google Adwords

AdWords is Google's flagship advertising product and main source of revenue ($21 billion in 2008). AdWords offers pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and site-targeted advertising for both text and banner ads.

The AdWords program includes local, national, and international distribution. Google's text advertisements are short, consisting of one title line and two content text lines. Image ads can be one of several different Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) standard sizes.

 Technology

The AdWords system was initially implemented on top of the MySQL database engine. After the system had been launched, management decided to use a commercial database (Oracle) instead. The system became much slower, so eventually it was returned to MySQL.  The interface has also been revamped to offer better work flow with additional new features, such as, Spreadsheet Editing, Search Query Reports, and better Conversion Metrics

  

Advertisers are guided along the way when opening an account, provided with numerous tutorials, and given access to a variety of tools to help you track and optimize your bidding and keyword choices. With a searchable support database, almost any question can be answered in seconds.
 

+ve side

  Excellent set of tutorials and searchable support database ensures that any question you may have about AdWords is answered as quickly as possible.
  *A low $5 startup fee, and many promotions offered.
  *No monthly minimum amount of spending required.
  *Comprehensive, free web analytics package.

-ve Side

  *Many factors relating to how “Quality Score” is defined can lead to disabling of keywords or high keyword costs.
  *No clear definition of “invalid clicks" (fraudulent clicks).