An often underused and misunderstood form of pay per click is the contextual advertising option offered through the Google AdWords platform.

Although the content network option is ticked as default when you first open a pay per click account with the search engine, this should be disabled initially and a specific campaign created purely for the content network.

Unlike the search network, contextually targeted adverts are selected and displayed according to ad group theme. Campaigns should be structured and optimised as such to ensure adverts are targeted, performance objectives are met and conversion rates are strong.

As keywords are analysed differently, ad groups should be created around a common theme and general keywords introduced that sit comfortably within the chosen topic. Unlike pay per click ads for the search network, contextual ad groups should also be based on a common theme.

A minimum of three-four ad groups are recommended within the content network campaign in order to attract as much relevant traffic as possible. Google recommends that one ad group focuses on the specific product or service, the second on similar products and services and the third tier created around audience demographics.

As with traditional search adverts, content targeted PPC campaigns should be tested with a number of different adverts. Given the huge potential for exposure, new ad formats such as image and video ads can be included within the test cycle.

Unlike search ads, site-targeted pay per click adverts work best when bids are set at the ad group level. Landing pages should also be the same across each ad group, although they should still abide by the theory that the more specific and relevant the landing page, the better the conversion rate is likely to be.

To track all changes and gather relevant data to assist with campaign fine tuning, Google’s Placement Performance Report is accessible through the AdWords Report Centre and shows performance statistics for pay per click adverts across specific web pages.