As summer nears, so does the impending release of MSN's adCenter, a new option for sponsored links and another major player in the pay-per-click mania sweeping the Internet marketing industry. Whoast has rolled out the welcome mat for this new addition to the dynamic PPC world, and we strongly believe that while PPC does not replace solid search-engine optimization, it definitely is an option many businesses can afford and benefit from immediately.

SEO can take a long time to develop, and even longer to work. Climbing the ranks of search-engine results pages can take months, even years, depending on competition and content.

Pay-per-click, on the other hand, gives well-written ads the chance to be seen and companies the chance to buy or build their way to the top quickly. PPC means the advertiser sets a predetermined spending limit, and that budget is exhausted by clicks, it no longer appears. With some search engines, position is based solely on dollars spent. If other advertisers have selected the same keyword, financial competition ensues for the highest rank. Simply put, it goes to the company that is willing to spend the most. On other search engines, like Google, the ad rank is based on a click-through-rate, or CTR. This allows the best-written ads that are clicked on most to remain at the top. Google, of course, benefits from this system because it reinforces optimization and increases competition for top positioning.

PPC also proves attractive on search engines that distribute their paid listings to other partner sites. If you select Yahoo!, for instance, the ad also appears on some of the leading search engines, including AltaVista, MSN, HotBot, InfoSpace, iWon and Lycos, as well as various other minor search engines around the Internet. In the case of AOL, all paid and organic search results are generated by Google, so obvious results overlap occurs.

PPC is not just another pretty face on the page of Internet history. It's a complicated, complex and extremely rewarding method of reaching customers without annoying them. Sponsored ads are a subtle, but powerful presence on search-results pages. The difference is their honesty. Right away, the user feels the power of choice to ignore them or consider what they offer. They do not interfere with the user, but expand their possibilities. For developers and PPC providers like Whoast, this new product line from MSN represents another golden opportunity to improve our skill set and increase our connection to clients.

Our recommendation to clients, then, is: evaluate your immediate sales need; establish long-term Web goals, based not only on generating leads but serving your customers, and then select options that meet both without compromising the functionality and practicality of your Web site. If you decide to make pay-per-click part of your Internet marketing campaign, we are behind you 100 percent!