Is Google Ads Still Worth It in 2026 or Just Burning Budget?

Been running campaigns for a while, but lately things feel… different.


CPCs keep climbing, automation is taking over everything, and it seems like Google really wants everyone locked into Performance Max whether it fits or not.


What I’ve noticed:

• Feels like landing page quality + user intent matter way more than before
• Manual control is getting weaker (or maybe just less relevant?)
• Scaling isn’t as straightforward as it used to be

So I’m curious what others here are actually seeing in real campaigns:

• Are you still making solid profit with Google Ads in 2026?
• What’s currently working for you (campaign types, angles, niches)?
• Have you adapted your strategy or shifted budget to other platforms?

Not pitching anything here — just trying to understand where things really stand right now and what people are doing to stay profitable.

Are you using gpt to ask repeated questions?

I'm not sure if this is a bot question or not, but there are still people who work well with Google, you see, it still exists.

Honestly, despite all the changes, Google still feels like the most stable platform to me. Especially compared to some of the weird volatility and random behavior happening on Meta lately. It definitely feels more competitive now, but if the intent and landing page quality are strong, there’s still a lot of profit to be made in my opinion.

Part of it is the intense competition; for instance, with PPC advertising, you really need to keep a tight rein on your CPC

Yes google ads can still work as strong landing pages or good intent and proper tracking seem more important now and also test search vs pmax and compare results.