Pay-Per-Click
Definition
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is an online advertising model in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their advertisements is clicked.
This advertising approach allows businesses to bid for ad placement in a search engine's sponsored links or on other websites. When a user searches for a specific keyword or phrase that an advertiser has bid on, their ad may appear at the top or side of the search results page or on relevant partner sites. The advertiser is then charged a predetermined amount only when a user clicks on their ad, rather than simply viewing it.
The objective of PPC is to drive immediate, targeted traffic to a website, as clicks indicate direct user interest in the advertised product or service. For instance, a small business might run a pay-per-click campaign targeting "local coffee beans" to direct customers to their online store.
PPC is a core component of search engine marketing (SEM) and is widely used across major search engines like Google and Bing, as well as on social media platforms and other content-driven websites.