Paid Search Advertising
Listing Advertisement
Advertisements that appear on search engine results pages, matched to the words a user searched for.
In Simple Terms
These are the web ads labeled "Ad" or "Sponsored" that show up just above or below the regular results when you search something online. What makes them special is that they can match ads exactly to what a user is searching for right at that moment. For example, someone who searches for "sneakers" might see an ad for an online sneaker store — that's how these ads show up in everyday life.
Behind the Name
The word "listing" means placing something on a list, and this name comes from the way these ads are placed within the list of search results. It's also known as "search-linked advertising" — a name that reflects how the ad shown is tied directly to whatever word the user searched for.
Take a Closer Look!
Paid search advertising refers to the text-based ads that appear on the results page when you search for something on a search engine like Google or Yahoo!.
Because the ads are matched to the exact words someone is searching for right then, this system lets advertisers deliver information directly to people who are already interested.
Roughly speaking, simply having the ad appear on screen doesn't cost anything — the advertiser only pays once someone actually clicks on it.
Because of this, showing the ad to people who aren't interested doesn't waste much money. Advertisers can also freely choose and set which keywords they want their ad to show up for.
For example, if someone searching for a new phone case types in "cute phone case," a store selling phone cases could show its ad to that exact person.
You've probably noticed small links labeled "Ad" or "Sponsored" near the top or bottom of search results — that's this system at work.