Why Search and Shopping ads stop scaling without demand

If you’ve spent any time in PPC communities, Reddit threads, Slack groups, or conference Q&As, you’ve probably noticed a recurring frustration: “Google Ads isn’t scaling. It’s not working, and we’re stuck.”

On the surface, everything looks fine. The campaigns are running, impression share is high, shopping feeds are clean, and budgets are flowing. But growth isn’t materializing.

This isn’t usually about “broken campaigns” – it’s about the limits of demand.

In niche markets or categories shaped by seasonality, growth is naturally capped.

Yes, running broad match or AI Max can expand your reach to adjacent queries, so impression share might not literally be 95%.

But these campaigns are still only capturing demand that already exists. Once you’ve covered the pool of relevant searches, you can’t spend your way into more.

That’s the uncomfortable truth: Google Ads doesn’t create demand. It captures it.

If fewer people are searching this month, or if your category naturally has a small audience, your results will reflect that.

You can dominate what’s there, but you can’t conjure demand out of thin air.

So when growth stalls, the real question isn’t “What’s wrong with Google Ads?” but “What are we doing to create demand that fuels future searches?”

Let’s call Search and Shopping what they are: demand capture channels.

They’re excellent for getting in front of people when they’re ready to buy, or at least actively researching. But they are reactive by design.

Ads only appear once someone types a query. No query, no ad.

That’s why impression share (IS) can be deceptive.

A 90% IS looks like you’re winning (and you are). But if there are only 500 relevant searches in your market this month, you’ll never scale to 5,000 clicks just by raising bids.

Broad match and campaigns like AI Max can stretch coverage by surfacing adjacent queries.

But these still rely on intent. If nobody is searching for related terms, there’s nothing to match against.

Contrast this with platforms like Meta or TikTok, where more budget literally means more reach.

Search doesn’t work that way. It’s not a demand generator – it’s a closer.

Where demand really comes from

So if Search and Shopping can’t create demand, what does?

Marketers have long grouped channels into three buckets: owned, earned, and paid.

It’s old-school terminology, but it’s still the most practical way to break down where demand actually originates.

If Search and Shopping are just there to capture demand at the end, you need to understand which levers create it upstream.

Owned

These are the channels you control: your website, email, content, and CRM. They don’t usually create brand-new demand, but they’re critical for nurturing it.

Think of a D2C brand running a simple “VIP early access” sign-up before Black Friday. That list fuels branded searches once the sale goes live.

Or a SaaS company publishing an FAQ blog that shows up for early research queries, nudging prospects who later Google the brand directly.

Owned channels ensure that once curiosity is sparked, it’s effectively nurtured toward a search.

Earned

These are the channels you don’t directly pay for: PR mentions, SEO visibility, reviews, organic social, and word of mouth.

A product that lands in a holiday gift guide? Branded searches spike the next week.

A TikTok that goes viral organically? Google Trends charts it days later.

Positive Trustpilot reviews? They push people back to Google to check your site or compare pricing.

Earned channels matter because they carry credibility. They don’t just spark curiosity; they make people trust you enough to type your name into the search bar.

Paid

Paid media includes both demand-capture channels (Search and Shopping) and demand-creation channels.

Search and Shopping capture existing intent, but platforms like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Display create it.

These channels don’t wait for someone to type a query, they put your brand in front of people who weren’t already looking.

• A TikTok showing your product in action.
• A YouTube pre-roll highlighting your brand story.
• A Pinterest ad that lands on someone’s gift board weeks before purchase.

These sparks generate curiosity, which later turn into branded searches.

While broad match and Performance Max might unearth “new” queries, they’re still intent-driven.

The real creation happens upstream, through paid channels designed to spark awareness.

Dig deeper: How paid, earned, shared, and owned media shape generative search visibility

The funnel without the fluff

You’ve likely heard this before, but it’s worth being specific about where Search and Shopping actually fit.

They’re strongest at conversion, but they also show up during the consideration phase of the buyer’s journey, when people are still comparing options.

Here’s how the funnel really works.

Awareness

This is the stage where people first notice you exist.

For example, a skincare brand could run TikTok ads showing its serum in action, or a B2B SaaS company might run YouTube pre-roll explaining a popular platform feature.

In retail, a promoted Pinterest pin could land on someone’s gift board long before purchase.

Tip: This is where Meta video campaigns, TikTok ads, YouTube pre-roll, Pinterest-promoted pins, PR placements, and influencer content live. These channels don’t wait for intent – they spark it.

Consideration

During this stage, people compare, research, and explore.

For example, that skincare shopper might read reviews, sign up for “early access,” and later search “best vitamin C serum.”

In B2B, a prospect could download a case study and then Google “top CRM tools for small businesses.”

Tip: This is where generic search campaigns (e.g., “best ” or “affordable Google Ads”), shopping ads with comparison queries, CRM nurture flows, SEO content, and retargeting via Meta/display/YouTube come in. This stage is about reassurance, education, and visibility while the prospect weighs their choices.

Conversion

The stage where people buy. For example, two weeks after first becoming aware of the brand, the skincare shopper searches “Brand X serum” and buys via Shopping.

After much comparison, the B2B prospect searches “[Vendor name] pricing” and completes a demo-request form.

Tip: This is where branded search, high-intent shopping queries, retargeting to cart abandoners, and PMax remarketing close the deal.

That’s why the funnel matters. If you only play at conversion, you miss those critical mid-funnel searches where people decide between you and your competitors.

Skip awareness and consideration, and your funnel isn’t a funnel at all – it’s a drinking straw. 

What to do when search hits its ceiling

When growth stalls, the solution isn’t “spend more on search.” It’s fuelling demand earlier.

Here’s how to do exactly that, broken up by budget level.

If you’re working with smaller budgets, focus on high-leverage plays:

• Grow your CRM list: Run simple lead-gen ads, like “sign up for early access” or “exclusive drops.” Even $300-$500 on Meta can build a list that costs nothing to email later.
• Run warm-up campaigns: Low-cost video or carousel ads on Meta or TikTok build remarketing pools you can retarget with cheaper Google Display or YouTube Ads.
• Optimize your site: Gift guides, FAQs, delivery cut-offs. A poor landing page wastes every click you’ve fought for.
• Keep remarketing switched on: Display, YouTube, or PMax remarketing switched on is often cheaper than chasing new clicks in search.

If you’ve got bigger budgets, play full-funnel:

• Run always-on awareness: Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest. Sequence your creative by teasing early, revealing mid-season, and then pushing offers when intent peaks.
• Segment your CRM properly: VIPs deserve exclusives. Lapsed buyers need reactivation. Gift shoppers want bundles. Tailor the journeys.
• Invest in influencers and PR: Gift guides, unboxings, trend-driven content. These placements fuel branded search demand faster than any keyword tweak.
• Personalize your site: Recommendation engines and dynamic content keep people on the path to purchase.

Things everyone should check:

• Check impression share: If you’re at 90%+, you’re near the ceiling. Broad match and AI Max might stretch coverage, but they won’t invent intent.
• Track branded search: If branded queries aren’t rising, awareness is flat.
• Keep remarketing on: It’s the lowest-hanging fruit.

Assets you need in place

Fix the basics before you pour money into awareness. Demand creation is wasted if your funnel leaks.

At a minimum, you need proper creative assets. Don’t just think about “a video” or “a few images.”

Different platforms require different formats and sizes, and if you don’t prepare variations, you’ll either be stuck with auto-cropping or miss placements altogether.

• Meta: Vertical (Reels/Stories), square (Feed), and landscape (In-stream).
• TikTok: Full-screen vertical, with captions/subtitles baked in as sound-off viewing is common.
• YouTube: Horizontal 16:9 ratio for standard placements, but also vertical Shorts for mobile audiences.
• Pinterest: Vertical lifestyle imagery tends to outperform product-only shots.
• Display: Responsive formats mean you should plan both text + multiple image ratios so the algorithm has variety to test.

For small brands, this doesn’t mean expensive shoots. Scrappy user-generated content can be repurposed across platforms if you plan with aspect ratios in mind.

For bigger brands, building a creative matrix – every concept mapped across different formats and funnel stages – ensures consistency and saves on reshoots.

Landing pages

Don’t send awareness traffic to a generic homepage. Build pages that:

• Answer FAQs
• Highlight delivery cut-offs (critical in Q4)
• Showcase bundles or gift guides for seasonal shoppers
• For B2B: Tailor landing pages to industries or personas

CRM setup

Even a simple nurture flow is better than nothing. Capture the email at the awareness/consideration stage and follow up.

Larger brands should run segmentation and automated journeys:

• VIPs: Exclusives.
• Lapsed buyers: Reactivation flows.
• Prospects: Educational sequences.

These assets make sure that when demand is created, it actually converts instead of leaking out of the funnel.

AI: Helpful, but not a shortcut

AI is everywhere right now. Tools like Performance Max, AI Max, and creative generators are powerful.

Used well, AI can save time and scale execution.

For example, generative AI can help brainstorm dozens of ad copy variations that you then refine for brand fit.

Or it can automate repetitive tasks, such as analyzing search term reports or adjusting bids, freeing you up to focus on strategy.

However, AI doesn’t change the rules of demand. It still relies on intent already being there. And if you let it run unchecked, you risk losing what makes your brand stand out.

Search Engine Land has repeatedly warned about this: over-reliance on AI can result in generic creative that lacks voice and originality, blending your ads into the crowd.

Think of AI as an accelerator: It can speed up execution, but it can’t define your brand, audience, or strategy. That still requires a human marketer.

Making it real for stakeholders, measuring demand creation

If you’re explaining this to a board or client, keep it simple:

• Lead with this: Search responds to demand; it doesn’t generate it.
• Show them impression share: If you’re already at 90%+, the problem isn’t coverage – it’s demand.
• Point to branded search trends: Flat branded queries mean flat awareness.
• Highlight competitor activity: Show where rivals are fuelling demand – Meta, TikTok, PR, or Pinterest. That’s why their branded search traffic is rising.

Don’t just show performance data. Show where the demand gap is.

Branded search is the clearest signal, but it isn’t the only one. Look at:

• Direct traffic: More people typing your URL into their browser means brand awareness is working.
• Organic search traffic (non-branded): If this grows, your content is pulling people in who may later convert via paid.
• Social engagement and reach: Demand creation platforms build traction, even if the final conversion happens in Google.

Ultimately, owned, earned, and upper-funnel paid activity all create demand; Search and Shopping are there to capture it.

The ceiling isn’t Google Ads – it’s demand

The truth is, this is the direction PPC is heading.

Query growth is flattening, AI search is reshaping how results appear, and brand demand is becoming the real performance lever.

The next time someone says, “Google Ads isn’t driving traffic,” flip the question on them: Was there any demand to capture in the first place?

Because if you’re only running Search and Shopping, you can’t grow beyond the demand that already exists.

The brands that win aren’t the ones squeezing bids and obsessing over CPC swings.

They’re the ones consistently fuelling demand upstream: awareness, SEO, content, influencers, CRM, video, and social – all working together to prime the market.

So when growth stalls, the real question isn’t, “What’s wrong with Google Ads?” It’s “What are we doing to create demand that fuels future searches?”