# What is PPC (Google Ads)?

> PPC, or pay-per-click, is advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad; Google Ads is the best-known example, placing ads above search results.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ppc
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: pay-per-click, Google Ads, paid search, SEM, sponsored results, AdWords.

With pay-per-click advertising you choose search phrases you want to appear for, write short adverts and set a budget. Your ad can appear at the top of Google marked ‘Sponsored’, and you pay when someone clicks.

The price of a click is set by an auction between advertisers, influenced by how relevant and useful Google judges your ad and landing page. High-value services in busy areas can have expensive clicks.

Ads work instantly and stop instantly. They are good for filling gaps, testing demand or promoting seasonal work, but the moment the budget stops, so do the clicks.

## Why it matters for a small business

Badly set-up Google Ads can burn through money on clicks from the wrong areas or the wrong searches, such as people looking for jobs or DIY advice. Well managed, it brings enquiries straight away. Either way, you should be able to see exactly what each enquiry costs you.

**Example:** A drainage company runs ads only for ‘blocked drain’ searches within 15 miles, during working hours, leading to a matching landing page, and checks the cost per call every month.