The most important use of Internet is the search for information. Almost billion searches are done every month. Internet is such a powerful database that the range of searches is about everything known to mankind, starting from ordinary information like consumable goods to advanced information like nanotechnology. The search for information could lead to decision-making for planning a trip to an exotic location, for preparing for an MBA course.

What better place could there be for online advertisers, who want to advertise their products and services, than the one where online users come to search for their information needs? Certainly an advertiser who would position the products/services in such a space, claiming about the quality matching the needs of the user, would be able to attract the customer and then direct to the website and to make him/her to buy.

PPC search advertising is about interpreting the needs of an online user and accordingly position the advertisement. To explain further, when an online user wants certain information, he/she enters a search engine and types in a limited number of keywords that would best describe the need. An online advertiser, by anticipating the needs and also the possible combination of keywords, through a certain process with the search engine provider, enables the advertisement to appear in the desired position, whenever someone types in the keywords.

The process by which an advertiser places the advertisement in the desired position is by bidding for the keywords with the search agency. The highest bidder gets the first position in the search results page whenever someone types in these keywords, which the advertiser has bid for.

All of the search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN provide this service. Google, which has the most reach, started this. Besides Tier 2 search engines like FindWhat, Altavista provide the same service.