If you are still new to the world of paid search advertising, you may be wondering what the difference between the "search" network and the "contextual" network is on programs like Google Adwords or Yahoo. You may have even heard that you should turn off the contextual option so you don't waste your advertising dollars. While that is good advice for those who are just getting started, there are times when contextual advertising is a good idea for a paid search campaign. That's why Brad Geddes has offered up an excellent article over at Search Engine Land on optimizing your contextual search campaign.

Brad explains:

Brad goes on to explain some of the common pitfalls of advertising on contextual networks and to offer up some helpful solutions that will help you run a more effective campaign.

For example, when it comes to setting your bid prices, Brad emphasizes the importance of tailoring your bids for your expected (and tested and confirmed) conversion rates.

On each of the major PPC engines, you have the option to set different bids for the content network and for the search network. It is important that you do so. As search and content have different user engagement process, the cost per conversion can also be very different.

The entire article is packed with good advice and I'd highly recommend that you give it a read if you've been thinking about experimenting with the contextual ad options on Google or Yahoo.