What is Pay Per Click Marketing?

Pay per click (PPC) is an Internet advertising model used primarily by search engines but also by  advertising networks and content websites. The way the model works is that advertisers only pay when a user actually clicks on an advertisement to visit the advertisers' website.

With search engines, an advertiser will bid on his chosen key phrases that are relevant to his particular target market. If a user types a key phrase into a search engine that matches the advertiser's keyword list, or views a webpage with relevant content, the advertisements may be displayed.

These advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear above, below or adjacent to the "natural" or organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a webmaster or blogger chooses on a content page.

Currently Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter are the largest PPC networks. 

The PPC advertising model is open to abuse through click fraud, although Google and other search engines have implemented automated systems to guard against abusive clicks by competitors or corrupt webmasters.