Author

Daniel Stenitzer

Head of Paid Media

It is March, and that means Friends of Search returned to the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam for the 2025 edition. Last editions’ main topics revolved around Performance Max, profit and growth , first-party data and obviously AI. This year, PPC veterans like Frederick Vallaeys, Mike Rhodes and Andrew Lolk spoke about DTC, MMM, scalability, and you guessed it, AI (agents). We take you beyond the buzz words and jargon and share our main takeaways from FOS2025.

At Friends of Search 2025, we learned that everyone should embrace AI and use it to their best advantage. Not doing so will mean your competition will surpass you sooner or later. AI can help free up time and resources to focus on the things that really move the needle for your business. Therefore, we need to adopt new and bold strategies to stand out from the rest. Or, as Frederick Vallaeys calls it, unlevel the playing field. Mike Rhodes laid out the route to AI-adoption in your marketing strategy, and Rand Fishkin provided a sobering counter perspective, showing that most consumers are still very much stuck in their old ways.

Stretching the possibilities of AI

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, it’s not about competing against AI itself, but rather against those who have effectively integrated AI into their strategies and operations. This shift necessitates a reimagining of conventional practices and an exploration of innovative approaches to leverage AI’s potential fully. Frederick Vallaeys had some hot takes on this.

Five predictions for an AI-driven future:

  • The demise of keywords: Traditional keyword-based search strategies will become obsolete as Large Language Models (LLMs) develop the ability to create personalized knowledge repositories and build intricate libraries of user-specific information.
  • The end of landing pages: The way users interact with search results will be transformed, as conversational AI models facilitate deeper exploration and understanding compared to traditional search engine results pages.
  • Conversion flows designed for AI agents: As Computer-Using Agents (CUAs) become more sophisticated in performing tasks on behalf of users, businesses will need to adapt their conversion flows to cater to both human users and AI agents. This raises questions about the optimal design and structure of web pages and processes to ensure seamless interactions for all types of users.
  • Content as the new data: While users may consume less content overall, the demand for high-quality, informative content will increase as GenAI models require vast amounts of data to function effectively. This raises questions about the purpose and target audience of content creation, as well as the most effective strategies for storing and organizing data to optimize AI performance.

AI is a game-changer but requires action

Mike Rhodes added a few more interesting takes on the rise of AI in paid search and marketing in general. 

  • AI is a game-changer but requires action.
  • Be proactive, not reactive—don’t wait for AI to be perfect.
  • Use AI to free up time, increase efficiency, and unlock new business opportunities.

To summarize, AI will redefine industries just like past technological revolutions—are you going to embrace it or be left behind?

The human factor in marketing

Jyll Saskin, Lottie Namakando and Sam Tomlinson among others showed where humans will still play a major role in successful marketing. The advanced audiences strategies that Jyll Saskin explained, demonstrated that knowing your target audience and understanding their needs, wants and the not so obvious signals you could be using to engage with them, require a deeper understanding of who they are and how to leverage this within your Google Ads-strategy.

Campaign results should not only be evaluated on your own strategies and tactics, but also on what your competitors did in that same time period, according to Lottie Namakando. Next to that, human behaviour plays an important role in the success of your campaigns. Choice overload and decision fatigue can play a major role in achieving your goals or not. She therefore challenges marketers to stay on top of customer and competitor trends by looking at the past, present and future. This way, brands can put themselves in a position to adapt to changing market conditions.

Finally, Sam Tomlinson made an obvious yet very true statement by saying marketers must use common sense. AI, automation, algorithms are very good at doing exactly what you tell them to do. So, if you blindly follow recommendations made by AI, you put your campaigns in danger. Keep a focus on delivering actual business results instead of optimizing towards a technology if that technology is not delivering the desired results. One way to do this is with real business data that you pass back to the systems.

AI is present-day necessity

In conclusion, Friends of Search 2025 made it clear that AI is no longer a futuristic concept, but a present-day necessity for businesses looking to stay competitive. While AI offers immense potential to streamline processes, unlock new opportunities, and even revolutionize entire industries, its effective implementation requires proactive action and strategic thinking. The key takeaway is not to blindly follow AI’s recommendations, but to leverage it as a tool to enhance human expertise and decision-making. By understanding the nuances of both AI capabilities and human behaviour, and by focusing on delivering real business results, marketers can navigate the evolving landscape and ensure their strategies remain relevant and effective. The question remains: will you embrace this technological revolution or risk being left behind?