Choosing whether or not to use a pay per click search engine is an individual decision for each company. Non-commercial web sites may not benefit from being listed because pay per click search engines are largely commercial. Because of this, odds are the non-profit audience will not be using them. Companies with unique products on the other hand, may benefit greatly from being listed. With less competition for keywords, pay per click becomes quite an affordable means of advertising for these companies.

Here are just a few things to consider when choosing whether or not to use a pay per click search engine:

Industry - Consider the uniqueness of your product. Do you sell something that lots of other sites also sell, or is your product hard to find? You may already have an advantage.

Visitor-to-sales Ratio - Take the time to figure out how many visitors you need to make one sale. Then calculate how much a visitor is worth to you (in dollars). This information will help you to decide how much your maximum bid will be for a click-through.

Competition - What marketing strategy does your competition use? If your top competitor is a big advertiser on Yahoo SM, you may want to consider bidding for a top position there as well.

Marketing Budget - Do you have enough money to make pay per click search engines part of your advertising campaign, or should you stick with free search engines? Remember that even though pay per click only costs a few cents per click-through, if there is a lot of competition for your keyword, it may not be as cost effective as you think. Many pay per clicks also have partnerships with other search engines, feeding them their top results. If your web site has a top 5 ranking or higher, you may have more traffic than you expect, or can afford.

Pay Per Click Engines - There are many different pay per click search engines out there; which one fits your needs? Google AdWords may give you a lot of traffic, but it may also be more expensive if you have a popular keyword. Yahoo SM may be a cost effective alternative if you are on a tight budget because you have better control of your finances. Finally, if you primarily do business in the U.K., a region based search engine such as eSpotting may be more appropriate.

Submissions - Who will be handling your pay per click account? Your in-house staff? Your webmaster? Your mail clerk? Just because submitting to pay per click search engines is not as complex as submitting to regular search engines, does not mean that you should approach it without a marketing strategy. Bidding on the wrong keyword will not only cost you money, it will cost you traffic. Outsourcing to a search engine optimization company is a good way to stay ahead of your competition. A reputable SEO company will help you decide which engine is right for you, will help manage your pay per click account, and will make informed decisions based on solid experience.