Google Digital Garage Certification Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Test Prep

In Search Engine Marketing (SEM), you typically pay when someone clicks on your ad. This payment structure is known as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. The rationale behind this model is that you are charged only for actual engagement with your ad, as indicated by the user's decision to click on it. This makes it a cost-effective strategy, allowing advertisers to focus their budget on potential customers who show interest in their offerings.

Other options involve different payment stages that do not align with the standard PPC model. Paying when an ad is displayed would imply a cost incurred regardless of user engagement, which diverges from the effectiveness and efficiency that PPC aims to provide. Paying after the ad campaign ends would not fit typical SEM structures, as costs are generally incurred throughout the campaign based on clicks. Payments for impressions would suggest a Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions (CPM) system, which is not the same as the click-based model commonly used in SEM. Therefore, the click-based payment method is the cornerstone of many successful search advertising strategies.