Current Global Uncertainty & How It Impacts PPC

Global uncertainty; economic turmoil; the rising cost-of-living. These are the big financial topics dominating the online marketing sector.

As consumers start to struggle with everything from their heating bills to a war in Europe, many have slowed down the spending habits that helped to artificially prop up online business during the pandemic.

“What is inflation” was recently one of the most searched phrases in the world. Google trends shows that this question has seen a vast increase in search interest within the UK, be that due to the cost of living crisis, fuel shortage in Europe, or the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Over the last six months, there has been a very clear and emerging trend as we receive reports that organic search results have also started to plummet. Indeed, as consumer confidence crashes, so does search intent, while the cost of living crisis continues to have an immeasurable impact.

If external factors are too great of an issue, then traditional PPC and SEO won’t work as smoothly as it did during the pandemic boom . Businesses from across the globe are seeing lower demand and decreased search volume for search terms that were once the main drivers of their PPC and SEO. 

As a result, competition in the PPC and digital marketing industry is heating up with search volume decreasing – and global uncertainty mixed with an uncertain financial landscape is forcing consumers to tighten their belts.