Nothing on the net is free

The major search engines only appear to work 'free of charge'. Every user pays to find information on the internet by disclosing their queries. This creates 'user profiles' that allow a customer to be presented with precisely the advertising that matches their interests.

Google's AdWord system dates back to the year 2000. 'AdWord' is an artificial word made up of 'advertising' and 'keywords'. Google's commercial customers pay for their advertising to appear on the side - or, more recently, below the search box - as a result, in the form of snippets with a link. And they do this precisely whenever the user of the search system calls up a specific keyword.

This is the IT service that Google offers its paying customers. Until 2008, the Adword system was billed as cost-per-click (see CPC). Since then, a complex model has emerged that also takes into account loading times, the quality of the ad and the type of device used (cell phone, PC). In the blog 'Inside AdWords' (also in German since 2008), Google provides continuous information about changes on this most important advertising platform worldwide.

Bremen, March 23, 2018