Bridget Shea from SendTec said that the focus on optimizing for Universal search can't just be about organic efforts. Anything that impacts organic search behavior and listings will impact paid search
as well.
That being said, there's no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the overall optimization process. Shea plays a bit of the devil's advocate on the panel -- arguing that Universal
search actually only has a "small impact on the core fundamentals of managing paid search campaigns."
Paid search is about managing the variables -- a stream of dynamic variables that
lead to a series of conversions that make the investment economically viable to the advertiser. Even with images and videos in paid search listings, it still boils down to cost-per-lead, ROI, CTR and
conversions.
You can't control variables like seasonality or competition -- but you don't scrap all the work you did before November once the holidays roll around, nor
do you revamp your entire campaign strategy because of what the competition is doing. It's the same way with Universal search -- its just another variable that you need to react to.