Pay per Click is a short cut to appear on top on the Google SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). However it is different from the organic search results, therefore PPC ads are placed in a different part of the result pages delivered by Google. In this article, we will discuss about Pay per Click ads and how they are a powerful tool for online promotions.

Pay per Click, which is also known as PPC in short, falls under the category of ‘Search Marketing’. This means that these ads can be seen when a visitor looks for certain information in a search engine and comes across these ads. They are placed on the SERPs or result pages of the search engines. These ads appear when the visitor types in a keyword that the PPC ads have bided for to come on the SERPs.

Yes, a salient feature of PPC ads is that they are based on bids. Advertisers bid a certain amount on the keyword that they are targeting. The more an advertiser bids, the higher his ad appears on list of paid searches. (Paid searches are list of PPC ads on the same keyword and they appear in the Google SERPs). It is due to their paid nature, PPC is also called inorganic search marketing.

Now, let us talk about the benefits of PPC. Why do advertisers prefer PPC over other forms of online marketing? Let us compare Pay Per Click with different forms of online promotions. When compared with organic search results, with PPC your target audience would find your site before other competing sites. You would be clearly visible in a separate list outside the list of sites that rank due to organic search engine optimization. Then, it takes a lot of time to rank well in organic searches. And when the algorithm at Google changes, it can change your ranks drastically. With PPC advertising, you have some control over the placement of your ad – the higher you bid, the higher you appear on the list.

Now let us compare Pay Per Click with other online promotional measures like affiliate marketing and internet advertising. Affiliate marketing and internet advertising depends on a third party site – the affiliate or the publisher’s site. If the visitor comes to those sites, it is only then that you are visible. But in case of PPC, the visitors can directly find you, as soon as they type the relevant keyword in search box of search engines.

Such quick appearance and greater control over your visibility makes PPC a hot favorite among online advertisers. And it is through this quick appearance, many advertisers are able to win more and more customers because as the saying goes, ‘early bird catches the worm’.