Pay Per Click, or PPC, is a popular type of sponsored advertising on many types of websites and search engines. The basic principle of pay per click is that you as the advertiser will only pay for your ad space if someone clicks on your ad—so you literally pay for each click. This can be a very effective way of getting your business out there to reach potential clients or customers. Be aware that it is always advisable to consult with a PPC expert before beginning your ad campaign.

How it Works

An easier way to think of a pay per click campaign on a search engine is to compare it with an auction. In this auction, advertisers will bid on the keywords that they feel will be best to get their brand recognized by potential clients or customers. They also want these ads to be displayed on websites that will help them accomplish this goal. For example, someone who runs a business that sells fabric would want their ad to be displayed on a popular crafting website or blog rather than a website about cars. These ads are meant to be a way to get a direct line to your targeted demographic.

On most search engines, your ad will be displayed under a heading such as “sponsored links” or “sponsored ads,” but it will place your website above the natural search results. This ensures that your potential customers will see your ad before their other search results, the question just is whether or not they will click on it.

With a pay per click ad, you will only pay for each click, as explained above, so if the campaign is for some reason unsuccessful (whether you chose the wrong keywords or something along those lines) you will not lose money on the investment so there is very little risk involved. By consulting with a PPC expert, you can gain a more realistic understanding about:

–          How to setup your campaign

–          What kind return of you may receive

–          How many customers you can expect to gain

–          What keywords would be most beneficial for you to target

No matter what road you decide to take with regards to your pay per click advertising campaign, be sure to consult with a search engine optimization professional so that you can gain the most realistic understanding of the benefits of PPC.

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Mercedes Potter is an Inbound Marketer for one of the world’s fastest growing and leading SEO companies, Webimax. In this post, she explains what PPC is and how it can give you big results, fast. Follow her @CedesPotter to read other SEO related articles and to keep up on the latest SEO news.