Google offer a scheme that they call "AdWords". AdWords is simply Google's trade name for Sponsored listings - listings that work on a Pay Per Click basis.  Don't be confused by all of these terms, they are basically all the same thing!

Other engines (principally Yahoo) offer similar schemes, but for the purposes of this page will talk about "Google AdWords".

The key features of AdWords are as follows:

• Unlike Free listings they do not rely on the engines interpretation of the site code.
   
• We can set up the AdWord to read the way we want it to read (subject to terms).
   
• You can set up multiple AdWords - each worded for a different area of your business.
   
• We can "trigger" an AdWord (cause it to be displayed) when people use "our" search phrases. We can define what "our" search phrases are, and there is no practical limit to the number of phrases we can use to trigger your AdWord.
   
• You have total control over expenditure:
  • You define the maximum you are prepared to pay "per click" (visitor to your site).
  • You define the overall maximum amount you are prepared to pay per day.
  • You can change these figures at any time.
     
• Where you appear within the list of AdWords will depend on how much you are prepared to pay per click, and what other people are prepared to pay. This is simplifying it a bit - other factors can affect ranking, but all else being equal, if you are prepared to pay more per click than anyone else (for the phrase in use) then you will be at the top of the list.
   
• The amount you need to be prepared to pay per click will vary from phrase to phrase. A phrase attracting little competition will cost just a few pence per click, a phrase which is highly competed for can cost pounds per click.
   
• You will often spend LESS per click than your maximum - if you are prepared to pay 75p per click but few or no other businesses are competing for the phrase being used than you could pay as little as 2p.
   
• Your AdWords may not appear every time somebody searches with one of your phrases - this is in order to control maximum daily expenditure. There may be more potential visitors than you are prepared to pay for!
   
• There is NO MINIMUM CONTRACT - you may stop AdWords at any time, and you may pause them for a time and restart them when required.

A summary of our AdWords Service:

• We set up one or more AdWords (advert) - each targeting a specific market and triggered by its own list of phrases. We define maximum cost per click and daily limits (based on your instructions following our advice).  Set up is charged at a modest one-off fee (per AdWord). You only need more than one AdWord if you want to target several fundamentally different subject areas (each AdWord can be triggered by many different phrases).
   
• We make any changes to your AdWords (phrased, maximum costs, daily limits) that you request - or we deem necessary (in your interests).
   
• We monitor the campaign and send out monthly reports providing full details of expenditure and performance - down to a phrase by phrase level.
   
• We charge a monthly "Management and Monitoring Fee". This is a percentage of your actual expenditure on "clicks" - subject to a minimum fee of £10.00+vat per month. The percentage we charge is on a "sliding scale" calculated in bands depending on your expenditure on "clicks", the maximum for any band is 25% and the minimum for any band is 10%. We issue a monthly VAT invoice to cover both "clicks" and "fees". Full details available on request.
   
• AdWords (including our fees) should be paid by Credit Card monthly in advance (around the 23rd each month to cover the forthcoming month) based on estimated expenditure.
  
  When we charge your card we also make an adjustment (up or down) to reflect the difference between the most recently known "actual" expenditure (per invoice) and the amount we had previously charged in advance for that period by way of estimate. 
  
  All invoices are "actuals", so post invoices to our account on your bought ledger as normal, and post card charges to your bought ledger as payments made -  your accounts (profit and loss, and balance sheet) will therefore be accurate with no need for accruals or prepayments to be calculated. We will always send you an email detailing charges made to your card including how they have been calculated.
  
  If you do not have a credit card you can use for this purpose, we will accept payment by standing order monthly in advance - the big disadvantage of this is that exact expenditure is never known in advance, and in any case you may line the flexibility to change budgets regularly. Standing orders are fixed amounts, regrettably, we are unable to take payments by variable direct debit.

We offer similar services for Yahoo based engines. All services provided subject to terms and conditions of the search engines in addition to our own terms.