Beginners Guide to PPC Search Engines (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the various pay for performance advertising models offered by Yahoo! Search Marketing. In this article, we will look at the remaining pay for performance search engine models on our list, starting with Google AdWords.

Google AdWords™

Similar to Yahoo! Sponsored Search, Google AdWords gives web site owners the ability to promote their site when particular keyword or key phrase searches are conducted at Google and their partner sites.

Your ads usually appear on the right side of results pages in a "call out" box under the heading "Sponsored Links". Your AdWords text or image ads appear on search result pages for the keywords you buy, and can be targeted by language and country.

With Google AdWords' cost-per-click (CPC) pricing, you pay only when a customer clicks on your ad, regardless of how many times it's shown. Google adjusts your bids automatically to keep you ahead of your competition at the lowest possible price. Google Adwords results appear on Google search results pages, Google's distribution partner sites, Google Gmail, and numerous content sites which are syndicated through the Google Adsense program.

For more information on Google AdWords, click here.

Google AdSense™

Google AdSense is a way for webmasters to generate income from their sites by displaying text or image advertisements from companies participating in the Google AdWords program.

You can display targeted advertising for your content pages or you can add a Google search box to your site and show targeted ads on search results pages. When visitors click on these ads, Google pays you a fee. The ads are targeted to the content already on your page so they are not as intrusive to your visitors.

For more information on Google AdSense, click here.

LookSmart LookListings™

The LookSmart Directory originally offered a Paid Submission model and then transformed it into a Pay For Performance model, removing their Express Submit directory submission service and receiving a lot of criticism in the process.

To have your site included in LookSmart.com, you must pay a per click fee when visitors click on your listing, similar to the Yahoo! Search Submit Express model. The "relevancy keywords", title and description chosen during the set up of your listing determine when your site appears for searches.

There is no free submission option to Looksmart and the only way to get your site into their directory is to either pay for their LookListings or submit your site via the Zeal directory, which is only an option available to non-profit sites.

LookSmart LookListings work like this:

1. Create Your Listing which includes:

site description & title
relevancy keywords (for keyword targeted listings)
directory category

2. Set Your Monthly Budget:

set your maximum monthly budget
set your maximum click rates for each URL (for keyword targeted listings)
your account is debited USD 0.15 per click (for inclusion-targeted listings)
minimum account deposit totaling your maximum monthly budget
each campaign has a minimum monthly budget of USD 15

3. Account Management

traffic reporting
automatic monthly account refills (from your nominated credit card)
adjust your budget
update description, title and relevancy keywords
bids monitored automatically (for keyword targeted listings)

LookListings appear on sites across the LookSmart Network including LookSmart, Lycos, Mamma.com and CNET Search.

For more information on LookSmart LookListings, click here.

Other Pay-Per-Click Providers

Apart from the big players, there are a large number of other medium-sized search providers selling pay-per-click search advertising. These include:

Of course there are hundreds more PPC engines, many of which can be found via the sites listed in our Further Reading section below.

Don't be afraid to set-up some test pay per click campaigns to dip your toes into the paid advertising waters. You don't have to have a large budget to reap rewards, just a willingness to experiment and apply what you learn to improve your campaigns. What you do with all your extra traffic is up to you!

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