With pay per click advertising first created back in 2000 by Google with their Adwords program, the progress and popularity of PPC has rocketed ever since making it one of if not the best way to advertise online. From this, it makes clear that PPC had a few factors that helped the program on its way to success. Yes, it is the preferred method of advertising on the internet due to its numerous features such as its instant results and cost efficient approach to advertising. However, there are other external factors that benefited PPC too with the main one being technology. What involvement did technology have with making PPC the dominating form of advertising it is now?

Since 2000, a lot has changed in technology. Therefore, let’s have a look at the changes in technology over the past 12 years.

Tablets

It first started with Apple. Ever since the first iPad, companies all over the world have been rushing to enter the tablet market to enable them a share of this niche market. The question is, ‘how has tablets contributed to PPC?’ For a start, the demand in tablets and the internet usage from tablets have caused Google to create tablet-friendly adverts. Therefore, tablets have helped to enable more custom designed adverts to be used on different devices. At the beginning of PPC, the only adverts Adwords had created were for laptops. Then came mobiles and now tablets. The increase in devices that can go online has caused PPC to accommodate specific-to-the-device adverts for each device.

Internet

The internet has been forever increasing since it was first created by Tim Berners-Lee. The idea to have computers linked together was the original incentive to take advantage to introduce advertising to it. Although banner advertising took over the internet when it was first opened for public use, PPC shortly followed after. If it wasn’t for the internet, there would be no such thing as internet traffic. There will be no web users to surf webpages and look at adverts. There would no PPC. For this reason, Tim Berners-Lee had a very strong involvement in PPC. He created the original idea which led to advertising being introduced to his original idea: the internet.

Faster is Better

When you think of technology, I am sure you would think about micro-processors that are being made smaller, lighter, faster and more energy efficient. Again, you will be thinking how this relates to pay per click advertising. Look at it from a metaphorical perspective with cars. If a car has a small engine, it can only go so fast. If it has a super charged fuel injected engine, it will be able to go a lot faster. Laptops and computers, when PPC started, had very slow processors and a low amount of RAM. Compare that to the specifications of laptops and computers nowadays, it is nothing in comparison. The developments in technology has made it easy for companies like Google to explore PPC advertising by letting web users see more ‘fuel’ demanding adverts such as image and flash adverts. The level of customization technology has given to PPC makes clear that technology’s involvement in PPC has been one of strong influence.