What is pay-per-click advertising?
I have never used PPC myself, but I have a lot of clients who have opted to use this route to increase traffic to their websites.
They tend to ask me a lot of questions about the whole process, so instead of sounding completely clueless (which I mostly AM about PPC), I decided to research it a bit to help answer questions I receive.
What is Pay-Per-Click advertising?
Definition from Wikipedia: Pay per click (PPC) is an advertising technique used on websites, advertising networks, and search engines. Advertisers bid on “keywords” that they believe their target market (people they think would be interested in their offer) would type in the search bar when they are looking for their type of product or service. For example, if an advertiser sells red widgets, he/she would bid on the keyword “red widgets”, hoping a user would type those words in the search bar, see their ad, click on it and buy. These ads are called “sponsored links” or “sponsored ads” and appear next to and sometimes above the natural or organic results on the page. The advertiser pays only when the user clicks on the ad.
So basically you…
1. Choose the desired keywords you want for your website to appear in listings for (example: a baby shower website might want their website to appear for the keywords baby shower gifts, baby shower, etc.).
You can use Overture’s free Keyword Selector Tool for help choosing the right terms for your website listing.
2. Set the price (by bidding with other competitors) you are willing to pay each time someone clicks on your listing.
3. Pay said amount each time a user clicks on your listing.
Here is an example of where your listing will appear in search engines:
How much will PPC cost?
Costs will vary depending your particular business category and the keyword terms you want to appear in search engine listings for. The more competitive your market, the higher you will pay for clicks. Most PPC companies provide you with tools that will help you analyze which terms will work best for your listing.
That sounds easy enough. No wonder so many people do this.
Now I can sound only slightly clueless when helping my clients. lol 
But I did learn something. If you are interested in starting a PPC campaign, Yahoo! Sponsored Search is currently offering a $25 credit
for signing up.
[tags]PPC, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Sponsored Search, Search Engines, Increase Website Traffic, Online Website Advertising[/tags]
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