How does the search engine know to show my ad?   
        Two ways:  If a consumer enters a search using a keyword(s) we are bidding on and city or zip code that is included in your market distribution area then the search engine may show your ad.  If the consumer enters a general keyword without the geo-identifier (city or zip code), the search engine will try to determine their physical location via the IP address of their computer and show relevant ads to their search.  For how often your ad may appear, see the next question.   

How does my budget affect the performance?  
        In most cases, search engines try to spread your budget out evenly throughout the day and month.  For instance, if your monthly approved budget is $1200 that allows approximately $40 per day.  If the recommended budget for 100% of impressions is $100 a day, the search engine may only show your ad 4 out of 10 times a consumer searches.  This allows your ad to appear more evenly throughout the day but not use your budget up early and then not appear at all for the rest of the day.  (Note: there are settings to avoid this pacing or we have options to tailor the programs and spread your budget further.) 

What is an impression?  
        An impression means your ad appeared on the page when a related search is performed. 

When is the charge incurred?  
         With a pay per click program, you are only charged when a consumer responds to your ad by clicking on it for more information.  There are other programs designed for branding where the charges are incurred on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM)  basis.  And still other programs that we can only pay for a specific type of conversion such as a article download, customer signup or online sale.  Call us for more details on the various programs and their benefits/features. 

What is click through rate? 
        Click through rate is a mathematical calculation of how many times your ad was seen versus how many times it was clicked on.  For instance, if you had 100 impressions and 10 clicks, your click through rate is 10%. 

What is a quality score? 
        Each search engine uses a non-disclosed algorithm (mathematical calculation) that takes into account the quality of your keywords, ad text, relevancy to the search query, landing page quality and historical performance of your advertising.  This calculation is used to determine where your ad will appear on the page along with how much you pay per click.  There are times when the advertiser in first position may be paying less per click than those in lower positions.  With our knowledge of how to build quality campaigns, our quality score is high resulting in lower cost and higher return on your investment. 

What is average position?  
        This is the average position your ad appears on the search engines.  If the ad appears in 2nd position, then 5th, then 3rd, then 3rd and then 5th again - your average position for the day would be 3.6 (2 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 5 = 18 divided by 5 = 3.6).  remember that if 3 ads appear in the top center of the page under sponsored links and your ad is in 4th position, it would be the first ad on the right column of sponsored links.  If only 1 ad appears at the top of the page and your ad is in 4th position, it would be the third ad down in the right column of sponsored links. 

What is the difference between content and search?  
        Search network includes search engines such as Google.com and their partner search sites like AOL and Ask.com.  Content network includes partner sites such as blogs, online newspaper sites, informational and research sites like About.com, FoodNetwork.com or HGTV.com.  Content network should be used and analyzed differently than the search network results.  For instance, on content network typically you will have many impressions and a much lower click through rate and cost per click or cost per action.  Think of it this way:  If you were looking for articles on how to fix a leaky kitchen piping you might visit do-it-yourself sites or blogs with detailed explanations of how to fix your kitchen piping.  These sites are part of the content network.   A consumer who visits sites like these are less likely to call a plumber today and are "surfing" for information not "searching".  However, a consumer who searches on Google for "Plumber in Melbourne" is most likely looking for a local service company to come to their home and fix the leaky piping.  The content network, when used properly, tested and watched closely can produce very good leads.