We've all seen them - the sponsored links that show up on the top and right hand side of the page when you do a Google search. They are part of Google's advertising program, called Adwords.

How does it work?

Adwords works in much the same way that Google’s search engine does. When you create an ad, you attach to it keywords. Then when users do a Google search with those keywords, your ad appears.

You can organize your ads based on campaigns, and set the time frame for how long each campaign will run. There is no limit to the number of campaigns (or ads) you can have.

How do I create an ad?

Once you are signed up, Google will walk you through creating your ads. There are a few formats to choose from - text ads, graphics and banners. Texts ads are 4 lines of text including a link to your website.

What are keywords?

Keywords are the heart and soul of adwords. Chosing good keywords will make your ads more effective. Since you ad will appear when a user types in a keyword as a search term, its important that you shoose keywords that you think potential constituents might be searching for. The more specific you are, the better. Here are some tips for creating the most list of keywords.

Because keywords are so important, Google has made it easy to change them, add or delete them. You can have as many keywords linked to an ad as you want.

Google has also create a keyword tool that will give suggestions based on your existing keywords or your website.

How much does it cost?

Google Adwords is very flexible in that you decide how much you want to spend (and you can change it at any time.) If, for example, you don't want to spend more than $5 per week, Google will place the ads as often as possible to meet your budget. Google will also give you recommendations for your budget based on historical data of the same or similar keywords.

There are two kinds of advertising methods- Keyword Targeted Ads, and Placement Targeted Ads

• Keyword Targeted Ads are based on a Cost Per Click (CPC) system. You only pay when a user clicks on your ad- not just when it appears. When you set up your campaign this way, you make a bid of how much you want to pay for each click. (So if you bid 10 cents per click, and your daily budget is $3, you could potentially have 30 clicks that day -whether you will or not depends on keywords, interest, etc)

• Placement Targeted Ads In placement-targeted campaigns, you choose to make either a CPC bid or a cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) bid for each ad group or placement in your campaign. A CPM bid refers to the amount you're willing to pay each 1000 times your ad appears on one of Google's partner sites.

In either case you are in complete control of how you spend.

If you are a 501(c)3 nonprofit, you can apply for a grant from Google to pay for your adwords! Information and application can be found here.

How do I sign up?

When you sign up for Google Adwords, you are given the choice of a Starter Edition or Standard Addition account.

• StarterEdition is a simple interface and is for people who are new to internet advertising. It has the basic functionality of adwords and gives you a 1 page form to fill out tohelp you create your ad.

• Standard Edition is for more advanced users and has all the functionality available to Adwords customers.