Search advertising
Also known as: Paid search
In short
Paid advertising that becomes eligible to appear in response to searches relevant to the advertiser’s offering.
Search advertising reaches people while they are looking for information, products, or services. The advertisement competes for an eligible placement in a search environment and directs the person toward the advertiser’s intended next step.
From a query to an advertisement
In a keyword-based campaign, the platform compares the search with the advertiser’s keyword targeting and matching rules. Other conditions, including location, approval status, and available budget, also affect eligibility.
An auction then determines whether an eligible advertisement appears. In Google Ads, the decision considers Ad Rank rather than simply awarding every placement to the highest bidder.
The message and landing page should answer the same need as the query. Matching a broad topic is less useful when the actual offer does not fit what the person wants.
Illustrative example
A retailer sells replacement water filters. It creates an advertisement for a compatible filter model and directs relevant searches to the matching product page. Queries for an incompatible system are reviewed for exclusion.
This example describes intent matching, not guaranteed visibility. A keyword can be eligible without producing an impression, and a click can occur without a purchase. Evaluate the search terms, destination, cost, and conversion results together instead of treating traffic volume as the final objective.