PPC advertising has never stood still.
Efficiency, scalability, and smart automation are now essential for success, but that wasn’t always the case.
When I started more than 15 years ago, campaign management meant adjusting CPCs by a cent or two at the keyword level – manually.
Since then, the role of a PPC specialist has changed dramatically.
The biggest shift has been the rise of automation and AI.
This article covers how AI can take over repetitive tasks and open new possibilities.
It also takes a closer look at Cursor, a platform that combines automation, AI, and scripting to help advertisers work faster without losing control or flexibility.
You don’t need to be a developer to get started – though a little technical knowledge still helps in understanding what AI is building for you.
New possibilities for PPC automation with Cursor
Most PPC tools are built for a narrow purpose, but Cursor takes a different approach.
It isn’t a dedicated PPC platform like Optmyzr or TrueClicks.
It’s an AI-powered coding environment with a user-friendly interface that makes advanced scripting accessible to anyone.
That flexibility is what makes it so valuable for PPC professionals.
By combining AI integration, scripting, data analysis, and reporting in one interface, Cursor gives you the freedom to create solutions tailored to their needs.
Let’s examine how these capabilities work in practice – automating scripts, analyzing data, and building custom tools.
1. Automate your account with scripts
One of Cursor’s biggest advantages is the ability to write automated scripts without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
You can easily set up scripts for common PPC tasks, such as:
Collecting Google Ads data.
Optimizing bidding strategies.
Adding negative keywords.
Even though scripting is not new, the way Cursor does it is impressive.
Where other AI tools like ChatGPT used to produce many errors while generating scripts, Cursor makes almost no mistakes.
It’s also significantly faster than ChatGPT.
Additionally, it’s very easy to connect Cursor to your GitHub account or specific APIs (such as the Google Ads API) to execute your scripts correctly within the Google Ads interface.
It’s worth noting that GPT-5 also makes script generation in ChatGPT more effective.
While countless examples of PPC scripts already exist online, the possibilities with Cursor remain virtually limitless.
Whether it’s adding automations (i.e., automatically adjusting campaign settings based on data loaded into a spreadsheet at a fixed time) or reporting (i.e., automatically exporting campaign data to a spreadsheet with feedback from an LLM system), the potential applications are wide-ranging.
Dig deeper: How to vibe code for PPC: Building a seasonality analysis tool
2. Integrate external data sources for analysis
One of Cursor’s most valuable features is its ability to analyze data for you.
PPC campaigns require continuous optimization, and gaining insight into the performance of keywords, ads, and budgets is essential.
You can easily upload or connect data in your Cursor account and analyze it alongside other external data sources.
For example, you could connect weather data online – using the right API credentials – to your own datasets or scripts.
Cursor performs the analysis, presents the outcomes, and offers optimization suggestions.
Here’s an example from my experience.
For a herbs-and-spices website that functions both as a webshop and a recipe resource, we used Cursor to combine historical client data with the recipes database.
We asked the system to generate a spreadsheet showing which recipes could be made from the products customers had purchased.
Using that information, we created a dynamic email campaign.
Each recipient received a message such as:
“Hi, you’ve bought product X – did you know you could make recipe Y with it?”
This was paired with a discount code.
Dig deeper: Top AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC
3. Build your own tools
Cursor also enables the creation of custom tools, websites, or web apps.
Its strength lies in excellent coding capabilities, partly thanks to integration with virtually all relevant LLM models, including Gemini, GPT-5, and Claude.
As a PPC specialist, there are several possibilities. For example:
Geert Groot built his own MCC dashboard tool, allowing all his clients to view data in real time – or, by entering keywords, instantly receive ad suggestions that can be uploaded to their accounts with a single click via the Google Ads API.
Alfred Simon developed a tool to improve images in his shopping feed. These examples illustrate the range of applications
Frederick Vallaeys has shared additional use cases as well.
With these capabilities in hand, the next step is understanding how adopting AI tools like Cursor can transform your PPC workflow.
Dig deeper: AI agents in PPC: What to know and build today
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
See terms.
Embracing AI-powered automation tools like Cursor
The pace of change in PPC is accelerating, and the landscape will only grow more complex in the coming years.
Now is the time to embrace AI and automation to remain effective and relevant as a PPC specialist.
PPC specialists who adopt these technologies can achieve better results while working more efficiently and saving time.
Beyond staying current with new developments, AI frees you to focus on higher-value tasks – like account strategy – rather than repetitive, time-consuming work that often drains energy.
This applies not only to Cursor but to AI tools in general.
What you shouldn’t expect
AI is still AI. A human touch remains essential. Guide AI as effectively as possible.
For example, when creating Google Ads scripts with Cursor, be sure to tell the system where to find the script documentation.
This ensures the tool uses the official Google Developers documentation as a reference, significantly reducing the risk of errors.
How to get started
Cursor can feel overwhelming at first. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the interface before diving in.
Before building scripts or web apps, clearly define what you want to create. Don’t start coding from scratch without a plan.
As Mike Rhodes advises, don’t try to jump straight from step 1 to step 100.
Take it step by step – the chance of success is much higher this way.
Members of the community are already building software with tools like Cursor or Loveable and, in some cases, selling it to vendors.
This approach can save money while providing a highly personalized tool or script.
If you aren’t exploring tools like Cursor, you may be missing out.
Set aside time in your schedule and start (vibe)coding!