PPC Glossary Terms: PPC

It would be remiss to discuss any glossary terms related to PPC without first defining PPC. Short for Pay Per Click, PPC advertising is a form of online marketing that allows websites to display ads on search engine result pages and publisher websites, usually according to chosen keywords, and is then charged a maximum bid price each time a visitor clicks on the ad to be navigated to their web page.

The advertisements themselves are normally displayed in a separate table on a search results page, titled Sponsored Listings, and this box may appear at the top, the right or the bottom of the results. Publisher websites that join the advertising network may also display the ads on contextually relevant pages and these can appear in any area of the page.

The maximum PPC bid price that is to be paid for each click is determined by the advertiser and while it can vary up to this figure it will never go above it. Advertisers are never required to pay more than they would need to pay in order to get the ad position they choose or are awarded.

Careful PPC campaign management can lead to a beneficial and long term form of marketing and, along with SEO, is widely considered to be one of the most fruitful forms of Internet marketing generating a very positive return on investment. Ensuring that bid prices are low while traffic is high and keywords are targeted will generally lead to the best PPC results.