The following is a quick walk-through of how an advertiser gets an ad displayed for a specific user query (the rest of this book will show you how to do it precisely and optimally):
- The advertiser opens an account within the Google advertising network called Google AdWords.
- Within this AdWords account, the advertiser loads a keyword list that is relevant to their products and services, and creates PPC ads to display for these terms.
- The advertiser sets the price they are willing to pay for each click.
- When a user enters a query, the search engine reviews all of the ads in its database and then selects and displays the most relevant ads ranked by quality of advertisement and how much the advertiser is willing to pay for that click.
Figure 2.2 is a simple diagram of how ads appear on a SERP.
Throughout the rest of the book, we’re going to show you how to create a great keyword list, upload into AdWords, set smart keyword bids, and write awesome PPC ad copy.
We have covered the mechanics of how a PPC ad appears on a SERP, but with all of the advertisers vying for an individual keyword, how do the search engines determine who gets ranked in the top coveted spots? That’s what we cover next!