Clients always seem to ask us these questions:

"How can I advertise online?" "How do I advertise online?" "Why should I advertise online?"

So we've taken the initiative to explain how search engines like google, (the most popular search engine) work. Let us explain...

When you search for something online, you will usually put a keyword that explains what you are looking for in the search field. For example: best web design company (inreact should be there, :) if not we'll be in topdesignfirms.com)

You will notice that on the Google page that appears when hit Enter, that there are results everywhere-- on the side, inside a yellow box, a list below a yellow box, right? However, those "search results" you see on the side and inside the yellow box are actually ads. Yes, it might seem misleading, but it's not because it means these people actually took the time to create and pay for ads that most probably relate to your keyword. Every time you click on one of these ads they have to pay (so don't click on our ads.  just go to our site, :)).
The actual search results begin below the yellow box. These ads are also known as Pay-Per-Click ads or PPC Ads or Google Ads. The way this works is that a company creates Google Campaigns which may have one ad or multiple ads per campaign. They select a budget and it displays on the search results for certain keywords. Here are the steps to creating Google Campaigns for Pay-Per-Click Ads:

1. Go to google.com and click on the link below the search field that says "Advertising Programs."

2. You will see two options: Google Ad words (this is to market on the search results) and Google Ad Sense (this is to have Google ads appear on your website. we'll make another post for this)

3. Select Google Ad words. If you have a Gmail account, just sign in. If not, you're going to have to click on "Start Now" and register.

 4. After you have registered and/or logged in you see will many tabs and information. Don't be overwhelmed.

5. Click on the "Campaigns" tab. Since this is the first time doing this you will see that you have no campaigns yet. So click on the "New Campaign" button.

6. Fill out all the information including your bidding/budget. I suggest you select a budget per day because if you select bidding you will most likely go overboard and will most likely spend more than anticipated.  

7. When you are done click on "Save and Continue." Now you are ready to create your ad(s).

8. Click on the "New Ad Group" under the "Ad Groups" tab. Now each ad has this:  
Headline
Description line 1
Description line 2
Display URL
Destination URL
 
Put the title of the ad under "Headline" and enter the description of the ad within the Description lines. URL is your website and the Destination URL is where you want the Display URL to link to. Let's say you are a web design company and are advertising "Online Marketing." This is how it will look like:
 
Headline
Online Advertising

Description line 1
 Search Engine Optimization & PPC
 
Description line 2
Market your website for only $700/month
 
Display URL
www.inreact.com
 
Destination URL
http://inreact.com/blog/How-do-you-advertise-online-with-Pay-Per-Click-PPC-or-Google-Ads-.html
 
Notice how the Destination URL is different than the Display URL. That's because I want the link to go to a specific page of the site that talks about this specific service we provide and I don't want that long link showing on the results.
 
9. Insert keywords to put in the keyword text box. Remember, how I explained that people will search for specific keywords in the Google search box? Here is where you put those keywords. So if I were looking for web design companies, the possibilities are endless. I would put some of the following:
 
pay per click
search engine optimization
ppc
web design companies
web design
web development
webpage
web programmer
 
You get the point.  
 
10. Under "Ad group default bids" put the most you're willing to pay per click on the first box. The higher the amount, the more Google will show it. The reason is because certain keywords have such a high search rate that a lot of companies pay big bucks so that their ad appears on the first page. So if I wanted to show my ad on the first page for “Web Design” I’d probably have to pay at least $5 per click. The more general the keywords are the more money it will take for your ad to appear on the first page of the results.
 
11. Click on the "Save Ad Group" on the bottom. You have created you're first ad!
 
Now, go ahead and give it a try. The best thing to do is create three ads per campaign.
 
If you still are having trouble and can't do it on your own, feel free to contact us. We will setup Google Adwords for you and create campaigns and ads. We always provide you with a list of the keywords that we know will be the best for your budget and business. We back this up with research including the keywords that don't have that much competition, but still have enough clicks to give you results. And yes, our prices are reasonable.
 
May your online advertising/marketing prosper!