Search Is Changing. Is Your Programmatic Strategy Ready?

Remember when “search strategy” meant buying some branded keywords and calling it a day? That era is over. Today, search is a behavior, not just a channel—and it’s morphing fast thanks to AI, new platforms, and a serious decline in link-clicking.

For programmatic advertisers, this isn’t just a curiosity. It’s a data problem, a targeting opportunity, and a wake-up call.

So let’s talk about what’s changed, what it means for your DSP setup, and how to make search-inspired programmatic your next leading advantage.

From Google to Generative: The New Rules of Search

We’ve entered the era of AI-generated search answers and alternative search platforms—and the implications for advertisers are massive.

Here’s what’s happening:

• Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) replaces traditional results with AI summaries, pushing organic and paid links even further down the page.
  
• Internet users are increasingly using TikTok and Instagram as search engines, especially for discovery-led queries like restaurants, travel, and products.
  
• Tools like Perplexity.ai, ChatGPT, and Arc Search now serve as personalized research assistants—surfacing information without sending users to actual web pages.
  

The result? Search behavior is splintering, traditional signals are disappearing, and the open web is less linear than ever.

Why Programmatic Needs to Pay Attention

It’s tempting to think this shift affects only SEM teams. But here’s the catch:

Search intent fuels audience data. And audience data powers programmatic targeting.

So when the shape of search changes, so do the building blocks of effective DSP campaigns. Here’s how:

Signal Loss

AI summaries and zero-click search experiences reduce web traffic and cookie-based data, weakening traditional intent signals that programmatic platforms rely on.

Channel Crossover

If product discovery starts on TikTok or YouTube Shorts, your media plan needs to reflect that—through omnichannel DSP strategies that include mobile video, native, as well as social media’s creator-aligned environments.

Context Collapse

When users no longer click to content-rich environments, contextual advertising becomes trickier—but also more important. AI-fueled targeting engines must understand nuance, sentiment, and even emotional resonance to place effective ads.

So… What Can Advertisers Do?

Let’s get tactical. Here are four ways to align your programmatic media strategy with the way search works now—not in 2018.

1. Rethink Contextual as a Signal Strategy

Search behavior today is all about context—intent, environment, and emotion. And that makes contextual targeting more important than ever.

In CTV, Viant’s integration with IRIS.TV enables emotion-level targeting by understanding the mood and meaning of the content next to your ad. That’s a big win in a world where viewers scroll past irrelevant messages in milliseconds.

While IRIS.TV is CTV-specific, the lesson applies broadly: context is a powerful proxy for intent—especially as cookies and clickstreams become harder to track.

2. Sync with Search Teams for Real-Time Planning

Your search team is sitting on a goldmine of intent signals. Don’t wait for the QBR—get that intel now.

You can use rising queries to:

• Build timely custom audience segments
  
• Refresh creative to match live consumer interests
  
• Adjust messaging for trending phrases and product categories
  

Example: A spike in “quiet luxury fashion” might spark a mid-funnel display campaign that reflects that aesthetic—even if users never click an ad.

3. Use First-Party Search Data as Audience Fuel

If your brand collects on-site search queries, product filters, or FAQ interactions, those insights can become custom programmatic audiences via the Viant Data Platform.

Think of it as building “micro-intent groups” based on real-time needs—like “DIYers searching for soundproofing” or “travelers looking for pet-friendly hotels.” Then reach them across channels like display, mobile, and digital audio.

4. Track Discovery Trends on Social Search Platforms

Search is now visual, social, and often silent. Users are discovering products through creator content, short-form video, and algorithmic surfacing—not just typing into Google.

Use tools like:

• Collab
  
• Exploding Topics
  
• Google Trends
  

…to spot interest spikes that can shape creative strategy, budget allocation, and new audience segments.

Whether it’s “beachcore” aesthetics or “compression luggage” before summer travel, programmatic teams can act faster if they’re tuned in.

TL;DR: Search Is a Signal. Programmatic Is the Response.

Search is no longer a siloed channel. It’s an ever-evolving ecosystem of intent, context, and behavior—and the smartest advertisers are using it to shape their entire media strategy.

So here’s your new mantra:

• Don’t just “optimize” for search.
  

Listen to it. Learn from it. Build around it.