Digital advertisers love a good debate, and right now the question making the rounds sounds a lot like a tech-era “back in my day” story: is Google Ads better now, or was it better when it launched 25 years ago? The answer depends on who you ask, and how nostalgic they are for dial-up internet and simpler dashboards.
Google Ads didn’t start as today’s data-driven machine. In 2000, it was Google AdWords: text-only ads, manual bidding, and just 350 advertisers poking around. Marketers had full visibility into what worked, what tanked, and what needed adjusting.
It felt like running a lemonade stand with a spreadsheet and a dream. A paid ads agency back then didn’t need AI, just patience and caffeine. The trade-off? Scaling campaigns meant endless clicking, late nights, and very sore wrists.
Smarter targeting for every paid ads agency
Fast-forward to today and Google Ads resembles a polished, AI-fueled powerhouse. Automation runs the show through tools like Performance Max and Smart Bidding, while Gemini generates headlines, visuals, and video on autopilot.
A paid ads agency now spends less time adjusting bids and more time shaping strategy, audience signals, and creative direction. Tracking also evolved. With the rise of privacy rules and cookie loss, modeled conversions and first-party data rule the measurement conversation.
Some advertisers miss the old transparency; others cheer for the reach, efficiency, and targeting precision automation brings. Either way, Google Ads remains one of the top channels to reach professionals across Search, YouTube, Gmail, and millions of Display placements.
Real-world results from brands like Adobe, HubSpot, and IBM prove that using both Search and Display together drives stronger conversions and brand lift, especially when a paid ads agency fine-tunes the mix.
So was it better then or now? Depends whether you’d rather steer every dial yourself, or let AI take the wheel while you sip your coffee and let the paid ads agency handle the chaos.
