Pay per click advertising alongside Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is rapidly becoming one of the most popular marketing strategies for both large and small businesses on the web today.

The concept is simple. You choose a set of "key phrases" related to the products or services you are trying to sell. You then place a bid on these terms. In other words, you agree to pay a certain amount to the advertising service (Overture, Google, MSN adcenter etc.) for each time a user clicks on your ad and is directed to your site. The more you bid, the higher you will rank among those competing for the same term.