Paid Traffic: The Crack Pipe of Digital Marketing

Crack is an extremely powerful and dangerous drug. Although highly harmful to the human body, it can initially produce seemingly desirable effects such as energy, hyperactivity, a sense of well-being, and increased alertness. That’s how psychiatrist Dartiu Xavier da Silveira, a specialist from the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and director of the Programme for Guidance and Assistance to Dependents (Proad), described it in an interview with O Estado de S. Paulo.

However, according to the specialist, the drug also causes severe side effects — such as an increased heart rate, high blood pressure, hallucinations, depression, panic attacks, and paranoia.

In much the same way that crack damages the human body, paid traffic has become the “addiction” of business owners and marketing agencies. It produces not only apparently positive effects — like a temporary rise in leads, an artificial surge in demand, a false sense of business health, and sometimes even a short-term spike in sales — but also harmful consequences: growing financial costs, dependence on ads, loss of critical thinking, and weakened organic results (those achieved without paid promotion).

It’s important to note that paid traffic itself is not the villain. It’s a legitimate marketing tool which, when properly planned and managed, can yield excellent results. The problem lies in its misuse — turning this tool into a metaphorical “crack pipe” for marketers and entrepreneurs. Instead of investing in a well-structured website and sustainable organic growth for the medium and long term, many take shortcuts that inflate marketing costs without addressing the root issue. The outcome is a business highly dependent on paid traffic, just as an addict depends on the next hit.

Building a website capable of generating consistent organic results requires not only money but also time and, above all, high-quality content. It’s this content that, over time, attracts visitors naturally and strategically. Throughout that process, there’s no problem in using paid traffic as support — as long as it’s used consciously, with clear objectives and proper planning.

Because of this distorted use, many agencies have turned into “digital dealers”, offering the “pipe” to business owners in exchange for payment, thus undermining the autonomy and sustainability of businesses — and damaging the reputation of the marketing industry itself.

The ideal time to use paid advertising is in specific situations: during seasonal periods, while transitioning between a website redesign and the recovery of organic results, or in highly competitive markets where most players are investing in paid media.

The indiscriminate use of this tool has created dependency, poor delivery of real results, and, consequently, made agencies’ work ineffective and discredited in the eyes of clients.

Original version published on 27/06/2025 on the Vasconcelos Marketing & Communication blog.