Google Advertise

Ad Words is Google's main advertising product and main source of revenue. Google's total advertising revenues were USD$28 billion in 2010. Ad Words offers pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, cost-per-thousand (CPM) advertising, and site-targeted advertising for text, banner, and rich-media ads. The Ad Words program includes local, national, and international distribution. Google's text advertisements are short, consisting of one headline and two additional text lines. Image ads can be one of several different Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) standard sizes.

Advertisers select the words that should trigger their ads and the maximum amount they will pay per click. When a user searches on Google, ads for relevant words are shown as "sponsored links" on the right side of the screen, and sometimes above the main search results. Ad Sense is an ad serving application run by Google Inc. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text, image, and video advertisements on their websites. These advertisements are administered by Google and generate revenue on either a per-click or per-impression basis.

Google uses its Internet search technology to serve advertisements based on website content, the user's geographical location, and other factors. Those wanting to advertise with Google's targeted advertisement system may enroll through Ad Words. Ad Sense has become a popular method of placing advertising on a website because the advertisements are less intrusive than most banners, and the content of the advertisements is often relevant to the website.

Google launched the Google Advertising Professional (GAP) Program to certify individuals and companies who completed Ad Words training and passed an exam. Due to the complexity of Ad Words and the amount of money at stake, some advertisers hire a consultant to manage their campaigns.