PPC Search Engine

Overture http://www.overture.com was one of the first search engines to implement a pay-per-click strategy in their search results.

One of the biggest advantages of Overture is that your listing will also appear in the search results of their partners' sites, which include major search engines such as MSN, Yahoo, Infospace, Lycos, AltaVista and Netscape.

To get started, you can use either their Fast Track or Self Serve plan. The Fast Track plan is a little more expensive, but it provides you with professional help in choosing your keywords, cost-per-click, and more. It also provides you with a turn-around time of approximately three days.

In contrast, the Self Serve plan has no service fee, and you choose your own keywords and prices. Turn around time is approximately five days.

Regardless of which route you choose to take, there is an initial non-refundable deposit that is applied to your clicks. A minimum monthly budget is also required, as well as a minimum cost-per-click.

Google AdWords

Google itself is not a pay-per-click search engine, but does features a pay-per-click advertising program called Google AdWords https://adwords.google.com/select/main.

AdWords allows you to purchase a sponsored listing. The listings show up on the same page as other Google search results, but appear in highlighted boxes to give them more attention. One major advantage of AdWords is that your ads start immediately; there is no three- to five-day waiting period as there is with Overture.

Startup cost with Google is minimal and there is no minimum monthly budget. You have unlimited free access to your account which allows you complete control over your ads, keywords and budget. You can choose whether or not you want your listing to show up on their partner sites, which include AOL, Earthlink and Sympatico, as well as which countries and languages you want to target.

Your ad's position depends on two factors - cost-per-click and click-through-rate. The higher your click-through-rate, the less you'll have to pay for a top position.

Looksmart recently jumped on the pay-per-click bandwagon. However, they take a different approach. With Looksmart, all participants pay the exact same amount per click. Your position or ranking depends on how well you write your title and description.

The biggest advantage of getting listed with Looksmart is that their results are fed to other major search engines such as MSN, About.com, AltaVista, Netscape, and more.

Looksmart does charge a non-refundable startup fee and also requires a deposit to activate your account. Choosing keywords with Looksmart does not necessarily mean that your site will receive a ranking with those keywords. It can also take five days or more for your listing to be activated, and all listings are subject to editorial review and approval. Looksmart also charges a fee if you want to change your listing in the future.