Ever wonder how specific companies got their site moved to the top of a google search? Well they pay for that spot. A service offered by Google, called Google Adwords, allows companies to pay for the top spot on a search of any keywords you choose. As I’m sure you know, from your experience with the search engine, the highlighted sites at the top of the page draw your immediate attention, and because of this, Google Adwords is rapidly growing as a online marketing tool.

The Google Adwords program has many different options, which are adjustable to your budget. One of the most popular options is a pay-per-click option which means you pay a set amount each time someone clicks on your link and goes to your page. This seems like a pretty straight forward concept, but it does have some inherent risks. When you set up your account you choose which keywords you would like use. Your selection of keywords dictates which searches you will show up in. In addition to that there are several wrinkles to the program which makes it much more customizable, and also much easier to overspend.

An article in the Wall Street Journal discusses several businesses that were paying more than they had expected due to unwanted ad clicks. One of the wrinkles of the Adwords program is called “session-based clicks” which is something Google does to try to optimize your views. Essentially what it means is that if someone is searching for, lets say, new flooring, and they search for ten different words regarding hard wood flooring, your site will show up in all of them. They do this because, seeing that the person is looking for wood flooring, they anticipate that your advertisement will be useful to them not only on their first search, but on subsequent searches as well. Now here’s where it gets tricky: If a person searching for carpet, which your flooring site might show up on, then decides to search for something less related, like area rugs, you might still be showing up in the search results. If they stray further, say to furniture, it is possible that, if they searched for flooring enough, your ad might follow them. What this does is show your ad to, and potentially get a click from, people that maybe aren’t interesting in flooring as much as Google thought. Now, because they clicked, you have to pay. Granted this isn’t a huge problem, it probably does more good than bad, but it can lead to increased expenses if left unchecked.

Now, this isn’t to say that you should stay away from Adwords, it is a great program that offers results for a relatively modest amount. What I would recommend is that you study the program, or let professionals help you with your campaign. Luckily the Google Adwords trend has not gone unnoticed, and because of that there are a growing number of Google Certified agencies that are proficient in the Adwords program and can help you optimize your results. So if you think you might be interested in having your website seen by the masses, find yourself some help, and look into Google Adwords.