A number of pay per click advertising programs, such as Google Adwords, allow you to choose where you would like your advertisements to appear on a webpage. This is often referred to as position preference. Though important to your success, position preference may also have an impact on the cost of pay per click advertising.



If this is your first time participating in a pay per click advertising program, like Google Adwords, you may be unfamiliar with position preference, the positions in particular. When you sign up for an affiliate program, you should be given access to a map. That map should outline a number of different positions; positions where advertisements are often displayed. In most cases, these positions are numbered. The number scale used by Google is 1 to 10+. As you may have already assumed, one is the best position; it is often right at the top of a webpage. As for positions 10+, they can usually be found towards the bottom of a webpage. The actual positions and their numbers will all depend on the pay per click program in question.

With online advertisements, it is known that those shown above the fold are often the most successful; the ones that receive the most clicks. The phrase ?above the fold,? is used to describe the part of a website that can be seen right away. Below the fold is used to describe the part of a website that internet users must scroll down to see. Since many internet users do not scroll down to examine a whole webpage, most advertisers try and get their ads placed above the fold. This is typically where positions one, positions two, and positions three are located. Before automatically trying to get into one of these highly sought after position slots, you should examine whether it is worth it. To do this, you will want to examine the pros and cons of trying to obtain a first, second, or third position.

As it was mentioned above, the biggest advantage to scoring a first, second, or third place advertising position is placement. These advertisements are ones that are likely to be seen immediately, no scrolling down is required. It is a known fact that advertisements located on the top or in the upper left-hand or right-hand sides of a webpage are more likely to be clicked. As an advertiser, this may result in your ads being clicked. If your advertisements are being targeted to the right website, websites that are related to the products that you are selling, this click may end up resulting in a sale.

Although good placement alone is enough to make many advertisers want a first, second or third advertising position, there are also a number of disadvantages to seeking those positions. As it was stated above, these positions are the ones that are most sought after. Pay per click programs know this; therefore, they charge more money for those positions. The amount of money that you will have to pay will depend on your maximum bid. What is nice about many pay per click programs, including Google Adwords, is that you are able to set yourself a daily budget. This means that you can ask to have your advertisements displayed in the first, second, or third place positions, even if you are on a budget. Once your daily spending limit has been reached, another advertisement will take over your top position. In a way, this is nice because it allows you to experiment with position preference, without having to spend too much money.

Although position preference may have an impact on the amount of traffic that your online store sees or the amount of sales that you make, it is important that you do not rely on it. It is important to remember the name, position preference, particularly the preference part. In no way are your advertisements guaranteed to appear in the first, second, or third positions, but your pay per click program representatives will try their best to ensure that they are.

P.S. Position preference is a popular feature that is used by many pay per click advertisers, including those that use Google Adwords.