Paid Media Signals Heading Into 2026

Feb 16

Platform shifts, leadership updates, and what they signal for paid search performance.

Hi H Client!

As paid media platforms continue to consolidate formats and automate delivery, one trend is becoming clearer heading into 2026. Performance is increasingly driven by structure, intent alignment, and disciplined execution rather than one-off tactics or channel expansion.

This month’s Client Insider highlights two updates tied directly to that shift.

Paid Media Leadership Update

As platforms evolve, successful paid media programs are relying less on tactical workarounds and more on strong fundamentals. Clean account structure, service-level intent alignment, and consistent optimization now matter more than ever.

To support this direction, Jordan has joined Halstead as Paid Media Director.

Jordan brings more than 15 years of experience across paid search and paid media, including Google Ads, Meta, Microsoft Ads, and Local Service Ads. His background combines hands-on execution with team leadership, with a consistent focus on improving efficiency, reducing cost per lead, and building paid media programs that scale sustainably.

At Halstead, his role is centered on reinforcing what already works. This includes strengthening search strategy, improving consistency across accounts, and ensuring our paid media approach stays aligned with how platforms are prioritizing delivery and automation heading into 2026.

Google Call Ads: Platform Change

Google has officially announced that Call Ads, formerly call-only ads, will be phased out over the next year.

Timeline

February 2026: New call-only ads can no longer be created
February 2027: Existing call-only ads will stop running

This change reflects Google’s continued shift toward more flexible, AI-driven formats, specifically Responsive Search Ads paired with call assets, rather than standalone call-only placements.

While this update may sound significant, it confirms a direction we have already been operating within.

Our paid search strategy relies on call assets within search campaigns to support call-based lead generation where it makes sense. These assets remain fully supported and continue to drive call activity without loss of functionality or visibility.

Over the past several months, we also observed declining efficiency from call-only ads as Google shifted priority to other formats and proactively reduced or paused their use in accounts where performance dropped.

Search campaigns remain the foundation of our paid media strategy and are unaffected by this change. Your campaigns are already aligned with Google’s future direction, and no action is required on your part.

As always, we will continue monitoring platform changes closely and adjusting early to protect performance as these shifts continue.

Until Next Week,
Lauren Cullnan
Director of Client Happiness and Project Management