Aaron YoungGoogle Ads Coach | Define Digital Academy

Google Ads is NOT the next Yellow Pages

10 Aug 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:13

In this YouTube excerpt, Speaker A argues that Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is on a decline comparable to the Yellow Pages, claiming they no longer use Google for searches. Aaron Young counters, emphasizing that the platform has evolved beyond simple search ads. He highlights the 2018 rebranding to Google Ads, its deep integration with Google Maps, the emergence of Gemini and other large language models that will host ads, and the massive reach of YouTube. Young asserts that these ecosystem components make Google Ads a living, adaptable advertising channel, not a dying medium, and warns business owners against ignoring its potential.

Chapters

Google AdWords, as we sit right now, is in the same place that the Yellow Pages were in 2001. You have to pay attention to this. This is really happening in front of our eyes. I have gone now at least 6 months, maybe a year, where I know I've not looked up one thing on Google.
Now I love a lot of the stuff that Gary Vee teaches, but this is wrong. And let me show— tell you why this is wrong. Remember, it's not Google AdWords, it's Google Ads. Hasn't been Google AdWords since 2018, but why Google Ads won't go the way of Yellow Pages. And it comes down to the pure fact that Google saw this happening. And Google is not just Google Search. You've got to remember that inside of Google Ads, the Google Ads platform, it's unique. It's a one-on-one where not only does it have— yes, it does have a search platform, but it's got integration into Google Maps. It's also got Gemini, which Gary Vee mentioned. And what's happening across all of these LLMs is that there will be ads coming to them. And also, more importantly, Google also has YouTube. So you are crazy to think that if you're a business owner that you are turning a blind eye to Google Ads and the power that it can have for your business. So what you need to remember, yes, Google Ads is changing, but it's not dead.