How to Combine Paid Social and Paid Search for Maximum ROI
For years, marketers treated paid social and paid search as separate silos—two different budgets, two different teams, and two different goals. But in 2025, the brands that win are those who connect these channels into one unified growth engine.
Why? Because your customer doesn’t think in silos. They bounce from a TikTok video to a Google search, from a YouTube ad to an Instagram Story, and back again before making a purchase. If your marketing strategy isn’t aligned across platforms, you’re losing efficiency and leaving revenue on the table.
The solution: paid social and paid search integration.
When you combine intent-driven search ads with awareness-driving social campaigns, you amplify results on both sides. Let’s break down the strategies that make this possible.
Strategy 1: Use Paid Social to Capture Demand Early
Paid social excels at sparking curiosity and driving discovery. It’s often the first touchpoint in your customer’s journey. By running creative that educates, entertains, or inspires, you put your product in front of people before they’ve even thought to search for it.
But here’s the catch: not everyone will click through and buy immediately. That’s where integration comes in. You need to design social ads that set up future search intent.
Hook with visuals: TikTok and Instagram ads that showcase your product in action plant a seed.
Build brand recall: Memorable creative ensures that when someone searches later, your brand is top of mind.
Track audience engagement: Monitor which ads generate clicks, saves, or comments. These signals help forecast which queries will spike on search.
In other words: let paid social create the spark, and paid search capture the fire.
Strategy 2: Use Paid Search to Harvest and Validate Demand
Paid search is where curiosity becomes intent. After a person sees your product on social, they often head to Google to learn more.
With the right integration, you can make sure your brand shows up at the exact moment they’re ready to act.
Bid on branded queries triggered by social campaigns to capture high-intent users.
Layer in non-branded terms tied to your ad creative themes. For example, if your TikTok ad highlights “eco-friendly sneakers,” run search ads against “best eco-friendly sneakers” and related terms.
Use search data to refine social creative. The keywords driving conversions tell you which benefits or features resonate most—perfect fodder for your next social campaign.
This closed loop ensures you’re not just generating awareness—you’re converting it into measurable ROI.
Strategy 3: Retarget and Reengage Across Channels
Here’s where the real magic of paid social and paid search integration happens: retargeting.
Your customer’s journey is messy. They might watch your TikTok on Monday, search for reviews on Tuesday, and still not purchase by Friday. If you’re not retargeting across both channels, you’re losing touch with them.
Social-to-search retargeting: Serve Google ads to users who engaged with your Instagram or TikTok ads but didn’t click through.
Search-to-social retargeting: If someone visits your site from Google Ads without converting, reengage them on Facebook or Instagram with fresh creative.
Unified audience lists: Use platforms like Google Ads’ Customer Match and Meta’s Custom Audiences to share data between channels for consistent follow-up.
This strategy doesn’t just improve conversion—it lowers acquisition costs by ensuring you’re only chasing warm leads.
Example: A DTC Skincare Brand
Imagine a direct-to-consumer skincare company launching a new serum.
Step 1 (Social): They run TikTok ads showing real customers using the serum with a “glow-up” theme. These ads spark curiosity and build brand awareness.
Step 2 (Search): A week later, searches for “serum for glowing skin” and the brand’s name spike. The company has Google Ads ready to capture both branded and non-branded terms.
Step 3 (Integration): People who click but don’t buy are retargeted with Instagram ads featuring testimonials and limited-time offers.
The result? The brand sees higher CTRs on Google, lower cost per acquisition on Meta, and an overall lift in revenue thanks to seamless integration.
Action Steps for Marketers
Audit your current setup: Map out your customer journey. Where do they first see your brand? When do they search? Where are the drop-offs?
Unify your reporting: Don’t measure paid social and paid search separately. Use a tool that shows you the combined impact.
Sync your teams: Align creative, messaging, and budget strategy across both channels.
Share audience data: Connect your search and social platforms to create shared retargeting lists.
Test, refine, repeat: Use search insights to inform social creative and vice versa.
The days of siloed marketing are over. If you want to win in 2025, you need paid social and paid search integration to deliver a consistent, efficient, and profitable customer journey.
By combining discovery with intent, and retargeting across both channels, you’ll not only capture more customers—you’ll do it at a lower cost and with higher ROI.
Ready to put this into action? Start by unifying your reporting and aligning your teams, and you’ll be on the path to stronger growth.
FAQ: Paid Social and Paid Search Integration
Q1: What is paid social and paid search integration?
A1: It’s the process of aligning social media ad campaigns with search engine ad campaigns so they support each other throughout the customer journey, from awareness to conversion.
Q2: Why is integration important in 2025?
A2: Consumers move seamlessly between platforms. Integration ensures your brand stays visible and consistent at every stage, maximizing ROI.
Q3: How does search data improve social ads?
A3: Search queries reveal what customers care about most. Feeding this data into social campaigns helps refine messaging, creative, and targeting.
Q4: What’s the biggest mistake marketers make?
A4: Running siloed campaigns. Treating social and search as separate channels leads to wasted ad spend and missed opportunities for retargeting.
