome Extension has seen some significant updates over the years, and the latest version is the most useful one yet.
The improvements go well beyond a simple refresh. Keyword research is faster, more intuitive, and built around how SEO professionals actually work. This post breaks down what the extension does, what’s changed, and how to get the most out of it.
Here’s what Ubersuggest Chrome can do for you…
The Ubersuggest Chrome Extension brings SEO data directly into your browser, so you’re not jumping between tabs or tools to get the numbers you need.
Once installed, the extension activates automatically whenever you run a Google search. Right there on the results page, you’ll see keyword data layered in: monthly search volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and competition scores for your search term. No extra steps required.
Here’s how to put it to work across a few common use cases:
Researching keywords: Search any term on Google and the extension surfaces volume and difficulty data instantly. Use that to qualify whether a keyword is worth targeting before you invest time in content.
Scoping out the competition: Click into any organic result directly from the SERP and the extension pulls up domain-level authority data. It’s a fast way to size up who you’re up against. For a deeper look, pair it with a full competitor analysis to understand where gaps exist.
Finding related keywords: The extension also surfaces keyword suggestions tied to your search. These are useful for building out topic clusters or identifying secondary terms to work into existing content.
It works the same way whether you’re on Windows or Mac, as long as you’re running Chrome. The experience is consistent across both operating systems, so the workflow above applies regardless of your setup.
Keyword research beyond Google
Google isn’t the only place people search. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and Amazon drives more product searches than Google does in the ecommerce space. The Ubersuggest Chrome Extension works across both platforms, giving you keyword data wherever your audience is actually searching.
On YouTube, the extension surfaces keyword data directly as you type. Search any term and you’ll see volume and competition data on suggested keywords in real time.
Click “view all” next to the search bar for a deeper breakdown. You’ll see monthly search volume trends over the past 12 months, seasonal patterns, competition scores, CPC data, click rates, and audience age ranges. The extension also shows whether a keyword skews toward mobile or desktop searches, which matters for conversion strategy. Desktop searches tend to convert at higher rates, so prioritizing those terms can sharpen your targeting.
The right-hand side of any YouTube results page also surfaces related keyword suggestions, giving you additional terms to evaluate without leaving the page.
Amazon works a little differently. Rather than overlaying data on the results page, the extension surfaces keyword information directly on search suggestions, keeping the shopping experience intact while still giving you the data you need for ecommerce keyword research.
Think of the extension as your on-ramp to smarter research across the open web. The data it surfaces on Google, YouTube, and Amazon is just the starting point. The full Ubersuggest platform goes deeper, with features like AI visibility tracking and AI-powered keyword overviews that help you understand not just where you rank, but how AI search surfaces your brand. Those capabilities live in the platform, and the extension is the fastest way to get there.
What does that mean for you?
Search has changed. Google’s AI Overviews now answer questions directly on the results page, and platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Amazon have become legitimate search destinations in their own right. Ranking on Google alone no longer guarantees visibility.
That’s where Ubersuggest’s newer AI-focused features become relevant. The platform can show you how your brand and content are surfacing across AI-generated results, not just traditional organic rankings. That kind of insight is hard to get anywhere else, and it’s increasingly necessary for staying competitive.
The Chrome Extension is your entry point into all of it. It gives you real-time keyword data as you browse, and connects directly to the Ubersuggest platform where the deeper AI visibility analysis lives. Together, they give you a clearer picture of where you stand across both traditional and AI-powered search.
In short: the extension makes everyday research faster, and the platform helps you think bigger about where search is headed.
But wait, There’s more…
There is also one other important change made to the extension that you may have already noticed if you use Google on a regular basis.
When you search on Google, there is now traffic estimations under each URL.
This traffic estimation is for organic search traffic and it is done on a domain level. Eventually, we will tweak it to be page-based and even show you the other keywords each page ranks for… but for now, we are providing you with organic traffic estimates for each domain.
And if you are more of a visual person, in the right-hand sidebar you can also see the traffic estimation for any result in the top 10.
FAQs
How do I use the Ubersuggest Chrome extension?
Once you download and install the Ubersuggest Chrome Extension, it runs automatically in the background. Go to Google and run any search, you’ll see keyword data including monthly search volume, CPC, and competition scores layered directly onto the results page. The same applies on YouTube and Amazon. Search a term and the extension surfaces keyword suggestions with supporting data as you type. No setup or configuration is needed beyond the initial install.
Conclusion
Already using the Ubersuggest Chrome extension? It’s still a great way to get quick insights as you browse.
But here’s the real play: use it as your entry point into the full platform.
When you click through, you’ll unlock deeper keyword data, competitor insights, and our newer AI features that help you generate content ideas, analyze pages, and move faster without guessing.
Don’t have the extension yet? Install it here and start turning everyday browsing into real SEO opportunities.
New privacy laws will require marketers to think carefully about how they collect and manage data.
While many marketers aren’t overly concerned about the depreciation of third-party cookies, it’s recommended to explore cookieless solutions like Enhanced Conversions.
Several emerging platforms are on the rise, including gaming networks, digital out-of-home (DOOH) ads, connected TV (CTV) ads, and Brave Ads.
Paid social is as popular as ever thanks to the evolution of social media platforms as search engines and e-commerce hubs.
Want to mix up your paid ads strategy in 2026? Try user-generated content (UGC) or conversational advertising.
Short-form videos on TikTok or YouTube Shorts grab attention fast—just make sure your first five seconds are strong to hook viewers.
Premium placements like TikTok Pulse and YouTube Select allow advertisers to position their brands alongside trending, top-performing content for added credibility.
AI tools like Performance Max or Jasper can optimize bidding, generate creative, and streamline campaigns, helping marketers save time and improve ROI.
Want to upgrade your paid media strategy for the rest of 2026 and beyond? Whether you want to take advantage of AI, discover new platforms, or prepare to advertise in a world without third-party cookies, this guide is here to help.
Just as our Search Engine Rewind did for SEO trends, this guide combines expert insights from the paid media team at NP Digital and other paid marketers in the field.
You’ll learn which new paid media platforms you should be taking advantage of, how the paid social landscape is shifting, and the best practices you should focus on.
So, if you’re ready to discover the biggest paid media trends of 2026, read on.
Methodology
The insights in this guide come from two super knowledgeable resources.
The first is the team at NP Digital, which includes industry experts with decades of experience in paid search, social, and programmatic advertising.
The second is a group of 309 paid marketers who work at companies with over 250 employees. We surveyed marketers from across the U.S. to understand how they see the paid search landscape changing.
We asked this group about a range of paid search topics, such as emerging platforms, new targeting strategies, and the impact of artificial intelligence.
Privacy Concerns and Expanded Privacy Regulations
New privacy laws are changing how platforms and advertisers collect and use consumer data. A slew of U.S. states have recently enacted data privacy laws, including California (which amended and expanded the California Consumer Privacy Act to the California Privacy Rights Act), Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, and Texas.
Google has reacted by adjusting its data collection practices. It has enabled Restricted Data Processing (RDP), which means the search platform shows only non-personalized ads to users in these states.
In Europe, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which became applicable halfway through 2023, means major platforms like Google and Meta need explicit consent to collect and use personal data from consumers in the European Economic Area (EEA). That’s unlike most state-based privacy laws in the U.S., which let users opt out of personalized ads, but still displays them by default.
Data protection laws are also being introduced across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In most cases, businesses will need to introduce a cookie banner that lets users choose their preferences. You can also implement Google’s consent mode v2, which enables you to collect conversion data through a tag-based system and comply with regulations.
While platforms like Google generally help companies comply with privacy laws, you may find it easier to use a compliance management platform (CMP) that streamlines your paid media compliance efforts.
One privacy-related issue marketers don’t have to worry about just yet is the deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome. Google has reversed its decision to remove cookies from its browser in response to concerns from the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority, along with demand from advertisers. Instead, it will continue to work on its Privacy Sandbox.
Even so, the majority (57.9 percent) of our survey respondents felt that the deprecation of cookies wouldn’t impact their paid marketing plans much.
That might be because they’ve already switched to less cookie-focused tracking methods like Google Ads’ enhanced conversion tracking. This method works in addition to your existing conversion tags, sending hashed first-party data from your website to Google in a privacy-focused manner.
The most popular paid marketing channels can be expensive. Four in 10 of our respondents said their pay-per-click (PPC) costs had increased over the past year, yet almost half (49.6 percent) of that group planned to double down on spending.
Cost per click (CPC) may become even more expensive due to the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The majority (70 percent) of marketers in our survey think the presidential election will impact paid advertising. This may stem from the fact that the results of presidential elections tend to have ripple effects in the business world as companies react to the potential economic policies of the incoming administration.
Those who say they are seeing higher PPC costs are more likely to seek out new forms of paid marketing—and there are plenty of up-and-coming paid media platforms and channels to choose from.
We’ve highlighted five of these new frontiers below.
Gaming
Gaming is a $350 billion industry with a highly engaged audience, so it’s no surprise that gaming ads are becoming more popular.
Our survey found that 57.3% percent of marketers were advertising there, with Twitch, Discord, and in-game ads as the most popular channels.
If you want to get started on Twitch, there are eight formats to choose from:
Headliner
Homepage Carousel
Medium Rectangle
Stream Display Ads
Streamable Ads
Super Leaderboard Ads
Twitch Premium Video Ads
First Impression Takeover
Of these formats, brands will be most interested in:
Headliner ads, which appear behind the paid-for carousel ads used by streamers
Stream display ads, which appear during live streams
Super leaderboard ads, which appear at the top of the page
Twitch premium video ads, short pre-roll, and mid-roll unskippable video ads
Note that you have the option to run self-service ads on Twitch through Amazon’s DSP, similar to the self-serve platforms of Meta and Google.
If you’d rather target gamers mid-game, a solution like Activision Blizzard’s Rewarded Video may do the trick.
These user-initiated in-game ads (like the Ben & Jerry’s ad above) let you connect with highly engaged gamers at key moments in combination with desirable player rewards they can use to advance through their game of choice. Brands can also use interactive end cards to increase audience engagement and drive higher click-through rates.
In-App Ads
In-app advertising is a win-win for brands and developers. It gives developers a source of additional revenue while letting brands reach targeted and engaged audiences.
Spending on this form of paid media is forecast to reach $352.7 billion in 2024 and $534.1 billion by 2029.
In-app advertising comes in various forms, including:
Interstitial ads
Video ads
Banner ads
Native ads
Here’s an example of an interstitial ad from Google’s AdMob network:
Advertisers can choose from a range of pricing models, too:
Cost per mille (CPM): Pay for every thousand views.
Cost per click (CPC): Only pay when your ad is clicked.
Cost per view (CPV): Only pay when users watch your video ad.
Cost per install (CPI): An app-specific pricing model through which you only pay when users install your app.
Cost per action (CPA): Only pay when users complete a predefined action.
In-app ads are an ideal and effective way for brands to target smartphone users. Research shows 42.6 percent of consumers have bought something after clicking on an in-app ad, and 56.5 percent of consumers have downloaded an app after an in-app ad recommended it.
The other great thing about in-app ads is that you aren’t just limited to using a single advertising platform. There are several to choose from, including Google’s AdMob, AppLovin, Publift, PropellerAds, and RevX.
Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH)
Digital out-of-home media (DOOH) is one of the fastest-growing paid media sectors. Used by over 43 percent of respondents, it was the second most popular trending paid media option in our survey.
DOOH is a form of dynamic and data-driven outdoor advertising. Brands can tailor ads based on things like the time of day, the location of the signage, and even the weather. DOOH includes digital billboards and outdoor signage—as large as the billboards in Times Square or as small as the sign at your local bus stop.
DOOH offers several benefits over both online ads and traditional outdoor media:
There are no online ad blockers, meaning consumers will always be exposed to your ad.
You can engage consumers close to the point of sales with geofenced advertising.
Signage is dynamic, allowing brands to only pay for their ads to be shown at specific times of the day.
DOOH advertising isn’t perfect. It’s much harder to measure than online advertising since there’s no way of knowing for sure how many people walked past your ad or saw it. Inventory is also spread between multiple platforms, which can make campaigns hard to manage.
Connected TV (CTV) and Over-the-Top (OTT) Advertising
Want to reach consumers while they are watching TV? Connected TV ads and over-the-top advertising are two emerging channels to try.
Some use these two terms interchangeably, but they are slightly different.
Connected TV (CTV) advertising delivers targeted ads through internet-connected smart TVs. Over-the-top (OTT) advertising delivers ads through video streaming services like Hulu and Paramount+.
Regardless of which paid media format you use, both types of advertising have advantages over traditional TV ads.
Unlike traditional TV ads, which have to appeal to a broad audience, CTV ads can be hyperpersonalized and targeted. Brands can target audiences based on their viewing interests, for example, as well as their location and the time of day.
These ads are also much more measurable than traditional TV ads. Brands can track viewing, engagement, and conversion metrics like return on ad spend (ROAS), cost per completed view (CPCV), and gross rating points (GRPs) to optimize campaigns in real time.
CTV also has integrated ad buying options at your fingertips through Microsoft Advertising. Advertisers can manage CTV campaigns alongside search and display ads, simplifying ad management and removing the need for separate DSPs. Other benefits include:
Easy setup
No onboarding fees
Budget flexibility
Impression-based remarketing
Cohesive messaging across CTV and other formats
Leverages Microsoft’s vast first-party data to enhance personalization and performance.
CTV ads and over-the-top advertising were used by 40.8 percent and 43.3 percent of respondents in our survey, respectively.
But these ads are only going to become more popular. Connected TV ad spending is expected to reach $21.45 billion by the end of the year and grow by 13.9 percent year on year. OTT, on the other hand, projects to reach $11.14 billion and account for 3.7% of all digital ad spend.
Brave Ads
One emerging ad format used by only 29.1 percent of respondents in our survey (although 17.27 percent said they soon would) was Brave Ads.
If you don’t know much about Brave, it’s a free, open-source, Chromium-based browser that puts a premium on speed and privacy. It boasts over 78 million monthly active users and is popular with those who like Chrome but want a more private browsing experience. The browser has built-in ad blockers, its own crypto wallet, and even a search engine.
Brave Ads are ideal for reaching a unique audience of tech-savvy, privacy-first individuals who are harder to reach on other platforms. There are several ad formats you can choose from that cover both the platform’s browser and search engine:
Search ads:
A privacy-preserving text-based ad that appears at the top of the Brave search results page.
Tab takeover ads:
High-quality full-page images that feature in Brave’s new tab rotation.
Newsfeed ads:
Display ads that show in the private and customizable news feed that appears every time someone opens a new tab
Notifications ads:
Text-based ads with a call-to-action that appear during user browsing sessions.
One of the biggest benefits of Brave Ads is the ability to reach a unique target audience. Brave’s userbase spreads across over 200 countries. These users tend to be younger and privacy-conscious individuals—the kind of people who would have ad blockers on another browser like Chrome or Safari. Because these users have more trust in the Brave platform, ads on the platform don’t have the same perception of “spammy” or “intrusive” conventional paid ads might.
Perplexity Ads
Another emerging platform for advertisers is the AI generative search engine Perplexity, which boasts around 100 million search queries per week. In November, the platform announced that it would start launching ads in the form of sponsored follow-up questions. Note that these follow-ups would be generated by Perplexity, not your brand.
Some of the initial brands taking part include Indeed, Whole Foods Market, Universal McCann, PMG, and others. But what does an ad on a generative search engine look like?
Here’s an example: First, here’s a typical Perplexity question and response:
Now, here’s an example of a sponsored followup question.
Perplexity has the potential to open up a new potential audience for advertisers, even though the concept is in its relative infancy. The platform has shared that:
80% of its users have undergraduate degrees.
30% have what they call a “senior leadership position.”
65% are considered to work in “high-income white-collar professions.” Examples include law, medicine, and software engineering.
If you’re targeting that high-earning, well-educated audience, or want the lower competition of an emerging platform, Perplexity could be a good way to get started on the ground floor.
Social Media Landscape Shifts
Over 5 billion people around the world use social media, and 259 million new users have come online in the past year.
These networks are becoming much more than a way to connect with friends. Modern social platforms are news outlets, search engines, and storefronts.
The popularity of social media advertising isn’t in doubt—it was the most popular paid media campaign style among our respondents. But how marketers think about the network is changing.
Below, we look at four of the biggest paid social trends this year so far.
Expansion of Social Commerce
Social commerce is the fusion of social media and e-commerce. It’s a powerful combination that enables users to make purchases directly from their favorite social platform. U.S. social commerce was valued at $89.11 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 29.2 percent.
Facebook is the most popular social commerce platform overall, although platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are leading the charge in social commerce, especially among Gen Z, who favor seamless in-app shopping experiences.
The great thing about social commerce from an advertiser’s point of view is they no longer have to convince users to leave the platform to make a purchase. Shoppable ads on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook mean users can click a link in the post’s description, see the price, and make a purchase.
So, how can you get started?
Having your product feed in order is essential. These are the cornerstones of shoppable ads on most social media platforms, such as Facebook and TikTok.
These feeds let you take advantage of each platform’s unique shopping ad formats. On Facebook, that includes carousel collections, photo ads, and video ads.
Ad-Free Experiences
Social media platforms have always relied on ads to generate revenue. But that may not be the case for much longer since several social media platforms are trialing ad-free subscription models.
This includes X, with a Premium+ tier that costs $16 per month, Meta (which announced it will offer ad-free subscriptions to European users for €9.99—just under $11 in U.S. currency), and TikTok, which is piloting an ad-free subscription priced at $4.99.
While it remains to be seen just how many users will pay a subscription to use social media, advertisers should consider how to navigate ad-free social media networks in the future.
One obvious option is to invest more in influencer marketing. Paid users will still follow their favorite influencers, making this an easy way for brands to reach these consumers. Investing in nano- and micro-influencers, specifically, could help brands maintain reach in ad-free environments while keeping campaigns cost-effective.
The other solution is to grow organic followings using a paid ad strategy while you can. An ad-free social media experience doesn’t mean people won’t follow their favorite brands. So, community building may be the order of the day before consumers choose to forgo ads for good.
Social Media Is Becoming Its Own Search Platform
Social media platforms have become search engines for millions across the globe. Research by Adobe finds that two in five Americans use TikTok as a search engine, and 10 percent of Gen Z users are more likely to turn to TikTok than Google.
Platforms like YouTube and Instagram are also popular among people of all ages looking for information fast.
Speed is one reason consumers turn to social media instead of search engines. But so are trust and convenience. When people are on social media a lot more than Google, it’s much easier to turn to trusted sources like your favorite influencer or the app’s discovery section for advice.
Some social platforms are embracing this phenomenon, and advertisers would do well to follow. TikTok, for example, is launching Search Ads Toggle in Beta—a feature that allows brands to advertise in search results.
TikTok automatically creates ads using the advertiser’s existing content and serves them alongside organic results, as you can see above.
Nano- and Micro-Influencers Take Center Stage
Move aside, celebrities and social media mega influencers. The time of the micro- and nano-influencers has arrived.
Micro-influencers (people with 10,000 to 50,000 followers) and nano-influencers (people with 1,000 to 10,000 followers) may not have the follower counts of people like Jake Paul. But they have a lot of other characteristics that appeal to brand advertisers.
This includes:
Highly engaged audiences
Authenticity and relatability
Cost-effectiveness
While macro-influencers were the most popular with marketers in our survey, that’s primarily because they fit their business audience. Of the marketers who preferred nano-influencers, one-third said it was because they are more cost-effective.
Even the biggest brands work with micro-influencers.
Take Melizza Black, for example, a fangirl fashionista who partners with the likes of Disney, Pixar, and Universal Studios to promote new films, product ranges, and clothing merchandise.
In fact, survey respondents with budgets topping $200,000 were more likely to work with micro-influencers because of better campaign performance.
Linkedin Influencers For B2B Campaigns
Targeted B2B audiences with paid media campaigns has always had its unique challenges due to the longer buying cycles and more discerning preferences compared to B2B. Bringing Linkedin influencers into your paid campaigns can be a difference-maker in terms of providing that credibility and reach you need.
LinkedIn influencers bring a unique advantage to paid media campaigns due to their highly professional and engaged audiences. Since they are often focused on professional growth and industry-specific insights, they make a perfect fit for B2B campaigns.
Collaborating with Linkedin influencers allows brands to target a niche audience with tailored messaging, increasing conversion rates and ROI.
With that in mind, how do you fully harness the power of this growing option for paid media? Start by identifying individuals whose audience aligns with your target demographics.
For example, NP Digital co-founder Neil Patel is a successful Linkedin influencer, buiilding an audience of over 680k followers on the platform.
This would make him an ideal fit for any paid campaign related to digital marketing services or tools due to his established success in the space.
Use tools like LinkedIn’s Creator Mode analytics or platforms like BuzzSumo to evaluate influencer performance metrics such as engagement rates and follower authenticity.
Once you start your Linkedin partnership, prioritize authenticity in your paid campaigns. LinkedIn audiences are particularly sensitive to overtly promotional content, so it’s essential to frame your message as an industry-relevant insight or case study. Personal anecdotes or professional experiences tied to your product can boost credibility and audience trust as well.
Developing Practices for Paid Media
The strategies advertisers use to craft the best paid ads are constantly changing. Whether it’s the format, platform, or bidding strategy, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and use the latest techniques to create ads that resonate with audiences and drive return on investment (ROI).
Short-Form Video
Want to seize a user’s attention? Short-form videos are the way to go.
A short-form video is between three and 90 seconds long. Most commonly found on TikTok, this video format has quickly spread to YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
Short-form videos are popular for both organic and paid marketing efforts thanks to high engagement rates, lower costs, and simple messaging.
You can create short-form video ads on any of these platforms, but TikTok and YouTube Shorts are the most popular and effective. YouTube Shorts boasts more than 2.3 billion monthly users, and 70 billion daily views, for example, while TikTok has over 1 billion global monthly active users.
Google’s making several new initiatives for YouTube Shorts advertising to take advantage of this newfound popularity, including:
The introduction of the YouTube Select Shorts lineup, where advertisers can place ads next to curated popular Shorts content.
Tailoring its ABCD framework for short-form content, which emphasizes strategies like capturing attention quickly and integrating branding early. Additionally,
Three things are critical to succeed with short-form video ads. The first is to make the first five seconds of your video as captivating as possible. The better your hook, the fewer users will click skip.
Second, ensure you have a single, clear message. Don’t try to highlight multiple unique selling propositions (USPs) or target different audiences in a 30-second short. Short, sweet, and to the point is the order of the day.
Lastly, Google reports that creator-led ads on YouTube Shorts can achieve up to 20% higher conversions than traditional branded ads. You can apply this lesson to any short-video platform, and work with relevant influencers on the platform to increase your reach and credibility.
Immersive and Interactive Experiences (AR and VR)
You probably can’t remember the last ad you saw. But it’s more likely you can remember the last time you experienced augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR).
That’s why AR and VR ad experiences are becoming increasingly popular with major brands. The AR market alone is expected to hit $5.2 billion by the end of the year.
While traditional ads are passive affairs that struggle to capture our attention, augmented and virtual reality ads create an interactive and memorable experience.
Take Coca-Cola Zero Sugar’s #TakeATasteNow out-of-home augmented reality campaign that launched at the end of 2023. Rolled out across 13 U.K. locations, the AR ad experience enabled customers to interact with digital billboards in real time by scanning a QR code to redeem a Coca-Cola in a nearby store.
AR and VR ads don’t have to be high-budget guerilla advertising campaigns, however. IKEA has seen success with IKEA Place, an app that launched in 2017 and lets customers use AR to place IKEA products around their homes.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content (UGC) is a popular organic social media strategy, but you can also use it in paid campaigns.
In fact, it can go a long way toward improving your ad conversion rates, given that visitors who interact with UGC convert 102.4 percent higher than average.
UGC also improves the authenticity of your ads. It’s hard to make a paid ad truly authentic, but reviews and recommendations from real customers help humanize your campaigns.
Integrating UGC into your paid ads campaign can be as simple as dropping a testimonial into your next creative, as Peet’s Coffee does here:
Or you can use video reviews as your ad’s main creative, as the beauty brand Prose does below:
Conversational advertising uses personalized and automated conversations to encourage users to take action.
Rather than a static image or scripted video, conversational ads use a chat interface to mimic a real-life conversation. Users can select predefined messages that can change the nature of the conversation and lead to different outcomes.
Facebook and LinkedIn are the two social platforms that work best for this paid media strategy. LinkedIn Message Ads lets you send sponsored direct messages to a specific set of users on the platform, for example. Facebook Messenger Ads are conversational ads that appear in the Messenger app.
But social media isn’t the only place you’ll find these ads. You can also re-create a chatbot interface using banner ads. Here’s an example from Emirates Vacations:
Contextual Targeting
Contextual advertising is a type of targeted digital advertising where ads change depending on the content of the webpage.
Contextual targeting can either be keyword-based or semantic:
Keywords: Platforms use on-page keywords to serve targeted ads.
Semantic: Platforms use AI to understand the meaning of the page rather than just identifying keywords.
Contextual targeting is an excellent way to serve relevant ads to an engaged audience without relying on third-party cookies. If someone is reading a page about tourist destinations in Bali, you can be pretty sure they’ll be interested in a hotel or flight to the region.
Contextual targeting can also be quite cost-effective, especially compared with behavioral marketing campaigns that require massive amounts of user data. This makes it easier to implement, too.
There are plenty of platforms you can use to get started with contextual ads, including Google AdSense, DV360, the Yahoo! Bing Network, and Media.net.
Premium Inventory Opportunities
Want to give your ads the best chance of success in 2026 and beyond? Consider leveraging the premium inventory opportunities available on several social media platforms.
Premium ad inventories are the most expensive and exclusive ad spaces on these platforms. They typically appear under or alongside the most on-trend and relevant content.
TikTok Pulse suite, for example, places your ads immediately after the best in-feed content. There are several options, including:
Max Pulse: Ads placed next to the top 4 percent of content on the platform, according to the Pulse Score.
Category Lineups: Ads inside TikTok’s Pulse Lineups, a collection of top-performing content across a dozen categories.
Seasonal Lineups: The seasonal equivalent of category lineups, where ads are placed alongside top-performing content from holiday events like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July.
Pulse Premiere: Ads placed after top-performing content in the lifestyle & education, sports, and entertainment categories.
YouTube Select is a similar program that shows ads alongside the top 5 percent of the platform’s most viewed content.
Premium inventory opportunities are a fantastic way to associate your business with the biggest brands and content creators. This network effect can be a great way to increase brand awareness. Thirty-four percent of survey respondents said they are already using opportunities like this, with another 20 percent planning to start using them in the next year.
Gen Z And Social Responsibility
Want to attract younger consumers with paid media? Then you better be a socially responsible corporation.
Gen Z has strong values and expects brands to share them. McKinsey research finds that almost three-quarters (73 percent) of Gen Z try to purchase from ethical companies. Nine in 10 believe companies have a responsibility to address social and environmental issues.
As “digital natives”—the first generation to grow up surrounded by technology—your best bet for reaching Gen Z is through digital channels. But not just any ad will do. Sprout Social found that 73 percent of Gen Z consumers think brands should raise awareness and take a stand on sensitive issues.
By taking a stand against fast fashion and partnering with well-known social activists, including Xiye Bastida, Emma Chamberlain, and Marcus Rashford, the brand raised awareness of our shared environmental responsibility while promoting the quality of its products and attracting a new, younger generation of customers.
AI’s Impact on Advertising
It wouldn’t be a 2026 trends article if we didn’t end with a section about AI, would it? The truth is there’s a lot to cover. AI has become so pervasive that it’s impacting almost every part of the paid media world—and the majority of our survey respondents are already using it in their campaigns.
Ad creation is one common use case. Google’s Dynamic Search Ads feature uses AI algorithms and content on your existing website to automatically create relevant ads and show them to customers searching for the exact product or service you offer.
Meta also has a Dynamic Ads offering, which can automatically promote all your products across Facebook and Instagram.
Then there are generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Jasper, which you can use to create ad copy in seconds.
Soon enough, though, you won’t even need to leave your native ad platform of choice for generative AI support. Many of the major players, like Google, Meta, and TikTok are all building native creative solutions that can auto-generate copy and creative.
Google, in particular, is taking this capability to the next level, using AI to assist advertisers with video and voice-over capabilities, enhancing the efficiency and quality of ad creation. The platform includes features such as AI-powered video editing and text-to-speech functionality for YouTube ads.
Imagine being able to input a script, choose a variety of voices, and create natural-sounding audio overlays, This allows for flexible and quick adjustments to match your brand voice, making video content production more efficient and accessible than ever.
AI can run your campaign for you, too. Over one-third of our respondents used AI-powered paid bidding strategies, for example, which was the top use case in our survey. In addition, when it comes to taking advantage of Google’s capabilities to generate creative using AI, our survey respondents were very intrigued.
Speaking of Google’s AI improvements, Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are a great example of this technology. Performance Max campaigns deliver broad, conversion-focused coverage with the use of AI. The results are impressive, with Google claiming marketers are seeing 27 percent more conversions.
Not that Google is resting on its laurels. The search giant is making a series of improvements to PMax by:
Optimizing broad matches by 10% for advertisers using smart bidding
Adding the ability to see ad performance by creative and placement details
Implementing YouTube exclusions
Introducing a profit optimization goal in Smart Bidding, which optimizes for profit using data from cart-level conversions and your Merchant Center account
If you already have paid media campaigns set up, there are several third-party platforms that let you leverage AI to improve campaign performance. These include Trapica and Adsmurai.
What do all the AI leaps mean for paid media marketers? Well, the role is evolving. The advent of AI simplifying tasks like content generation, bidding, and more means that there is less time spent on tedium and more time on higher-level tasks, with supervision for that AI output. Paid media professionals are becoming more a hybrid campaign/creative/strategy manager role.
FAQs
How have paid media trends shifted for healthcare recently?
Healthcare paid media has shifted from aggressive targeting and quick conversions to privacy-first, trust-driven marketing.
You can’t rely on hyper-targeting like before. Privacy rules and platform changes have limited how precisely you can track and target users. So the focus has moved to intent and context—think search queries, location, and content people are actively engaging with.
At the same time, the strategy has expanded beyond just paid search. Search still captures demand, but channels like YouTube, social, and even connected TV are now critical for building trust before someone ever clicks.
Content plays a bigger role too. Educational ads, doctor-led videos, and patient stories outperform hard “book now” pushes because healthcare decisions take time.
Bottom line: healthcare paid media isn’t just about driving clicks anymore. It’s about showing up early, building credibility, and staying visible until the patient is ready to act.
Conclusion
Paid media is one of the most dynamic and fast-paced marketing environments. Things can change significantly from month to month, and there are always new trends and platforms you can use to drive more revenue and generate higher returns on your investment.
New trends may not last, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be experimenting. You never know: Contextual advertising, short-form video, or in-app ads may be your new highest-converting channel.
Then it’s all about executing. And remember, the faster you execute, the better positioned you’ll be to take advantage of new paid marketing trends and digital marketing predictions in 2026 and beyond.
If you want even more insights on these upcoming trends, check out our full report on the NP Digital website.
Knowing how to measure marketing ROI requires moving beyond credit assignment toward causal proof. Attribution shows what happened; incrementality shows what marketing actually caused.
Marketing leaders face structural visibility gaps from walled gardens, cross-device behavior, offline conversions, and AI-mediated discovery that no single tool can fully account for.
Marketing investment ROI looks different at different funnel stages. Lower-funnel channels support high statistical confidence. Upper-funnel activity requires directional signals and longer evaluation windows.
The payback curve problem means short reporting cycles systematically under-value brand and upper-funnel investment, even when those channels drive the most long-term growth.
Learning velocity matters as much as measurement precision. A confident direction pursued quickly outperforms a perfect answer that arrives too late.
The Real Measurement Challenge CMOs Face
The core challenge in figuring out how to measure marketing ROI is not a lack of data. Most marketing teams have more data than they can act on. The challenge is that the data they have mostly reflects activity, not impact. And the visibility gaps that matter most are structural, not fixable with a better dashboard or a new marketing measurement plan.
Consider what falls outside standard analytics. Walled garden platforms like Google, Meta, and Amazon run their own measurement systems optimized to report performance favorably within their ecosystems. Cross-device behavior means a buyer who saw an ad on mobile and converted on desktop may never be connected in a single attribution path. Offline conversions, from phone calls to in-store visits to deals closed in a CRM, are underrepresented or missing entirely. Private sharing channels, where recommendations travel through direct messages and group chats, show up as direct traffic if they register at all. And AI-mediated discovery, where a buyer forms a view of a brand through an AI-generated answer before ever visiting a website, leaves no footprint in standard reporting.
NP Digital research found that the average customer journey grew from 8.5 touchpoints in 2021 to 11.1 touchpoints in 2025. The interactions most likely to have shaped a purchase decision are the ones least likely to appear in a marketing report.
Marketing leaders who understand this stop expecting their measurement stack to show a complete picture. Instead they ask which signals are reliable enough to act on, which decisions require stronger proof, and where directional confidence is sufficient to move forward.
Attribution modeling remains one of the most widely used marketing measurement tools available, and it has a genuine role to play in day-to-day campaign management. The problem is that when it gets used to answer questions it was not built to answer.
Attribution shows which touchpoints preceded a conversion. It does not show whether those touchpoints caused the conversion. That distinction sounds subtle, but it has significant implications for budget decisions. When Airbnb paused its performance marketing budget, bookings did not drop. When Uber cut spend in certain channels, rider acquisition was largely unaffected. In both cases, the attribution system had been crediting spend for outcomes that would have occurred regardless. The marketing was capturing demand, not creating it.
The questions leadership most often asks are precisely the ones attribution cannot answer reliably. Did this campaign generate new demand, or intercept demand that already existed? Would revenue have changed if this activity had not run? Which channels are actually changing the economics of the business? These are questions about causality. Attribution is built around correlation.
According to NP Digital research, nearly 47 percent of marketers lack confidence in their current attribution model. Yet most organizations still use attribution reports as the primary input for strategic budget decisions. Understanding where attribution blind spots appear is the first step toward building a marketing measurement plan that can support those decisions more reliably.
The Four Questions Modern Marketing Measurement Must Answer
Rather than starting with a dashboard, high-growth marketing organizations start with a set of diagnostic questions. These questions function as decision filters, helping leaders separate marketing activity from actual business impact. They come directly from how to measure marketing ROI in a way that connects to causal outcomes rather than credited touchpoints.
What is the incremental conversion lift? This asks not how many conversions occurred, but how many would not have occurred without the marketing spend. The gap between attributed conversions and incremental ones reveals how much of reported performance reflects demand capture rather than demand creation.
What is the incremental search impact? If branded search volume rises following a campaign, what created that lift? Upstream video, social, or content investment often generates the demand that search later captures. Understanding this connection changes how upper-funnel spend gets evaluated.
What attribution redistribution is occurring? Referral traffic spikes or conversion rate improvements in one channel sometimes reflect credit shifting between paths rather than genuine growth. Identifying redistribution separates real gains from accounting changes.
Where is attributed alienation occurring? At what point does frequency, promotional dependency, or margin compression start producing negative incremental lift? Channels that look efficient in aggregate can be actively eroding value at the margin.
These questions are not new KPIs to add to a dashboard. They are the lens through which marketing investment ROI gets evaluated honestly. For teams building this capability from scratch, tracking content marketing ROI using incremental rather than attributed signals is a practical place to start, since content often influences conversions across multiple subsequent touchpoints.
Matching Measurement Standards to Funnel Position
One of the most common errors in building a marketing measurement plan is applying the same standards of statistical rigor to every channel, regardless of where it sits in the funnel. Lower-funnel and upper-funnel activity operate on fundamentally different timescales and produce fundamentally different signal quality.
Lower-funnel channels, including branded search, retargeting, and conversion-focused paid campaigns, generate fast, measurable feedback. Requiring 95 percent statistical confidence before acting on their results is appropriate. The signal is clear, the data is abundant, and underperformance should be addressed quickly.
Upper-funnel channels work differently. Video, brand campaigns, content, and influencer partnerships create future demand. Their effects develop gradually, often appearing as increased branded search volume, improved conversion rates, or lower customer acquisition costs weeks or months later. Requiring the same level of statistical certainty from channels with 8- to 12-week lag times means cutting potentially effective strategies before they can prove themselves.
This creates a pattern NP Digital research consistently surfaces: teams reduce upper-funnel investment because it lacks immediate proof, then experience declining lower-funnel efficiency as the demand pipeline weakens. SEO ROI follows a similar curve. Organic search investment can take months to produce measurable returns, but teams that cut it during that window often see compounding downstream effects on paid efficiency.
The practical approach is tiered standards matched to funnel position. Lower-funnel channels require high confidence before spending continues or scales. Upper-funnel channels can be evaluated at 50 to 60 percent directional confidence, supported by leading indicators like branded search lift, engagement rate trends, and downstream conversion rate improvements.
The Payback Curve Problem
A related challenge in knowing how to measure marketing ROI is what happens when budgets shift toward channels with longer payback periods. Most organizations evaluate all marketing activity on the same weekly or monthly reporting cadence, regardless of how long each channel takes to deliver its full value. This creates a systematic bias against the investments that often produce the most long-term growth.
Direct-response channels like paid search and retargeting deliver 80 to 90 percent of their value within the first week. Email and owned media deliver 60 to 70 percent within the first two weeks. Paid social and display activity produces 50 to 60 percent of its value in the first three weeks, with a long tail extending to 8 to 12 weeks. Video and brand investment delivers only 30 to 40 percent of its value in the first month, with the majority accruing over three to six months.
When marketing spend shifts toward longer-payback channels, weekly performance declines by design. The scrutiny does not. Teams that understand their channel-level payback curves can model expected performance rather than reacting to short-term dips. Teams that do not understand them tend to cut upper-funnel investment at exactly the point where it would have begun producing downstream returns.
Building a dual-view reporting approach helps address this directly. Reporting what happened this week alongside what the model projects based on payback curves gives leadership the context to evaluate performance honestly. This is a core component of unified marketing measurement, where multiple methods and timeframes are combined into a single coherent view of marketing performance rather than a collection of disconnected channel reports.
Why Directional Confidence Often Beats Perfect Precision
Waiting for certainty before acting is one of the most reliable ways to lose ground in modern marketing. How to measure marketing ROI is partly a question of marketing investment ROI, but it is equally a question of decision speed. A model with 60 percent directional confidence, acted on quickly and iterated frequently, consistently outperforms a perfect answer that arrives a quarter too late.
Incrementality testing and geo experiments are the most reliable ways to build directional confidence without waiting for statistical perfection. A well-designed geo holdout can validate whether a channel is generating causal lift within a matter of weeks. The result may not be 95 percent certain, but it is far more useful for a budget decision than months of attribution reporting that cannot establish causality at all.
Rapid iteration compounds this advantage. Organizations that run frequent, smaller experiments build measurement capability faster than those waiting to design the perfect study. Each test produces a documented methodology that makes the next one cheaper and faster. Over 12 to 18 months, this creates a meaningful gap in decision quality between organizations that have built this muscle and those still relying primarily on attribution.
Learning velocity, the rate at which an organization converts experiments into better decisions, matters as much as the precision of any individual measurement. The teams gaining ground are the ones that have made experimentation a routine part of how they allocate budget, not a special project triggered by a performance crisis.
What This Means for Modern Marketing Leaders
The shift in how to measure marketing ROI comes down to three practical changes in how marketing leaders operate. Each one moves measurement closer to the capital allocation decisions that actually matter.
First, prioritize causal insight over attribution reports for strategic decisions. Attribution has a role in day-to-day optimization, but it should not be the primary input when deciding where to increase or decrease investment at a channel level. Incrementality testing and marketing measurement tools that surface marginal returns give a more reliable picture of where the next dollar will produce incremental growth.
Second, allocate budget based on marginal impact rather than blended performance. A channel running at strong average ROAS may be saturated at the margin. A channel with weaker blended numbers may have significant headroom. Understanding where diminishing returns begin is what separates organizations optimizing toward real growth from those optimizing toward the appearance of it. This is the core of unified marketing measurement: combining MMM, incrementality, and attribution signals to see the full picture rather than any single view in isolation.
Third, build experimentation into the operating rhythm rather than treating it as a special project. Weekly budget decisions based on directional evidence outperform quarterly reallocations based on attribution. Organizations that run incrementality tests regularly, document the results, and apply those learnings to subsequent decisions accumulate a structural advantage that compounds over time.
FAQs
What Is ROI in Marketing?
Marketing ROI, or return on investment, measures the revenue generated relative to what was spent on marketing. The basic formula is (revenue attributed to marketing minus marketing cost) divided by marketing cost. In practice, meaningful marketing investment ROI analysis goes beyond this formula to account for which revenue was incremental, what the margin on that revenue was, and how long it took to recover the initial spend.
How Do You Measure Marketing Success?
Measuring marketing success depends on which question you need to answer. For operational performance, platform metrics and attribution data provide fast feedback. For strategic decisions about where to invest, incrementality testing and marketing mix modeling give more reliable signals. A complete marketing measurement plan uses both, matched to the type of decision being made.
What Is a Good Marketing ROI?
There is no universal benchmark for good marketing ROI because it depends heavily on margins, customer lifetime value, and payback period. A channel delivering 3x ROAS with strong retention and high margins may outperform a channel at 6x ROAS where customers churn quickly and margins are thin. Evaluating ROI in the context of customer value and payback period gives a more accurate picture than any single ratio.
How Do You Improve Marketing ROI?
Improving marketing investment ROI typically comes from three places: identifying and cutting spend in channels that are capturing existing demand rather than creating new demand; reallocating toward channels with demonstrated incremental lift; and building upper-funnel investment that reduces customer acquisition costs downstream. Incrementality testing is the most reliable tool for identifying which of these opportunities exists in your specific channel mix.
Conclusion
Knowing how to measure marketing ROI has always required judgment alongside data. What has changed is that the data itself has become less reliable as a standalone guide. Attribution models over-credit demand capture. Platform dashboards optimize within closed ecosystems. Blended ROAS hides where spending stops working. And the channels doing the most to build future demand are often the ones that look weakest in a standard report.
The organizations closing this gap are building unified marketing measurement approaches that combine causal proof with directional confidence, match standards to funnel position, and make budget decisions at a cadence that reflects how fast markets actually move.
If you are building this capability, start with the questions before the tools. Identifying which decisions your current stack cannot support is more valuable than adopting new marketing measurement tools before you know what gaps they need to fill. And for teams beginning with organic and content investment, this breakdown of content marketing ROI applies the same incremental thinking to channels that are often the hardest to measure and the most underfunded as a result.
http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png00Dubado Solutionshttp://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.pngDubado Solutions2026-04-15 07:00:002026-04-15 07:00:00How Smart CMOs Decide Where the Next Marketing Dollar Goes
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